Will the third Base Hamikdash contain a פרוכת – a dividing curtain
As per the directive of the Lubavitcher Rebbe: During the three (3) weeks between the seventeenth (17th) of Tammuz and the ninth (9th) of Menaĉem Av, we learn about the third Base Hamikdash.
צרור המר דודי לי, בין שדי ילין
[as] a granule of Myrrh my beloved is to me; between her breasts I lodge.[i]
Who’s Complaining?
Rashi comments on this verse explaining that notwithstanding the sin of the Golden Calf, which was expiated by the gold used in the Mishkan, G-d still considers us fragrant, and:
- בין שדי ילין – even though I have profaned him [G-d], nevertheless he [G-d] stated he would dwell there.
- בין שדי – between the two (2) staves of the Aron.
Thus, Rashi considers this verse a statement by G-d affirming his presence amongst the Jewish people who are beloved to him – specifically that the Divine Presence would be found between the two (2) staves of the Aron.
In the Gemara[ii] Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi explains this differently. He states this is a statement made by the Jewish people to G-d; ‘Master of the Universe, even though my beloved [G-d] has caused me suffering and bitterness, he [G-d] shall still dwell between my breasts’
Rashi explains there that the suffering and bitterness was caused by G-d’s statement[iii] ועתה הורד עדיך מעליך – and now remove your regalia from on you. This regalia was previously defined by Rashi to be the crowns vested in the Jewish people by the angels when they responded to G-d with נעשה ונשמה – we will do and we will listen.[iv] The Jewish people obeyed this command. And nevertheless, they devoted themselves to immediately[1] building the Mishkan in which the two (2) staves of the Aron were placed, which extended beyond the space of the Kodesh Kadshim pressing against the curtain that separated the two rooms and producing a visual effect as of women’s breasts causing a protrusion from under her blouse. It was there that the Divine Presence rested.
The visual effect of the protruding breasts is described in the Gemara[v]:
Rav Yehuda asked: The verse[vi] states ויראו ראשי הבדים – and the heads of the staves were visible, but it also continues to state ולא יראו החוצה – and they were not visible from the outside. How is it possible that they were both visible and not visible.
A similar Beraissa was taught; you might think that the staves did not move from their place, therefore the verse [noted above] states ויארכו הבדים – and the staves lengthened. You might think that this would tear through the פרוכת – the curtain, therefore the verse adds the clause ולא יראו החוצה.
How to resolve this, they were pressing and protruding and pushing out the curtain, appearing like the two breasts of a woman, as in the verse צרור המר דודי לי, בין שדי ילין.
Considering the Gemara quotes Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi that this verse was stated regarding the Jewish people’s complaint of having their regalia removed, and nevertheless welcoming the Divine Presence into their midst by building the Mishkan and the Aron where the Divine Presence can rest;
- Why does Rashi flip the script by explaining that the verse refers to G-d’s complaint that the Jewish people had acted profanely and nevertheless G-d chose to dwell amongst the Jewish people, specifically between the staves of the Aron?
Which Curtain?
The physical layout of the first Base Hamikdash, built by King Shlomo, was different than the second Base Hamikdash. Between the two rooms of the Kodesh and the Kodesh Kadshim, Shlomo built a wall that was exactly one Amah thick, known as the אמה טרקסין.[2] At the center of the wall, there was an open doorway which had two wooden doors hung on it.[vii] The פרוכת was hung on that doorway. The sages though were unsure if the curtain was hung on the outside of the doorway, or on the inside of the doorway. For our discussion, we will assume that the curtain was hung on the outside of the doorway.
Since the room of the Kodesh Kadshim was exactly twenty Amos long, and the wall was one Amah thick, the protrusion of the staves, without tearing the curtain meant that the staves were just over twenty-one Amos long[3], sufficient to stretch out the curtain past the doorway, without ripping it. Accordingly, we have to conclude that the doors made by Shlomo were never closed, as the protrusion of the staves would prevent that.
