Menachot

it is immaterial whether the one or the other [cubit was used].1 Accordingly the height of the altar was fifty-eight handbreadths,2 and the half thereof was twenty-nine handbreadths. [The distance] from the [top of the] horns down to the sobeb was twenty-three handbreadths, that is, six handbreadths less than half the height of the altar. And therefore we have learnt: ‘If he did it even one cubit's distance below his feet, it was valid’. This may be proved too, for it is written, The bottom shall be a cubit, and a cubit the breadth.3 This is conclusive. How much is a cubit of medium size? — R. Johanan said, Six handbreadths. R. Jose b. Abin said, We have also learnt the same [in our Mishnah]: R. MEIR SAYS, THE TABLE WAS TWELVE HANDBREADTHS LONG AND SIX WIDE.4 It follows that there was a cubit larger than this!5 — There was, as we have learnt:6 There were two cubits7 in the Palace of Shushan,8 one at the north-eastern corner and the other at the south-eastern corner. That at the north-eastern corner was longer than the cubit of Moses9 by half a fingerbreadth, and that at the south-eastern corner was longer than the other by half a fingerbreadth; thus it was one fingerbreadth longer than the cubit of Moses. And why did they set up a large cubit10 and a small one?11 So that the workmen might receive [contracts of work] according to the measure of the smaller cubit and deliver [the work] according to the measure of the larger cubit, thereby avoiding any possible guilt of sacrilege.12 And why two?13 — One was for [work in] gold and silver14 and the other was for building.15 We have learnt elsewhere: The eastern gate on which was portrayed the palace of Shushan.16 What was the reason for this? — R. Hisda and R. Isaac b. Abdimi [offered different opinions]. One said, So that they be ever mindful whence they came;17 the other said, So that the fear of the dominant power be ever before them.18 R. Jannai said, The fear of the dominant power19 should ever be before you, as it is written, And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow dawn unto me saying;20 but he did not say so of [the king] himself.21 R. Johanan derives it from the following verse: And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. 22 And the leaf thereof for healing.23 R. Hisda and R. Isaac b. Abdimi [each interpreted this verse]. One said, To loosen the mouth above;24 the other said, To loosen the mouth below.25 It has been [likewise] reported: Hezekiah said, To loosen the mouth of the dumb; Bar Kappara said, To loosen the mouth of barren women. Our Rabbis taught: Had [Scripture] said, And thou shalt take fine flour and bake twelve cakes thereof . . . And thou shalt set them in two rows,26 and not added, Six [in a row],26 I would have said that one row may consist of four cakes and the other of eight; [Scripture] therefore said, Six [in a row]. Furthermore, had [Scripture] said, ‘In two rows, six in a row’, and it had not stated, ‘Twelve’, I would have said that there were to be three rows each of six cakes;27 [Scripture] therefore said, ‘Twelve’. And further, had [Scripture] said, ‘Twelve’, and also, ‘In rows’, but not, ‘In two rows’, nor, ‘Six in a row’, I would have said that there were to be three rows each of four cakes; [Scripture] therefore said, ‘In two rows’ and ‘Six in a row’. Hence without these three expressions we should not have known [the proper practice]. And what was it? [The priest] used to set them in two rows each of six cakes. If he set one row of four and another of eight, he has not fulfilled the obligation. If he set two rows each of seven cakes, the top cake [of each row], says Rabbi, is regarded as though it was not. But does not the verse say, And thou shalt put upon [‘al] each row pure frankincense?28 — R. Hisda said to R. Hamnuna (others say, R. Hamnuna said to R. Hisda): Rabbi consistently holds the view that ‘al means ‘by the side of’. As has been taught: Rabbi says, In the verse, And thou shalt put ‘al each row pure frankincense, the preposition ‘al has the sense of ‘by the side of’. You say it has the sense of ‘by the side of’, but perhaps it is not so but rather it means actually upon it! When it says, And thou shalt place the veil as a screen ‘al the ark,29 you may learn from it that ‘al [generally] has the sense of ‘by the side of’. EVERY ARTICLE THAT STOOD IN THE TEMPLE etc. Our Rabbis taught: Every article that stood in the Temple was placed with its length parallel with the length of the house, excepting the ark whose length was parallel with the breadth of the house.30 So was it placed and so were its staves placed. What can this mean?31 — It means as follows: So was it placed for so were its staves placed.32 And whence do we know this31 of the staves? — From the following [Baraitha] which was taught: And the staves were so long,33 I might have thought that they did not reach the curtain;34 the text therefore further states, [That the ends of the staves] were seen [from the holy place].33 But if I had the verse, [That the ends of the staves] were seen, only to go by I might have assumed that they tore through the curtain and protruded outside; the text therefore states, But they could not be seen without.33 How then [are we to understand the verse]? measured by a cubit of six handbreadths and that of the middle ledge or sobeb by a cubit of five handbreadths, the altar space left by the horns would be twenty-six cubits and two handbreadths (or four handbreadths, according as one takes each side of the horn as one cubit of six handbreadths or of five respectively); and these extra handbreadths are not taken into account by the Tanna of the Mishnah. cubit the height of the horns, was described by cubits of six handbreadths. whereas in the latter part ‘cubit’ precedes it. The significance thereof is that in each case ‘cubit’ refers to a different dimension, in the former case to the height and in the latter to the width. Meir has taught supra p. 593 that all cubit measurements in the Temple were according to a cubit of medium size, it follows that the cubit of six handbreadths was the medium sized one. to a larger measure than that which they had contracted to do they precluded the possibility of profiting from the Temple. knew that that would eventually be the case. his journey. a compound of vp rh,vk ‘for loosening the mouth’. referring to a third row of six cakes. There is a variant text found in MS.M., also given by Rashi, which reads: There was to be a third row of three cakes; i.e., only the two rows shall be of six cakes each, but other additional rows may be of less than six cakes. the row of six cakes, i.e., nothing shall intervene between the dish of frankincense and the row proper. ‘upon’. From this verse Rabbi establishes his view that ‘al generally means ‘by the side of’. the ark stood lengthwise from north to south.