Shekalim 16b — the Talmud in English

Give them from

the three handbreadths that remained

half a handbreadth for each wall

of the Ark, for the dimensions of the Ark were measured from the outside, and because of the thickness of the walls of the Ark, its interior was reduced on each side by half a handbreadth; thus

there remained

a space of

two handbreadths,

designated

for the Torah scroll

that Moses wrote, whose width was two handbreadths and whose length was six handbreadths, and it was placed with its length across the width of the Ark and its width along the length of the Ark.

The width of the Ark

was

nine handbreadths.

As it is written: “A cubit and a half was its width.”

A cubit—

six

handbreadths.

And half a cubit—

three

handbreadths. It follows that the width of the Ark from the outside was nine handbreadths.

And there were four tablets in it: two whole ones and two broken ones.

As it is written

[Deuteronomy 10:1]: The Holy One, blessed is He, said to Moses after He was appeased and reconciled concerning the incident of the calf: “Carve for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones, and I shall write upon the tablets the words that were on the first tablets,

which you broke, and you shall place them in the Ark.”

The verse comes to teach that even the broken tablets have their place in the Ark.

The tablets were, each one: six handbreadths long and three handbreadths wide.

Place their length along the width of the Ark,

and

three handbreadths remained there.

For the width of the Ark was nine handbreadths, while the width of the tablets was six handbreadths.

And from the three handbreadths that remained, there was

half a handbreadth here for this wall

of the Ark,

and half a handbreadth here for this wall,

for the dimensions of the Ark were from the outside; thus two handbreadths remained.

And these two handbreadths

remained free along the entire length of the Ark

to designate the place in which the Torah scroll was placed.

For the thickness of the Torah scroll was two handbreadths, and it was placed tightly in those two remaining handbreadths along the length of the Ark. Therefore, along the width of the Ark there was a space of two handbreadths, so that it would be easy to remove and carry the Torah scroll from there.

This calculation of the dimensions of the Ark and its contents is, as stated, according to Rabbi Yohanan, who agrees with Rabbi Meir, that the dimensions of the Ark were measured with a cubit of six handbreadths.

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: The Ark was made with a cubit of five handbreadths.

And we say:

Who

is the

tannai

who holds that the Ark was made

with a cubit of five handbreadths?

It is Rabbi Judah.

As we learned there: Rabbi Judah says: The cubit of construction

of the walls of the House and the construction of the altar was made with a cubit of

six

handbreadths.

But the cubit

of the vessels

in the Temple was measured with a cubit of

five

handbreadths.

And this Ark

[but the Ark]

is

a vessel. Therefore, it was made with a cubit of five.

And we say:

According to Rabbi Judah, who said

that

the Ark was made with a cubit of five handbreadths—

it follows that it was

made twelve and a half handbreadths long.

As it is written: “Two cubits and a half was its length.”

A cubit—

five. And a cubit—

five. Thus, ten handbreadths.

And half a cubit—

two and a half.

Thus, the additional half-cubit is two and a half handbreadths.

It follows that the length of the Ark, according to him, was twelve and a half handbreadths.

And there were four tablets in it: two whole ones,

which were the second tablets,

and two broken ones,

which were the first tablets.

And from where do we know that the broken ones, too, were inside it?

As it is written: “Which you broke, and you shall place them in the Ark.”

And we expound that the broken ones, too, must be placed in the Ark.

And now the Gemara calculates how the dimensions of the Ark corresponded to its contents, according to Rabbi Judah.

The tablets were, each one: six handbreadths long and three handbreadths wide.

Place the width of the tablets along the length of the Ark,

and by this twelve handbreadths of the interior of the Ark were filled, for there were four tablets, and the width of each one was three handbreadths.

And there remained there

in the measure of the length of the Ark

half a handbreadth,

which is the width of two fingers.

Give from it

a fingerbreadth for the wall

of the Ark

from here, and a fingerbreadth for the wall from here,

for according to him the walls of the Ark were not each half a handbreadth thick, but only a quarter of a handbreadth, which is the measure of a fingerbreadth. It follows that the entire length of the Ark was filled by the tablets themselves, and the Torah scroll that Moses made was not in the Ark, but was placed beside the Ark, as follows.

The measure of

the width of the Ark

according to Rabbi Judah is

seven and a half handbreadths.

As it is written: “A cubit and a half was its width,”

and according to him

a cubit

is

five

handbreadths. Add to this

half a cubit,

which is

two and a half

handbreadths; it follows that they are seven and a half handbreadths.

And there were four tablets in it: two whole ones and two broken ones.

As it is written: “Which you broke—

and you shall place them in the Ark,”

and we derive that the broken tablets, too, were placed in the Ark.