During the building of the second Base Hamikdash, the sages were unsure as to whether the פרוכת was hung on the outside of the אמה טרקסין or on the interior of the אמה טרקסין. Therefore, to ensure that the appropriate separation was maintained, the builders of the second Base Hamikdash installed two curtains, one on the interior of the one Amah space, and one on the exterior of the of the one Amah space.[viii] Rabbi Yosi noted there was only one (1) פרוכת.
Incidentally, based on the rule לא פליגי במציאות – how do we explain this argument? This can be understood by considering what we learnt in the Yerushalmi[ix]. The Yerushalmi notes that the Kohanim would reweave two curtains annually, one which was hung up, and one which was kept in storage to be used for immediate replacement, if the hanging curtain contracted Tum’ah. If we follow the sages’ opinion that there were two curtains hanging, shouldn’t there have been four (4) curtains made annually, two to replace the existing ones, and two more for backup? Rather, Rabbi Yosi and the sages are not arguing about how many curtains were hanging. Both agree that there were two curtains hanging. The interior one did not need replacement, as it was not subject to the smoke and oil from the activities in the Kodesh. The outer one had to be replaced annually – and the outer one was subject to the concern of possibly contracting Tum’ah, considering its proximity to Kohanim who could technically brush up against it daily. Rabbi Yosi is simply defining that there was only one פרוכת. The second curtain was not the installation required by the Torah in the design of the Base Hamikdash, it was an added curtain that did not have the sanctity of a Base Hamikdash vessel.
In fact, the Gemara[x] quotes Rav Ze’ira who stated that there were thirteen (13) curtains in use in the Base Hamikdash:
- Seven (7) hung over the Gates leading into the Courtyard
- One (1) at the entrance of the אולם – foyer.
- One (1) at the entrance of the Kodesh.
- Two (2) forming the פרוכת (according to Rabbi Yosi, one and one more)
- Two (2) curtains directly above the second floor of the Mikdash blocking the view of anyone who had to be present in those side chambers.
If curtains can be hung willy nilly throughout the Base Hamikdash, as actually happened, then why does the Torah establish a required curtain in the Mishkan and Mikdash, and its specific design. Why not just establish a rule that a curtain must be hung to establish privacy.
The purpose of the curtain
In the instructions of how to build the Mishkan, G-d provides us with the following instructions[xi]:
ועשית פרכת תכלת וארגמן ותולעת שני ושש משזר, מעשה חושב יעשה אותה כרובים. ונתתה אותה על ארבעה עמודי שטים מצפים זהב וויהם זהב, על ארבעה אדני כסף. ונתתה את הפרכת תחת הקרסים והבאת שמה מבית לפרכת את ארון העשות, והבדילה הפרכת לכם בין קדש ובין קדש הקדשים.
And you shall make a curtain; [using] blue, purple and crimson wool – twisted, the work of a master shall make it – [with] Cherubim. And you shall place it on four pillars of acacia, plated in gold whose hooks are gold, on four silver sockets. And you shall place the curtain under the clasps, and you shall bring in the interior, [behind] the curtain, the Ark of the Covenant – and the curtain shall separate for you between the Holy and the Holy of Holies.
Rashi explains that the term פרכת, which we have translated as curtain, actually is a term of separation. And in the terminology of the sages[xii], this would be called the פרגוד – which is something that separates between the king and his people.
Thus, Rashi defines the פרכת not by what it is – a curtain – but by what it does, והבדילה הפרכת לכם – it functions as the separation between the king [G-d] and his people [the Jewish people].
- Considering the purpose of the פרכת is to serve as a separation between the king and is people, why is it that the sages define the Divine Presence as resting there?
Separator vs Facilitator
Ĉassidus explains that there are actually two types of separations:
- There are the separations born of alienation. The Gemara[xiii] describes this as a מחיצה של ברזל – an Iron Curtain.[4] This type of separation is created by the sins of the Jewish people which prevent their ability to connect to G-d.
