1)
(a)The Ezras Nashim had four rooms on its four corners: on the south- east was the Lishkas Nezirim, on the north-east, the Lishkas ha'Etzim, on the north-west, the Lishkas Metzora'im. Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov could not recall what purpose the south-western room served, until Aba Shaul reminded him. What did they do in ...
1. ... the Lishkas Nezirim?
2. ... the Lishkas ha'Etzim?
3. ... the Lishkas Metzora'im?
(b)What exactly, did Aba Shaul remind Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov?
(c)What was the size of the Ezras Nashim?
1)
(a)In the ...
1. ... Lishkas Nezirim - the Nezirim would cook their Shelamim and shave off their hair, which they would then place under the pot in which the Shelamim were being cooked.
2. ... Lishkas ha'Etzim - Kohanim who were blemished would de-worm the wood for the Korbanos.
3. ... Lishkas Metzora'im - the Metzora'im would Tovel on their eighth day, before placing their right hand and right foot into the Sha'ar Nikanor, for the blood to be placed on the thumb and the big toe.
(b)Aba Shaul reminded Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov - that it was the 'Lishkas Beis Shamnaya' that was situated in the south-western room of the Ezras Nashim. It contained wine and oil (for the Nesachim).
(c)The Ezras Nashim was a square of 135 Amos by 135 Amos.
2)
(a)How wide were all the doorways of the Beis Hamikdash (that led from east to west from the Har ha'Bayis until the Heichal), and how tall were they (with one exception)?
(b)What was the sole exception? Why was it necessary for that doorway to be higher than the rest (according to the Mishnah in Midos)?
(c)If the first of the above doorways was that leading to the Har ha'Bayis and the last to the Heichal, where did the other two lead?
(d)What is another name for Har ha'Mishchah?
2)
(a)All the doorways of the Beis Hamikdash (that led from east to west from the Har ha'Bayis until the Heichal) - were ten Amos wide and twenty Amos tall.
(b)According to the Mishnah in Midos, the sole exception was the eastern doorway, which had to be higher than twenty Amos - to enable the Kohen who prepared the Parah Adumah on the Har ha'Mishchah to see through all the doorways up to the doors of the Heichal (Note: The place where the Kohen stood on the Har ha'Mishchah must have been on the same level as the foot of the Har ha'Bayis).
(c)The first of the above doorways was that leading to the Har ha'Bayis, the second, to the Ezras Nashim, the third, to the Ezras Yisrael and the fourth, to the Heichal.
(d)Another name for Har ha'Mishchah - was Har ha'Zeisim.
3)
(a)Just within the entrance to the Har ha'Bayis was the Soreg. What was the Soreg?
(b)On the other side of the Soreg was an empty space called the Chil. How wide was the Chil?
(c)The Chil led into the Ezras Nashim, which was six Amos higher than it was. How many steps led from one to the other, and what was the height and the width of each step?
(d)The steps leading up from the Ezras Nashim to the Ezras Yisrael were the same size as those leading down from it to the Chil. How many steps led from the Ezras Nashim to the Ezras Yisrael?
3)
(a)Just within the entrance to the Har ha'Bayis was the Soreg - which was a small wooden trellised wall.
(b)On the other side of the Soreg was an empty space ten Amos wide, called the Chil.
(c)The Chil led into the Ezras Nashim, which was six Amos higher than it was. Twelve steps led from the one to the other; each step was half an Amah tall and half an Amah wide.
(d)Fifteen steps led from the Ezras Nashim to the Ezras Yisrael.
4)
(a)The inner section of the Ezras Yisrael was twenty-two Amos and was called 'Bein ha'Ulam v'la'Mizbe'ach. If another twelve steps (also half an Amah in height and half an Amah - or possibly an Amah - wide) led from it to the Ulam, how much higher would that make the level of the Heichal (which was inside the Ulam, and on the same level) than that of the foot of the Har ha'Bayis?
(b)How does Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov raise the level of the Ezras Yisrael by two and a half Amos?
(c)How does that prove that he must be the author of the Stam Mishnah that we learned above (in 2), that the doorway of the Har ha'Bayis must have been higher than all the subsequent doorways (and consequently, of all the Stam Mishnayos in Midos)?
(d)Rav Ada bar Ahavah maintains that the author of the above Mishnah is Rebbi Yehudah. What does Rebbi Yehudah say with regard to the location of the Mizbe'ach, and why would that prove him to be the author of that Mishnah?
4)
(a)If another twelve steps (also half an Amah in height and half an Amah - or possibly an Amah - wide) led from it to the Ulam - that would make the level of the Heichal nineteen and a half Amos higher than the foot of the Har ha'Bayis.
(b)Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov raises the level of the Ezras Yisrael by two and a half Amos - by adding another step of one Amah in the Ezras Yisrael, plus three half-Amah steps leading up from it to the Duchan, on which the Leviyim stood when they sang.