And

the tablets, they

were

each one: six handbreadths long and three handbreadths wide.

Place the length of the tablets along the width of the Ark,

and six handbreadths of its interior were filled.

And there remained there one and a half handbreadths

of space.

Give half a handbreadth of it for the thickness of the walls,

a fingerbreadth for the wall from here and a fingerbreadth for the wall from here,

and a handbreadth of space remained, which they left vacant so that there would be

half a handbreadth

of space

from here and half a handbreadth

of space

from here,

on the two sides of the tablets

for designating

the tablets, so that they would not be placed tightly.

And although the tablets were never removed from the Ark at all, nevertheless, it is not the proper manner to place them tightly, without any space at all.

And the Gemara explains

how Bezalel made the Ark.

Rabbi Hanina says: He made three boxes: two of gold and one of wood.

He placed

one box

of gold,

the inner one,

inside

the box of

wood,

the middle one.

And

the box

of wood,

which contained within it the inner box of gold, he placed

inside

the outer box of

gold,

the outer one.

And

the upper rim of the wooden Ark

he overlaid with gold.

As it is written: “And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside

you shall overlay it.”

The word “you shall overlay it” is superfluous, for it has already been stated that it should be overlaid inside and outside.

And what does “you shall overlay it” come to teach?

To include the upper rim

of the middle wooden Ark, that even the upper rim must be overlaid with gold, and it is not sufficient that it be overlaid with gold inside and outside.

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said:

The Ark that Bezalel made was not made as three boxes, but

he made one box

of wood

and overlaid it

with gold inside and outside.

As it is written: “And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside

and outside

you shall overlay it.”

And we raise an objection concerning this: According to the position of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish—

what does “you shall overlay it” come to teach?

But it is an extra verse.

And according to Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, there is no need to teach us that the upper rim must be overlaid, since he made one box and overlaid that very box itself; if so, he certainly overlaid its upper rim as well, for how is it inferior to the other sides of the box? It is only according to Rabbi Hanina, who holds that the Ark’s overlaying was done by placing a gold box inside and a gold box outside, that it was necessary to inform us that the upper rim of the wooden Ark also had to be overlaid.

Rabbi Pinhas said: To include

[to include]

the space between one plank and another.

For even the space between one plank and another in the wood of the Ark had to be overlaid with gold, so that it would appear as a single piece.

And now the Gemara explains how the Ten Commandments on the tablets were written:

Rabbi Hanina ben Gamliel says: Five

things were written

on this tablet, and five

things

on this tablet.

This is

as it is written: “And He declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, the ten things,

and He wrote them on two stone tablets.”

Thus, the ten things were written on two stone tablets.

It follows that

five

commandments were written

on this tablet, and five on this tablet.

And the Rabbis say:

He wrote all ten things on each tablet:

ten on this tablet, and ten on this tablet.

This is as it is written: “And He declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, the ten things,

and He wrote them on two stone tablets.” And the Rabbis interpret that He wrote

ten on this tablet, and ten on this tablet.

Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai says: Twenty

were written

on this tablet, and twenty on this tablet.

As it is written: “Tablets

written on both their sides,

from this side and from that side they were written.” Since the Ten Commandments were written on each tablet on every side, it follows that twenty were written on each tablet, according to the version of the Vilna Gaon.

Rabbi Simai said: Forty

were written

on this tablet and forty on this tablet.

As it is written: “From this side and from that side they were written.”

Since it has already been said, “Tablets written on both their sides,” to teach us that all Ten Commandments were written on both sides of the tablet, as Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai says, why did the verse repeat and say, “From this side and from that side they were written”?

Rather, it comes to teach you that the commandments were written

tetraga

[square, in the Greek language]. That is, on the four sides of each tablet. On every side of the tablet, including its thickness, all ten commandments were written. It follows that forty were written on each tablet.

Hananiah, the nephew of Rabbi Joshua, says: Between each statement and each statement

that was on the tablets were written

the detailed laws and letters of the Torah.

As it is written: “Filled with Tarshish”—

like the great sea,

[like the great sea] whose name is “Tarshish,” as Resh Lakish explains below.

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, when he reached this verse

[when he reached this verse], “Filled with Tarshish,”

would say

[he would say]:

Hananiah, the nephew of Rabbi Joshua, taught me well

in the interpretation of this verse, that “filled with Tarshish” means like the great sea, which is called Tarshish.

And his intention is to say that the verse compared the tablets of the covenant to the great sea:

Just as this sea, between one great wave

and another

great wave

there are many

small waves,

so between each statement

of the ten things, which are general principles, [likened to great waves], were written

the detailed laws and letters of the Torah

[likened to the small waves between the great waves].

