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Text Excerpt
עשר אמות כנגד פתחו של היכל, אחת עשרה אמה לצפון, ואחת עשרה אמה לדרום, נמצא מזבח מכוון כנגד היכל וכתליו.
10 of those cubits stood opposite the entrance to the Sanctuary. 11 of those cubits were to the north of the entrance and 11 of those cubits were to the south of the entrance. It follows that the altar was aligned precisely opposite the Sanctuary and its walls. According to this opinion, since the altar was directly aligned with the entrance of the Sanctuary, it blocked the entrance. The floor of the Israelite courtyard was 13½ cubits above the threshold of the Eastern Gate. Add 9 cubits, which was the height of the altar, and the result is that the top of the altar was 22½ cubits higher than the threshold of the gate, rendering it impossible to see the entrance of the Sanctuary through the eastern gate of the Temple Mount. Therefore, it was necessary to lower the eastern wall to enable the priest standing on the Mount of Olives to see the entrance of the Sanctuary.
ואי סלקא דעתך מדות רבי יהודה היא, מזבח באמצע עזרה מי משכחת ליה? והתנן: כל העזרה היתה אורך מאה ושמונים ושבע על רוחב מאה ושלשים וחמש. מן המזרח למערב — מאה ושמונים ושבע; מקום דריסת רגלי ישראל — אחת עשרה אמה; מקום דריסת רגלי הכהנים אחת עשרה אמה; מזבח — שלשים ושתים; בין האולם ולמזבח — עשרים ושתים; וההיכל — מאה אמה; ואחת עשרה אמה אחורי בית הכפורת.
And if it enters your mind to say that the mishnayot in tractate Middot are in accordance with the opinion of R' Yehuda, do you find that the altar stood in the middle of the courtyard in tractate Middot? But didn’t we learn in a Mishnah there: The dimensions of the entire courtyard were a length of 187 cubits by a width of 135 cubits. That Mishnah elaborates: The length of the courtyard from east to west was 187 cubits, divided as follows: The area of access for the Israelites, known as the Israelite courtyard, was 11 cubits long. The area of access for the priests to walk and serve was 11 cubits long, and the altar itself was 32 cubits long. There were 22 cubits between the Entrance Hall and the altar, and the Sanctuary was 100 cubits long. And there was an additional 11 cubits of space behind the Hall of the Ark Cover, the Holy of Holies, which was at the western end of the Sanctuary.