Middos 3:8-4:1

Middos 3:8

There were cedar poles extending from the wall of the Heichal (the Sanctuary) to those of the ulam, to keep it from tilting. There were gold chains fixed into the ceiling of the ulam that the young kohanim would climb to see the decorative crowns in the windows, as per Zechariah 6:14: “The crowns will be for Cheilem, Tovia, Yedaya and Chein the son of Tzefanya as a memorial in the Sactuary of Hashem.” There was a golden vine over the door of the Heicahl, trained on poles. Whoever donated a (gold) leaf, grape or cluster would bring it to the Temple and hang it there. Rabbi Eliezer ben Tzaddok said that it once took 300 kohanim to carry it. (This is an exaggeration; 300 is a common metaphor for “many.”)

Middos 4:1

The doorway of the Heichal was 20 cubits tall by 10 wide (approximately 30’x15’). It had four doors – two on the inside and two on the outside – as per Ezekiel 41:23: “The Heichal and the Kodesh had two doors (each).” The outer doors opened into the width of the doorway so that they covered the wall, while the inner doors opened into the Temple so that they covered the space behind the doors. This was because the whole building was covered with gold except for behind the doors. Rabbi Yehuda says that the doors were set in the doorway like folding doors, folding so that each covered 2½ cubits leaving half a cubit of doorpost on either end as per Ezekiel 42:23: “The doors were of two doors each – two turning doors – two doors for one door and two doors for the other.”