- There is also the separation born of nurture. As described by the Alter Rebbe in Tanya by means of a parable; when a brilliant master is attempting to teach a beginner student, he must impose a separation so as to not overwhelm the student. This separation serves as a connection point between the greatest achievement of the student, and the lowest element of the master. Similarly, the פרכת is described as והבדילה הפרכת לכם. The purpose of the separation is for us – לכם, serving our needs so that we will not be overwhelmed by G-d’s presence.
Furthermore, the שכינה – the Divine Presence is the light from G-d which is possible to rest on human beings and G-d’s creation without completely overwhelming them. This is why it is called שכינה from the verse[xiv] שכן בתוך – dwelling within. Thus, the presence of the פרכת serves as a physical manifestation of the required separation between the infinite G-d and his finite creation, while also serving as the connection point between G-d’s presence and the Jewish people.
Nursing Prophetic Talent / A Smooth Drape
However, due to the lack[xv] of the Aron’s presence in the second Base Hamikdash[5], the visual effect similar to the protrusion of women’s breasts were absent.
When we consider the source for the sages’ comment, [that either the Jewish people or G-d is stating] that the Divine Presence would rest amongst the Jewish people, בין שדי ילין – between the breasts he will dwell, what does that say about the lack of protrusions in the second Base Hamikdash?
In Kabbalistic thought, נבואה – Prophecy and רוח הקודש the resting of the Divine Presence on a person, is a function of receiving and perceiving light from the Sefiros of נצח and הוד – represented by the two staves of the Aron. Since this is comparable to nursing an infant, these Sefiros are also compared to the two breasts of a woman, as referenced in the verse בין שדי ילין.
Therefore, when Moshe was commanded to gather the seventy Elders to allow some of the spirit resting on him to rest on them, אלדד and מידד received prophecy even though they did not go. Their names אל-דד (to the breast) and מי-דד (breastmilk) literally[6] describe their prophetic connection to G-d, which is why the elders received prophecy ולא יספו – but it did not continue.[xvi] They were receiving second-hand prophecy, and such an experience only remained while they were in proximity to and connect with Moshe. אלדד and מידד though remained in the camp. Their connection to G-d, being nursed to a state of prophecy, was direct, and thus the time limit was not applicable to them.
The Blueprint of the Future
Thus, the בלטין of the Mishkan and the first Base Hamikdash represented and caused the spiritual development of the time. G-d’s active presence amongst the Jewish people was in the form of nursing and nurturing them, producing widespread[xvii] prophecy and רוח הקודש. The second Base Hamikdash though lacked that type of relationship[7], which is why the curtains were smooth with no protrusions.
However, we are left with a Halaĉic question: The Rambam[xviii] notes that in constructing the second Base Hamikdash, the builders primarily duplicated the first Base Hamikdash and they incorporated elements of the prophecies of the Third Base Hamikdash. Since the first Base Hamikdash had the protrusion of the staves, and the second Base Hamikdash did not, are we to think that this lack-of-an-element was actually taken from the prophecies of Third Base Hamikdash?
We can’t say that the absence of the fourth wall of the Kodesh Kadshim was a design element based on doubt and lack of knowledge for the following reasons:
- The Rambam states that elements of the Third Base Hamikdash were incorporated into the design of the second Base Hamikdash. If there was an element of doubt, why didn’t the Rambam say that some things were unknown, and some were based on the prophecy of the Third Base Hamikdash.
- Prophecy was still present during the construction of the second Base Hamikdash – in fact at least three prophecies were noted[xix] regarding the outer altar: 1) The location, 2) The dimensions, and 3) That they may use the altar even while the Base Hamikdash was still under construction. If the knowledge of the location of the curtain was required to duplicate that which hung in the first Base Hamikdash, then it would have been given.
Obviously, the lack of knowledge concerning the פרוכת is related to the design of the Third Base Hamikdash. However, when we look to Yeĉezkel’s prophecies[xx] concerning the design of the third Base Hamikdash, a different question arises:
ובא לפנימה וימד אל הפתח שתים אמות, והפתח שש אמות ורחב הפתח שבע אמות
And he [the angel] came to the interior; and he measured the opening at two (2) Amos, and the opening was six (6) Amos, and the width of the opening was seven (7) Amos.
