משנה א׳ כָּל הָעֲזָרָה הָיְתָה אוֹרֶךְ מֵאָה וּשְׁמוֹנִים וָשֶׁבַע עַל רוֹחַב מֵאָה וּשְׁלֹשִׁים וְחָמֵשׁ.

mishna 5:1 The dimensions of the entire Temple courtyard, from the eastern edge of the Israelite courtyard to the end of the eleven cubits behind the Holy of Holies, were a length of 187 cubits by a width of 135 cubits.

מִן הַמִּזְרָח לַמַּעֲרָב, מֵאָה וּשְׁמֹנִים וָשֶׁבַע. מְקוֹם דְּרִיסַת יִשְׂרָאֵל – אַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה. מְקוֹם דְּרִיסַת הַכֹּהֲנִים – אַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה. הַמִּזְבֵּחַ – שְׁלֹשִׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם. בֵּין הָאוּלָם וְלַמִּזְבֵּחַ – עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁתַּיִם אַמָּה. הַחֵיל – מֵאָה אַמָּה. וְאַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה לַאֲחוֹרֵי בֵית הַכַּפֹּרֶת.

The mishna elaborates: The length of the courtyard from the east to the west was 187 cubits, divided as follows: The area of access for the Israelites, known as the Israelite courtyard, was eleven cubits. The area of access for the priests to walk and serve, which was to the west of the Israelite courtyard, was likewise eleven cubits. The altar was thirty-two cubits. There were twenty-two cubits between the Entrance Hall and the altar; and the rampart, i.e., the Sanctuary building, was one hundred cubits long. And there was an additional eleven cubits of space behind the Hall of the Ark Cover, the Holy of Holies, which was at the western end of the Sanctuary. This yields a total of 187 cubits.

משנה ב׳ מִן הַצָּפוֹן לַדָּרוֹם מֵאָה וּשְׁלֹשִׁים וְחָמֵשׁ. מֵהַכֶּבֶשׁ וְלַמִּזְבֵּחַ – שִׁשִּׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם. מִן הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לַטַּבָּעוֹת – שְׁמוֹנֶה אַמּוֹת.

mishna 5:2 The dimensions of the courtyard’s width from the north to the south was a total of 135 cubits. From the ramp to the altar was sixty-two cubits. eight cubits from the altar to the fixed rings, the four rows of six rings, through which the heads of the sacrificial animals were placed for slaughter.

מְקוֹם הַטַּבָּעוֹת – עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה. מִן הַטַּבָּעוֹת לַשֻּׁלְחָנוֹת – אַרְבָּעָה. מִן הַשֻּׁלְחָנוֹת וְלַנַּנָּסִין – אַרְבָּעָה. מִן הַנַּנָּסִין לְכֹתֶל הָעֲזָרָה – שְׁמֹנֶה אַמּוֹת, וְהַמּוֹתָר – בֵּין הַכֶּבֶשׁ לַכּוֹתֶל, וּמְקוֹם הַנַּנָּסִין.

The area of the rings itself was twenty-four cubits, and from the rings to the tables, on which the animals were rinsed, there were an additional four cubits. From the tables to the low pillars [ velananasin ], on which the animals were suspended for flaying, there were an additional four cubits. From the low pillars to the courtyard wall there were eight cubits. The total up to this point is 110 cubits. And the twenty-five-cubit remainder from the total width of 135 cubits included the area between the ramp and the southern wall, and also included the area filled by the low pillars themselves, which was not included in the above count.

משנה ג׳ שֵׁשׁ לְשָׁכוֹת הָיוּ בָּעֲזָרָה, שָׁלֹשׁ בַּצָּפוֹן וְשָׁלֹשׁ בַּדָּרוֹם. שֶׁבַּצָּפוֹן: לִשְׁכַּת הַמֶּלַח, לִשְׁכַּת הַפַּרְוָה, לִשְׁכַּת הַמְדִיחִים.

mishna 5:3 There were six chambers in the Israelite courtyard, three in the north and three in the south. The chambers that were in the north were the Chamber of the Salt, in the eastern corner; the Chamber of the Parva , which was west of it, and the Chamber of the Rinsers, which was to the west of that.

לִשְׁכַּת הַמֶּלַח – שָׁם הָיוּ נוֹתְנִין מֶלַח לַקָּרְבָּן. לִשְׁכַּת הַפַּרְוָה – שָׁם הָיוּ מוֹלְחִין עוֹרוֹת קֳדָשִׁים, וְעַל גַּגָּהּ הָיָה בֵּית הַטְּבִילָה לְכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים. לִשְׁכַּת הַמְדִיחִין – שֶׁשָּׁם הָיוּ מְדִיחִין קִרְבֵי הַקֳּדָשִׁים, וּמִשָּׁם מְסִבָּה עוֹלָה לְגַג בֵּית הַפַּרְוָה.

