Study Yoma folio 31B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
והא איכא אמה תקרה ואמה מעזיבה! שערים דבית המקדש, כיון דשישא נינהו, במשהו עבדי להו. והא איכא האיך משהו! כיון דלא הואי אמתא — לא חשיב לה.
As the gate is 20 cubits high, and the immersion chamber above it is at least 3 additional cubits high, the water was 23 cubits above the ground of the courtyard. The Talmud asks: How could it be only 23 cubits higher? Isn’t there the cubit of the thickness of the ceiling over the gate and the cubit of the thickness of the plaster sealing of the mikveh floor for a total of at least 25 cubits? The Talmud answers: With regard to the Temple gates, since they were constructed of marble, they constructed them with minimal thickness. Neither the thickness of the ceiling nor the thickness of the plaster was a cubit. The Talmud asks: But isn’t there that minimal thickness of the ceiling and the plaster that would nevertheless total more than 23 cubits? The Talmud answers: Indeed; however, since the ceiling was not a whole cubit he does not consider it in his calculation.
פרסו סדין של בוץ וכו׳. מאי שנא של בוץ? כדאמר רב כהנא: כדי שיכיר שעבודת היום בבגדי בוץ. הכא נמי: שיכיר שעבודת היום בבגדי בוץ.
§ We learned in the Mishnah: They spread a sheet of fine linen between the High Priest and the people in the interest of modesty. The Talmud asks: What is different that they specifically used a sheet of fine linen? The Talmud answers: It is as Rav Kahana said with regard to a related issue: So that he will be aware that the service of the day of Yom Kippur is performed in fine linen garments. Here, too, a linen sheet was used so that he will be aware that the service of the day of Yom Kippur is performed in fine linen garments.