Rashi provides us with the explanation of this verse:
- ובא לפנימה – to the barrier that separates between the היכל from the Kodesh Kadshim.
- וימד אל הפתח – the thickness was two (2) Amos. This is not the equal to the אמה טרקסין.
- והפתח שש אמות – I [Rashi] can’t explain this unless it refers to the height.
This verse provides us with an interesting difference compared to the first Base Hamikdash.
- The wall is no longer one (1) Amah thick, it is now an additional Amah thick.
- There remains a barrier wall between the היכל and the Kodesh Kadshim, however;
- The barrier wall does not go all the way up – it is only six (6) Amos high.
Rashi though notes that having a doorway that is only six (6) Amos high in a room who height is forty (40) Amos tall leaves an enormous gap between the wall and the ceiling. A gap that is not otherwise discussed in the construction of the third Base Hamikdash. Even more glaringly, there is no description of the פרוכת nor where it must be hung.
Furthermore, even if we were to say that there was an unmentioned curtain that was only six (6) Amos tall, we’d be left with an unanswered point: since the thickness of the wall is now two (2) Amos thick, there would be no[8] breast-like protrusion.
- If the Third Base Hamikdash only had a small curtain, six (6) Amos tall, and the first Base Hamikdash only had one curtain – where did the builders of the Second Base Hamikdash get the idea of placing a curtain across as the entirety of the barrier between the two rooms?
In summary the following are theoretical possible options regarding the פרוכת and the third Base Hamikdash:
- The פרוכת will be small and hung on the interior thick new wall. This will allow for the breast-like projection, but we are left with explaining why the second Base Hamikdash had enormous curtains placed.
- The פרוכת will be small and hung on the outside of the thick new wall. While this explains the doubt as to where to place the curtain, it results in the lack of the breast-like projections – Kabbalisticly implying a lower level of revelation, similar to the loss of prophecy during the second Base Hamikdash.
- The פרוכת will be hung like it was in the first and second Base Hamikdash – possibly from the ceiling, and will cover not only the wall, but also the doorway, and there is a doubt as to whether it will be hung on the inside, or outside of the wall, or even if it could be hung in the middle, with the bottom half draped on the insider or outside of the wall. This though raises the question – why is the פרוכת not mentioned by Yeĉezkel, especially since this is a component which differs from the first Base Hamikdash.
The Final Revelation
When we apply the spiritual framework of the Messianic era, all[9] of these questions collapse. The era of Moshiaĉ cannot be defined by diminished revelation (an absent bulge), nor can the flow of prophecy occur in the dark behind closed doors.
The only solution that satisfies both the physical dimensions and the theological prophecies of the era of Moshiaĉ is that the Third Base Hamikdash will have no curtain at all.
The Messianic age is defined by the removal of barriers between the Creator and the created. As stated in the verse[xxi] אשפך את רוחי על כל בשר – I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh. As the prophet continues, this is not limited to the spiritual elite as it was during the times of the first Base Hamikdash, but וגם על העבדים ועל השפחות, בימים ההמה אשפוך את רוחי – and also on the servants and on the maidservants; in those days I will pour out My spirit. The physical world will have achieved a level of refinement where it no longer requires a פרוכת at all to filter the light of the Divine Presence.
Without the need for a separation between the Divine Presence and the people, we will be left with only a small six (6) Amos tall partition, serving more as a respectful parapet between the two domains, not as a block and / or filter to divine light.
The second Base Hamikdash formed the transition period between the two. On the one hand it was marked by the ending (temporarily) of prophecy on the people. Instead of a single curtain, there was now a double curtain. But it also contained elements of the Third Base Hamikdash, when the wall will be gone, and the פרוכת which served as the enabling filter was present in greater abundance than the first Base Hamikdash. This is why all though prophecy was not present, the profusion and expansion of Torah among the populace exceeded that of the first Base Hamikdash.