And now the Gemara returns to discuss the dispute between Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Judah, who disagreed whether the Ark was made according to a cubit of five handbreadths or of six.

[This passage was written according to the version of the Vilna Gaon.]

Rabbi Tanhuma said: I raised a difficulty before Rabbi Pinhas

[I raised a difficulty before Rabbi Pinhas]: How was the Torah scroll of Moses placed?

Granted, if we say

according to Rabbi Meir,

that the dimensions of the Ark were made with a cubit of six, and it follows that two handbreadths of empty space remained along the length of the Ark, as explained above,

it is satisfactory,

for the Torah scroll was placed in that space, as we have said.

But

according to Rabbi Judah,

who holds that the Ark was made with a cubit of five, and it follows that the entire interior of the Ark was filled with the tablets,

it is difficult: the Torah scroll—

where

was it

placed?

And we answer:

According to his position

of

Rabbi Judah,

it must be explained that the Torah scroll was not placed inside the Ark, but

a kind of box

[box]

they made for it

for it

on the outside, and the Torah scroll was placed inside it.

And the Gemara explains:

What is Rabbi Judah’s reason

for explaining that the scroll was placed outside the Ark and not inside it?

As it is written: “Take this Torah scroll, and place it beside the Ark of the covenant of the Lord.”

Thus, the scroll is to be placed “beside” the Ark of the covenant of the Lord, and not inside it.

And the Gemara brings another verse that supports Rabbi Judah:

What is Rabbi Judah’s reason—

as it is written: “And you shall place the cover upon the Ark above, and into the Ark you shall place the testimony that I shall give you.”

And apparently this verse is unnecessary, for it was already stated earlier, “And you shall place into the Ark the testimony.” What is the reason that it repeated and wrote, “And into the Ark you shall place the testimony”?

Rather, necessarily, this “testimony” concerns placing the Torah scroll.

And in this verse it is written, “And you shall place the cover,” and afterward, “you shall place the testimony.” Since he had already placed the cover to cover the Ark, how could he place the testimony inside the Ark?

Rather, you learn from here that first he places the tablets in the Ark and covers it with the cover. But the “testimony,” which is the Torah scroll, he places beside the Ark and not inside it.

And now, according to Rabbi Meir, who holds that the place of the Torah scroll is inside the Ark, how can this verse, which supports Rabbi Judah, be answered?

And we answer:

According to his position

[according to his view],

Rabbi Meir says: There is no earlier and later in the Torah.

The Torah was not particular about the order of precedence and lateness, and sometimes passages that were stated first were written after the passages later than them.

And Rabbi Meir holds that this principle is said even within one matter.

Therefore, this verse is interpreted as though it were written in reverse:

“And into the Ark you shall place the testimony that I shall give you.”

And afterward, “you shall place

the cover upon the Ark

above.”

On the contrary, we should say that from here we learn the opposite: that the Torah scroll is to be placed inside the Ark.

And incidentally, since we have dealt with the matter of the tablets, the Gemara explains how their giving took place.

Rabbi Pinhas said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: The Torah that the Holy One, blessed is He, gave to Moses,

He gave it to him

as white fire engraved with black fire.

Mixed from fire,

for it was composed of black fire and white fire, as above.

Carved

were its letters

in fire.

And given in fire.

As it is stated: “From His right hand, a fiery law for them,”

and this refers to the Torah, and it called it fire.

Halakha 2 - Mishna:

In the preceding Mishna it was stated that there were thirteen prostrations in the Temple.

Where were these prostrations?

Four

prostrations were opposite the four gates of the courtyard that were

in the north, and four

opposite the four gates that were

in the south

of the courtyard.

Three

opposite the three gates of the courtyard that were

in the east

of the courtyard,

and two in the west.

These prostrations were

opposite thirteen gates

that were in the courtyard, and they would prostrate themselves and give thanks for the beauty of the building.

And now the Mishna enumerates the names of the gates:

The gates that were

southern

were

adjacent

and drawn out toward

the

side of

the west.

And these are they:

a.

The Upper Gate—

for the Temple Mount was sloped and ascended from east to west, and it followed that the gate closest to the west was the highest; therefore it was called thus. [It was not explained what this gate served for.]

b.

The Kindling Gate—

it was adjacent to the Upper Gate, and it was called thus because through it they brought in the wood for the arrangement, which burned on the altar.

c.

The Gate of the Firstborn—

for through it they brought in the firstborn animals slaughtered in the south, according to the law of lesser sanctity offerings, whose place of slaughter was in the south.

d.

The Water Gate.

And why was its name “the Water Gate”? \-

Because

through it they brought in the flask ![](pamud.bmp "

exact column location")

for the water libation during the festival

of Sukkot.

for the water libation during the Festival

of Sukkot.