Halachic tour of the Beis Hamikdash

I recently purchased a 3D printer and successfully printed a model of the Beis Hamikdash. I am very excited to share it with others and give them a sense of what it was like to be in the Beis Hamikdash. Could you please provide me with the Halachot and descriptions of the different chambers that were there? I would truly appreciate your help.

Yes, it’s really a special opportunity, especially at thistime of year, to learn about the Beis Hamikdash and familiarize ourselves withits layout. Let's begin our study using the design from “Mechon Hamikdash”

  Photo credit: Mechon Hamikdash.

Ezrat Nashim:

We will enter the Beis Hamikdash via the Sha'ar HaMizrach.This is the entrance to the Ezrat Nashim (from the left of the design). Thereason it is called Ezrat Nashim is actually a misconception; people thinkthat, like in the synagogue, only women were allowed there. In the BeisHamikdash, it was a place for men as well; women were also allowed into thishall in order to bring their sacrifices.

On each corner of the hall, there is a chamber as we enter….

On our left is the Lishkat HaNezirim . This is wherethe Nazirites would cut their hair after being a Nazir, and you would find abarber there. Further inside was a fire, and on top was a pot that cooked thesacrifice of the Nazir. As it is written in Parshat Naso, the cut hair of theNazir was placed in the fire under the cooking pot.

On our right is the Lishkat HaEtzim . This is wherethey would store the wood that was cut throughout the summer months when thesun was the hottest, since only dry wood can be used on the altar for tworeasons. One, damp wood could be infested with worms, and it is not proper tobring worms onto the altar. The second reason is that damp wood, when lit,produces a lot of smoke, and it is not respectful for the Beis Hamikdash thatthe altar should be smoky; only dry wood produces a smokeless fire.

On the far left side is the Lishkas HaShemanim . Thisis where they would store the pure oil used as part of the meal sacrifice andfor lighting the Menorah.

On our far right is the Lishkas Ha’Metzora'im , wherethey prepare themselves before they attain purity, e.g., cut off all theirhair.

Back to the main hall, directly in front of us, there are 15semicircular steps that lead us up to the entrance of עזרת ישראל. The two main doorsare called Sha'ar Nikanor , named after a man who donated the doors tothe Beis Hamikdash. (Nikanor lived in Egypt, and traveled by boat to EretsYisrael with the intention to donat theses doors to the beis Hamikdosh.However,there was a storm at sea, and the captain told Nikanor that he had to throwaway at least one door since it was weighing the ship down. Nikanor handed himover the door, and the captain threw it overboard. However, the storm didn’tlet up and it became even stronger, so the captain told Nikanor he had nochoice; he had to throw over the second door. Nikanor said, 'No way! these weresupposed to be the holy doors of the Beis Hamikdash. I will not let you throwit over. If you have to, throw me overboard together with it.' As Nikanor saidthis, the storm quieted down, and the voyage continued. But Nikanor was sodistraught that he wasn’t ‘Moser nefesh’ when he was asked to throw over thefirst door. When they arrived and disembarked, he saw, miraculously floatingnext to the boat, the first door. These are the doors through which we areentering Ezrat Israel).

Ezrat Yisrael :

In Ezrat Yisrael, not everyone is allowed to enter; onlymales who have purified themselves before entering. Women, Nazirites, orMetzora'im would be forbidden to enter, so they would stand just before theentrance and simply stretch out their hands so the Kohen could smear pure oilon their thumb, toe, and ear.

Mizbeach/beis Hamitbochaim:

Directly across from us is the Mizbeach, the main altarwhere the sacrifices were offered. On our right, there are rows of rings wherethe animal would be lied down, and the Kohen would lock the ring around theneck of the animal so it wouldn’t move.

Further to our right, there are tables and pillars called'Nansim', which had three hooks one above the other (if it’s a small animallike a sheep, it would be hooked to the lower hook; if it was a bigger animallike a bull, it would be on the higher hook). After the slaughtering, theanimal would be hung by its left feet on one of the hooks. The Kohen would thencut open the stomach, remove the parts that needed to be sacrificed, place theparts on the table, and wash them before sacrificing.

This whole area is called Beit HaMitbochaim.

The Heichal:

As we proceed, we climb the 12 steps leading up to theHeichal, in this area only Cohanim may enter. Not just any Kohen may enter,only those who have a specific service to perform are permitted to enter.

The Heichal, had the tallest doors of the Beis Hamikdash,around twenty meters high. Directly across from us is the Mizbeach HaKetoreswhere the Kohen would offer the ketores (incense) on top of coals.

To our right: is theLechem HaPanim, the table of the twelve breads,

To our left: is the holy Menorah. There was a divide of twocurtains, then the Aron HaKodesh, this area is called “the Holy of Holies”.

As we went from left (East) to right (west) of the design Ipointed out the different chambers of the Beis Hamikdosh and as we climed thesteps we entered the different Azorot (zones), so now you have the basicinformation of the layout of the holy Bais Hamikdosh in order to share withothers. If you would like to study this further, you should study “TractateMidos”.

Wishing you all the best.

Mishnayot Middot