Like the verse[xxii] states ופתחו שעריך תמיד יומם ולילה לא יסגרו – and your gates will be open constantly, day and night, they shall not be closed – the era of Moshiaĉ will be marked with open revelation of G-dliness, in a manner completely beyond that of the previous generations. The doors will stand permanently open, and the curtain will be gone. The staves of the Aron will not push against a fabric barrier. Instead, the conduits of נצח and הוד will extend outward into the open threshold, entirely visible and unobstructed. The era of filters, doubts, and doubled screens will end, replaced by an architecture that facilitates the direct, universal, and unveiled flow of Divine knowledge into the world.
[1] Once they were told about this after Yom Kippur
[2] This term is coined in the Mishna [Midos 4:7 and elsewhere]. Rashi [Gem. Yoma 52a] explains that טרקסין means inside and out, as he saw in the Yerushalmi. However, we do not know what Yerushalmi Rashi is referring to. Perhaps this comes from the Greek θύρασι meaning door, and ἔωθεν meaning from here. Tosefos explains that it comes from Rabbi Akiva’s request to the sages to lock the doors so they won’t be disturbed.
[3] It is possible that the staves could be any length between eleven and twenty-two Amos, and that the protrusion in the shape of breasts was caused by deliberately moving the staves to ensure that this imagery was generated. However, the verses phrasing ויראו ראשי הבדים implies that this visualization was passive, and not something actively generated. Furthermore, if we take the term ויארכו הבדים to mean literally that the staves extended themselves so that they would form that imagery, then that would limit their size in the first Base Hamikdash to just over twenty-one Amos [ten on the west side, and just over eleven on the east side (excluding the space of the Aron, which space doesn’t count)], sufficient to reach across the entirety of the Kodesh Kadshim, through the width of the אמה טרקסין, and continuing onward to form the בלטין – the contour distortion similar to the image of breasts protruding under a shirt.
[4] I’m sure it is no coincidence that the establishment of the evil Soviet Union was termed an Iron Curtain by Winston Churchill in his famous speech on March 5, 1946.
[5] Actually, there is a discussion about what happened to the Aron. Gem. Yoma 53b notes an argument amongst the sages. Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai are of the opinion that the Ark was taken to Babylon. Rabbi Yehuda and the sages argue that it remained on the temple mount and was buried there. The Gemara goes on to note a story [see also Shekalim 6:2] where one of the Kohanim processing the wood in the second Base Hamikdash noticed a difference in one of the tiles of that chamber and realized that he had discovered the entrance to where the Aron was hidden. He went to tell his colleagues, but before he finished talking, he died – thus confirming his find. The Gemara Yoma states that he struck the tile with the axe he was holding, and a fire burst forth to consume him. It was this supernatural defense that confirmed his assumption to the Kohanim.
In the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s talks concerning the laws of the Rambam, he notes that the Rambam includes the historical anecdote that Shlomo built underground chambers when he designed the first Base Hamikdash, and it is within those chambers that the Aron was hidden. The Rebbe points out the purpose in including that history in the book of laws is to indicate that the existence of the hidden chamber is thus a built-in extension of the Kodesh Kadshim, and therefore, the presence of the Aron in that location allowed the Base Hamikdash to continue function in accordance with Halaĉa – both for the remainder of the first Base Hamikdash and the entirety of the second.
I have heard of other opinions (פחד יצחק and כלי חמדה and Rabbi Naĉman of Breslov) which state that since the Aron did not take up physical space, it remains in place where it was initially put when Shlomo built the Mikdash – on the Foundation Rock. However, we do not have the spiritual sensitivity to perceive it.
[6] In the world of רמז, the name אלדד is associated with the side of חסד, which is why his name incorporates the name of G-d, א-ל, associated with the Sefira of חסד. מידד though is associated with the side of גבורה, which is why the the Gematria of מי is fifty (40+10=50) representing the fifty (50) Gates of בינה, the source of גבורה. Accordingly, the breasts are positioned horizontally, one on the right side – חסד, and one on the left – גבורה.
