The word "halom" that rashi uses sounds strange. I thought it could mean the"metal" i.e. gold. ???
noah zablotsky, brooklyn, ny
The word Halom means "towards here," in this case the Kodesh ha'Kodoshim. As the Gemara says, the problem is not that gold is being used in the Kodesh ha'Kodoshim, but rather that gold is being brought by the Chotei to the Kodesh ha'Kodoshim, or is decorating the Chotei as he is approaching the Kodesh ha'Kodoshim.
D. Zupnik