Siman - Shekalim Daf 17
- The stream from the Kodesh Hakedoshim
The next Mishnah identified one of the thirteen Temple gates where people would prostrate themselves as the שער המים – the Water Gate. The Tanna Kamma says it was called the Sha’ar Hamayim because through it they would bring the flask of ניסוך המים during Sukkos. Rebbe Eliezer ben Yaakov says, בו המים מפכים – Through it the waters trickle, ועתידין להיות יוצאין מתחת מפתן הבית – and are destined to issue forth from beneath the threshold of the House, referring to the Kodesh Kedoshim.
The Gemara provides a lengthy description of this stream and brings a description from Sefer Yechezkel where the navi is shown a vision of the stream, indicating that one thousand amos from the Beis Hamikdash the stream will become ankle deep, at two thousand amos it will be knee deep, at three thousand amos it will be waist deep and beyond that it will be a raging river that the navi cannot cross, and not even a large ship could cross. The Malbim suggests that the water symbolizes the flow of Torah knowledge and faith that is destined to flow from the Beis Hamikdash in the future.
- Yehoyachin returning the keys of the Beis Hamikdash
The Gemara brings the following incident regarding the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. When Nebuchadnezzer came to Eretz Yisrael he stationed himself in Antioch, and the Sanhedrin came out to greet him and asked him if the time arrived for the Beis Hamikdash to be destroyed. Nebuchadnezzar asked them to summon Yehoyachin, Melech Yehudah, and when Yehoyachin heard this, he took the keys to the Beis Hamikdash and went up to the roof of the Heichal and said to Hashem, “Ribbono shel Olam! In the past we were faithful to You, and Your keys were given over to us. Now that we are not faithful, Your keys are hereby returned to You.” According to one Amora, זרקן ועוד לא ירדו – He threw them up to the Heavens and they have not come down, whereas according to another Amora, the likeness of a hand emerged from Heaven which took the keys from his hand. When all the noblemen of Yehudah saw this, they went up to their rooftops, jumped off and died.
- The shulchanos for the lechem hapanim
The next Mishnah teaches that among the thirteen tables in the Beis Hamikdash, there was a marble table where they would place the lechem hapanim when it was brought in, and a gold table for the breads that were taken out, שמעלין בקודש ולא מורידין – For we ascend in matters of kedushah and do not descend. There was also the golden Shulchan, upon which the lechem hapanim would lay continually.
The Gemara brings a Baraisa, that the first table was made of silver, not marble. It was said in the name of Rebbe Yochanan, that our Mishnah holds that it was not a table of silver, מפני שהוא מרתיח – because silver heats up that which is placed on it and causes the bread to spoil. Even though one of the ten miracles in the Beis Hamikdash was that the bread never spoiled, Rebbe Yehoshua ben Levi says, אין מזכירין מעשה נסים – No proof may be cited from miracles, meaning that we may not rely upon a miracle.
