1. The priests guarded the sanctuary in three places, in the House Abtinas,567 in the House Nitzus,568 and in the House Moked;569 and the Levites in twenty-one places, five at the five gates of the Mountain of the House, four at its four corners inside, five at the five gates of the Court, four at its four corners outside, and one in the chamber of the Offering, and one in the chamber of the Vail, and one behind the House of Atonement.

2. The Captain of the Mountain of the House went round to every Watch in succession with torches flaming before him, and to every guard who did not stand forth, the Captain said, “Peace be to thee.” If it appeared that he slept, he beat him with his staff; and he had permission to set fire to his cushion.570 And they said, “what is the voice in the Court?” “It is the voice of the Levite being beaten, and his garments burned, because he slept on his guard.”571 Rabbi Eliezer, the son of Jacob, said, “once they found the brother of my mother asleep, and they burned his cushion.”

3. There were five gates to the Mountain of the House, two Huldah gates in the south which served for going in and out, Kipunus in the west served for going in and out; Tadi572 in the north served for no (ordinary) purpose. Upon [pg 234] the east gate was portrayed the city Shushan. Through it one could see the High Priest who burned the heifer, and all his assistants going out to the Mount of Olives.

4. In the court were seven gates—three in the north, and three in the south, and one in the east. That in the south was called the gate of Flaming, the second after it, the gate of Offering; the third after it the Water-gate. That in the east was called the gate Nicanor. And this gate had two chambers, one on the right, and one on the left; one the chamber of Phineas, the vestment keeper, and the other the chamber of the pancake maker.

5. And at the gate Nitzus on the north was a kind of cloister with a room built over it, where the priests kept ward above, and the Levites below; and it had a door into the Chel.573 Second to it was the gate of the offering. Third the House Moked.

6. In the House Moked were four chambers opening as small apartments into a saloon—two in the Holy place, and two in the Unconsecrated place; and pointed rails separated between the Holy and the Unconsecrated. And what was their use? The southwest chamber was the chamber for offering. The southeast was the chamber for the showbread. In the northeast chamber the children of the Asmoneans deposited the stones of the altar which the Greek Kings had defiled.574 In the northwest chamber they descended to the house of baptism.

7. To the House Moked were two doors; one open to the Chel, and one open to the court. Said Rabbi Judah, “the one open to the court had a wicket, through which they went in to sweep the court.”

8. The House Moked was arched, and spacious, and surrounded with stone divans, and the elders of the Courses slept there with the keys of the court in their hands; and also the young priests each with his pillow on the ground.

9. And there was a place a cubit square with a tablet of marble, and to it was fastened a ring, and a chain upon which the keys were suspended. When the time approached for locking the gates, the priest lifted up the tablet by the ring, and took the keys from the chain and locked inside, and the [pg 235] Levites slept outside. When he had finished locking, he returned the keys to the chain, and the tablet to its place, laid his pillow over it, and fell asleep. If sudden defilement happened, he rose and went out in the gallery that ran under the arch, and candles flamed on either side, until he came to the house of baptism. Rabbi Eleazar, the son of Jacob, says, “in the gallery that went under the Chel, he passed out through Tadi.”

Our Beauty be upon Thee in Three Places.

3. Inside of the (Mountain of the House) was a reticulated wall, ten hand-breadths high; and in it were thirteen breaches, broken down by the Greek kings. The (Jews) restored, and fenced them, and decreed before them thirteen acts of obeisance. Inside of it was the Chel, ten cubits broad, and twelve steps were there. The height of each step was half a cubit, and the breadth half a cubit. All the steps there were in height half a cubit, and in breadth half a cubit, except those of the porch. All the doors there were in height twenty cubits, and in breadth ten cubits, except that of the porch. All the gateways there had doors, except that of the porch. All the gates [pg 236] there had lintels, except Tadi; there two stones inclined one upon the other. All the gates there were transformed into gold, except the gate Nicanor,575 because to it happened a wonder, though some said “because its brass glittered like gold.”

4. And all the walls there were high, except the eastern wall, that the priest who burned the heifer, might stand on the top of the Mount of Olives, and look straight into the door of the Sanctuary when he sprinkled the blood.

5. The Court of the women was 135 cubits in length, by 135 in breadth. And in its four corners were four chambers, each forty cubits square, and they had no roofs; and so they will be in future, as is said, “Then he brought me forth into the utter court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and, behold, in every corner of the court there was a court.”576 In the four corners of the court there were courts smoking, yet not smoking, since they were roofless. And what was their use? The southeast one was the chamber of the Nazarites, for there the Nazarites cooked their peace-offerings, and polled their hair, and cast it under the pot. The northeast was the chamber for the wood, and there the priests with blemishes gathered out the worm-eaten wood. And every stick in which a worm was found, was unlawful for the altar. The northwest was the chamber for the lepers. The southwest? Rabbi Eleazar, the son of Jacob, said, “I forget for what it served.” Abashaul said, “there they put wine, and oil.” It was called the chamber of the house of oil. And it was open at first and surrounded with lattice-work, that the women might see from above and the men from beneath, lest they should be mixed. And fifteen steps corresponding to the fifteen steps in the Psalms, ascended from it to the court of Israel; upon them the Levites chanted. They were not angular, but deflected like the half of a round threshing-floor.