[7] As underlined by the fact that the sages did not even know by רוח הקודש where the curtain had been in the first Base Hamikdash. Perhaps we might have even said that the existence of the second curtain represented a doubling of the concealment of G-d’s presence. Rabbi Yosi though clarified that there was only one (1) פרוכת. The existence of the second curtain was a practical action taken by the Kohanim to avoid the possibility of Tum’ah and for purposes of beautifying the Mikdash, and not because G-d had concealed his presence further.
[8] Possibly we could say that the staves of the Ark would extend themselves regardless of how far away the curtain was to ensure that the breast-like protrusions were visible, which would be in line with the verse ויארכו הבדים. However, that presents us with a different question. If that were to happen, then we would be left with both the first Base Hamikdash and third Base Hamikdash having breast-like protrusions, while the second did not. In which case, from where did the builders of the Second Base Hamikdash get the idea that they could have a curtain without breast-like protrusions? They should have built the curtain like an underwire bra with the protrusions present, regardless of whether the staves were physically using them or not.
[9] This also explains why the Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi explains that the verse צרור המר is the Jewish people complaining about having their regalia taken away, and yet they build a place for G-d’s presence anyway, while Rashi explains it is G-d who is complaining about the Jewish people having profaned their service with the creation of the Golden Calf, but he chooses out of love to dwell with the Jewish people anyway. Rashi is explaining the verse in the manner in which it was written – at the height of the sanctity of the first Base Hamikdash, when G-d chose to openly manifest his presence among his people. Accordingly, the verse is a statement by G-d of his love for his people which he shows in his presence between the staves of the Aron. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, a first-generation Amorah, is speaking to us after the destruction of the second Base Hamikdash. The Jewish people are complaining that prophecy, their regalia, has been taken from them. Nevertheless, out of their love and dedication to G-d, they set out to build the Third Base Hamikdash, a permanent place where G-d’s presence can dwell among them, in their hearts – between our breasts.
[i] Shir HaShirim 1:13
[ii] Gem. Shabbos 88b
[iii] Shemos 33:5
[iv] See Rashi Shemos 33:4, Gem. Shabbos 88a, Shemos 24:7
[v] Gem. Yoma 54a and Menaĉos 98b
[vi] Melaĉim I 8:8
[vii] Melaĉim I 6:31
[viii] See Gem. Yoma 51b
[ix] Yer. Shekalim 8:2, 8:4
[x] Gem. Yoma 54a see also Gem Kesuvos 106a
[xi] Shemos 26:31-33
[xii] See Gem. Ĉagiga 15a
[xiii] Gem. Beraĉos 32b
[xiv] Vayikra 16:16 and Bamidbar 35:34. Perhaps the duplication of the phrase relates to the different ways in which G-d dwells with the Jewish people. The first verse השכן אתם בתוך טמאתם talks about G-d’s presence with the Jewish people while they are still in a state of Tum’ah. While the verse in Bamidbar כי אני ה’ שכן בתוך בני ישראל talks about when the land is not being defiled, especially by the non-Jews who were (are) living there.
[xv] Gem. Yoma 21b
[xvi] Bamidbar 11:25
[xvii] Gem. Megilla 14a notes that there were millions of prophets in the time of the first Base Hamikdash. Another example is the Gem. Sanhedrin 39b notes that Ovadya hid 100 prophets from the purge of Aĉav and Izevel, and as a reward Ovadyahu himself was granted prophecy. As to why we only have very few prophetic works – only prophecies required for the Jews throughout their entire history were written down. The rest of the prophetic communications were private events, similar to the story of Shmuel and the search for the lost donkeys by Shaul.
[xviii] הלכות בית הבחירה 1:4
[xix] Gem. Zevaĉim 62a notes that these prophecies were given by Ĉag’eye Zeĉarya and Mal’aĉi.
[xx] Yeĉezkel 41:3
[xxi] Yoel 3:1
[xxii] Yeshayahu 60:11