(c)According to Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov, the top of the Duchan (which ran right across the width of the Azarah) was more than twenty Amos higher than the floor of the Har ha'Bayis (as we just explained). Consequently, the doorway of the Har ha'Bayis would have to be taller than twenty Amos, if the Kohen was to see all the way to the doorway of the Heichal, just as the Stam Mishnah that we quoted earlier - making Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov the author of that Stam Mishnah and of all the Stam Mishnayos in Midos.
(d)Rebbi Yehudah says that the Mizbe'ach was placed exactly in the middle of the Azarah, blocking the entrance to the Ulam. That too, would make the difference between the floor of the Har ha'Bayis and the lowest point that one could see of the Heichal, more than twenty Amos. This would prove Rebbi Yehudah to be the author of that Mishnah in Midos.
16b----------------------------------------16b
5)
(a)The width of the doorway of the Heichal was twenty Amos. What was the thickness of the walls on either side?
5)
(a)The width of the doorway of the Heichal was twenty Amos. The thickness of the walls on either side was six Amos.
6)
(a)The Tana in Midos gives the width of the Ezras Yisrael as 135 Amos. What was its overall length (up to its western extremity)?
(b)Given that the length of the Mizbe'ach was thirty-two Amos, how many Amos (east of the Mizbe'ach) were ...
1. ... Yisraelim permitted to walk?
2. ... only Kohanim permitted to walk?
(c)How many Amos were there west of the Mizbe'ach until the Ulam (Bein ha'Ulam v'la'Mizbe'ach)?
(d)Given that the combined length of the Ulam, Heichal and the D'vir was one hundred Amos, what was the distance between the Kodesh Kodshim and the western extremity of the Har ha'Bayis?
6)
(a)The Tana in Midos gives the width of the Ezras Yisrael as 135 Amos. Its overall length (up to its western extremity) was 187 Amos.
(b)Given that the length of the Mizbe'ach was thirty-two Amos ...
1. ... Yisraelim were permitted to walk - eleven Amos east of the Mizbe'ach.
2. ... Kohanim had another eleven Amos.
(c)Bein ha'Ulam v'la'Mizbe'ach comprised twenty-two Amos.
(d)Given that the combined length of the Ulam, Heichal and the D'vir was one hundred Amos, the distance between the Kodesh Kodshim and the western extremity of the Har ha'Bayis was eleven Amos (which was known as 'Achorei Beis ha'Kapores'.
7)
(a)If the width of the Azarah was 135 Amos, how many Amos did the Mizbe'ach together with the ramp take up?
(b)From the northern wall southwards comprised the following distances: from the wall to the short posts (on which the Shechted animals were hung for stripping) - 8 Amos, the posts themselves - 10.5 Amos; from the posts to the two rows of tables (on which the animals were cut up) - 4 Amos, the tables themselves - 4 Amos; from the tables to the rings - 4 Amos, the rings themselves - 24 Amos; from the rings to the Mizbe'ach - 8 Amos. How many Amos were there between the southern wall and the ramp (according to Rashi's first explanation)?
(c)Considering that the Mizbe'ach was thirty-two Amos long, how many Amos would now have been in the northern half of the Azarah, and how many in the south?
7)
(a)The width of the Azarah was 135 Amos, of which the Mizbe'ach together with the ramp took up sixty-two Amos.
(b)There were ten and a half Amos between the southern wall and the ramp (the same distance as the posts) - according to Rashi's first explanation.
(c)Considering that the foot of the Mizbe'ach was thirty-two Amos long - this would have meant that five of its Amos would be in the north and twenty-seven in the south.
8)
(a)Bearing in mind the shape of the Mizbe'ach, how does this prove that the Stam author of Midos cannot have been Rebbi Yehudah? How many Amos of the entrance to the Heichal would appear to have been visible?
(b)How do we allow for the fact that the Amah above the Sovev was reduced by an Amah only after the Mizbe'ach had risen to a height of six Amos?
(c)Then who is the Stam author of Midos?
8)
(a)According to the above (the opinion of Rebbi Yehudah), the foot of the Mizbe'ach took up five Amos in the north - the equivalent of the entrance of the Ulam. If we consider that the Mizbe'ach became narrower (by one Amah from above the Yesod and by another Amah above the Sovev (half way up the Mizbe'ach), this would enable the Kohen who was preparing the Parah to see two Amos of the width of the entrance to the Heichal without the need to heighten the wall of the Har ha'Bayis. In that case, Rebbi Yehudah cannot be the author of the Mishnah in Midos.
(b)Despite the fact that the Amah above the Sovev was reduced by an Amah only after the Mizbe'ach had risen to a height of six Amos, the entrance to the Heichal was nevertheless visible to the Kohen who stood on the Har ha'Mishchah - because the Mizbe'ach was standing on the floor of the Ezras Yisrael which in fact, was only thirteen and a half Amos higher than the floor of the Har ha'Bayis. Consequently, the rise of the Mizbe'ach (until the Sovev) of another six Amos will still have allowed the Kohen to see an area half an Amah in height by two Amos wide, of the entrance to the Heichal.
(c)The Stam author of Midos must therefore be Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov, like we ascertained above.