6. And under the court of Israel were chambers open to the court of the women. There the Levites deposited their harps, and psalteries, and cymbals, and all instruments of music. The court of Israel was 135 cubits long, and eleven broad; and likewise the court of the priests was 135 cubits [pg 237] long, and eleven broad. And pointed rails separated the court of Israel from the court of the priests. Rabbi Eleazar, the son of Jacob, said, “there was a step a cubit high, and a dais placed over it. And in it were three steps each half a cubit in height.” We find that the priests' court was two and a half cubits higher than the court of Israel. The whole court was 187 cubits in length, and 135 cubits in breadth, and the thirteen places for bowing were there. Abajose, the son of Chanan, said, “in front of the thirteen gates.” In the south near to the west were the upper gate, the gate of flaming, the gate of the first-born, the water gate. And why is it called the water gate? Because through it they bring bottles of water for pouring out during the feast of Tabernacles. Rabbi Eleazar, the son of Jacob, said, “through it the water returned out, and in future it will issue from under the threshold of the house.” And there were opposite to them in the north, near to the west, the gate of Jochania, the gate of the offering, the gate of the women, the gate of music. And “why was it called the gate of Jochania?” “Because through it Jochania went out in his captivity.” In the east was the gate Nicanor, and in it were two wickets, one on the right, and one on the left, and two in the west which were nameless.

Our Beauty be upon Thee, O Mountain of the House.

1. The altar was thirty-two cubits square. It ascended a cubit and receded a cubit. This was the foundation. It remains thirty cubits square. It ascended five cubits, and receded one cubit. This is the circumference. It remains twenty-eight cubits square. The place for the horns was a cubit on each side. It remains twenty-six cubits square. The place of the path for the feet of the priests was a cubit on each side. The hearth remains twenty-four cubits square. Rabbi JosÉ said, “at first it was only twenty-eight cubits square.” It receded and ascended until the hearth remained twenty cubits square; but when the children of the captivity came up, they added to it four cubits on the north, and four cubits on the west, like a gamma it is said; and the altar was [pg 238] twelve cubits long by twelve broad, being a square. One might say it was only “a square of twelve,”577 as is said. Upon its four sides we learn that it measured from the middle twelve cubits to every side. And a line of red paint girdled it in the midst to separate the blood sprinkled above from the blood sprinkled below. And the foundation was a perfect walk along on the north side; and all along on the west, but it wanted in the south one cubit, and in the east one cubit.578

2. And in the southwestern corner were two holes as two thin nostrils, that the blood poured upon the western and southern foundation should run into them; and it commingled in a canal and flowed out into the Kidron.

3. Below in the plaster in the same corner there was a place a cubit square, with a marble tablet, and a ring fastened in it. Through it they descended to the sewer and cleansed it. And there was a sloping ascent579 to the south of the altar, thirty-two cubits long by sixteen broad. In its western side was a closet, where they put the birds unmeet for the sin-offering.

4. Either the stones of the sloping ascent, or the stones of the altar were from the valley of Bethcerem.580 And they digged deeper than virgin soil, and brought from thence perfect stones over which iron581 was not waved. For the iron defiles by touching. And a scratch defiles everything. In any of them a scratch defiled, but the others were lawful. And they whitewashed them twice in the year; once at the passover, and once at the feast of Tabernacles. And the Sanctuary (was whitewashed) once at the passover. The Rabbi said, “every Friday evening they whitewashed them with a mop on account of the blood.” They did not plaster it with an iron trowel, “mayhap it will touch and defile.” Since iron is made to shorten the days of man, and the altar is made to lengthen the days of man, it is not lawful, that what shortens should be waved over what lengthens.

5. And there were rings to the northern side of the altar, [pg 239] six rows of four each: though some say four rows of six each. Upon them the priests slaughtered the holy beasts. The slaughter-house was at the north side of the altar. And in it were eight dwarf pillars with a beam of cedar-wood over them. And in them were fastened iron hooks—three rows to each pillar. Upon them they hung up (the bodies), and skinned them upon marble tables between the pillars.

6. The laver was between the porch and the altar, but inclined more to the south. Between the porch and the altar were twenty-two cubits, and there were twelve steps. The height of each step was half a cubit, and its breadth a cubit—a cubit—a cubit—a landing three cubits—a cubit—a cubit and a landing three cubits. And the upper one a cubit—a cubit, and the landing four cubits. Rabbi Jehudah said, “the upper one a cubit—a cubit, and the landing five cubits.”

7. The doorway of the porch was forty cubits high, and twenty broad. Over it were five carved oak beams. The lower one extended beyond the doorway a cubit on either side. The one over it extended a cubit on either side. It follows that the uppermost was thirty cubits; and between each one there was a row of stones.

8. And stone buttresses were joined from the wall of the sanctuary to the wall of the porch, lest it should bulge. And in the roof of the porch were fastened golden chains, upon which the young priests climbed up, and saw the crowns. As it is said, “And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen, the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the Lord.”582 And over the doorway of the sanctuary was a golden vine supported upon the buttresses. Everyone who vowed a leaf, or a berry, or a cluster, he brought it and hung it upon it. Said Rabbi Eleazar, the son of Zadok, “it is a fact, and there were numbered 300 priests to keep it bright.”

Our Beauty be upon Thee, O Altar.