The mishna explains the reason for these names. The Chamber of the Salt was where the priests would place in storage the salt that was placed on every offering (see Leviticus 2:13). The Chamber of the Parva was where they would salt the hides of sacrificial animals, which belonged to the priests, to prevent them from spoiling. It was named after the sorcerer who built it (see Yoma 35a). And on the roof of that chamber was the Hall of Immersion for the immersions performed by the High Priest on Yom Kippur, when he changed from his golden vestments to his white vestments and back again. The Chamber of the Rinsers was where they would rinse the innards, i.e., the stomach and the abomasum, of the sacrificial animals, which were not taken up to the altar while dirty or with undigested food remaining in them. And from there a circular, spiral staircase ascended to the roof of the Chamber of the Parva .

משנה ד׳ שֶׁבַּדָּרוֹם: לִשְׁכַּת הָעֵץ, לִשְׁכַּת הַגּוֹלָה, לִשְׁכַּת הַגָּזִית. לִשְׁכַּת הָעֵץ – אָמַר רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב: שָׁכַחְתִּי מֶה הָיְתָה מְשַׁמֶּשֶׁת. אַבָּא שָׁאוּל אוֹמֵר: לִשְׁכַּת כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל, וְהִיא הָיְתָה אֲחוֹרֵי שְׁתֵּיהֶן, וְגַג שְׁלָשְׁתָּן שָׁוֶה.

mishna 5:4 The three chambers that were in the south of the courtyard were the Chamber of the Wood, the Chamber of the Wheel, and the Chamber of Hewn Stone. With regard to the Chamber of the Wood, Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov, who is the tanna of the mishnayot in this tractate, said: I forgot what purpose that chamber served. Abba Shaul says: It was the High Priest’s chamber, and it was behind the two other chambers, the Chamber of the Wheel and the Chamber of Hewn Stone, as it was as large as both of them together; and the roof of all three of these chambers was level. Since the three were attached, they shared a roof.

לִשְׁכַּת הַגּוֹלָה – שָׁם הָיָה בּוֹר קָבוּעַ, וְהַגַּלְגַּל נָתוּן עָלָיו, וּמִשָּׁם מַסְפִּיקִין מַיִם לְכָל הָעֲזָרָה.

The Chamber of the Wheel was called by this name because there was a fixed cistern there, and the wheel, with a rope and bucket attached for drawing water, was positioned over it. And from there they would supply drinking water for use in the entire Temple courtyard.

לִשְׁכַּת הַגָּזִית – שָׁם הָיְתָה סַנְהֶדְרִין גְּדוֹלָה שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל יוֹשֶׁבֶת וְדָנָה אֶת הַכְּהוּנָּה.

The Chamber of Hewn Stone was named after the square hewn stones from which it was constructed, unlike the rest of the Temple. These special stones were used in honor of the Sanhedrin. It was situated partly in the Temple courtyard and partly outside the courtyard. And there, in the section of the Chamber of Hewn Stone outside the courtyard, the Great Sanhedrin of Israel, the seventy-one judges, would convene and judge the priesthood. In other words, every day they would judge whether the priests who came to serve for the first time were of fit lineage, and likewise whether any priest had developed a blemish that disqualified him from performing the Temple service.

וְכֹהֵן שֶׁנִּמְצָא בּוֹ פְּסוּל – לוֹבֵשׁ שְׁחוֹרִים, וּמִתְעַטֵּף שְׁחוֹרִים, וְיוֹצֵא וְהוֹלֵךְ לוֹ.

And a priest in whom a disqualification was found due to flawed lineage would wear black garments and would wrap his head in a black cloth, in a display of sorrow and mourning; and he would emerge from the Temple and go on his way, because he was not fit for service as a priest.

וְשֶׁלֹּא נִמְצָא בּוֹ פְּסוּל – לוֹבֵשׁ לְבָנִים, וּמִתְעַטֵּף לְבָנִים, נִכְנָס וּמְשַׁמֵּשׁ עִם אֶחָיו הַכֹּהֲנִים. וְיוֹם טוֹב הָיוּ עוֹשִׂין שֶׁלֹּא נִמְצָא פְּסוּל בְּזַרְעוֹ שֶׁל אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן. וְכָךְ הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים: ״בָּרוּךְ הַמָּקוֹם, בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁלֹּא נִמְצָא פְּסוּל בְּזַרְעוֹ שֶׁל אַהֲרֹן, וּבָרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁבָּחַר בְּאַהֲרֹן וּבְבָנָיו לַעֲמוֹד לְשָׁרֵת לִפְנֵי ה׳ בְּבֵית קָדְשֵׁי הַקֳּדָשִׁים״.

And any priest in whom a disqualification was not found would wear white garments and wrap his head in a white cloth, in a display of joy, and would enter and serve with his fellow priests. And if the judges determined that all the priests who were brought before them were fit to serve, the Sanhedrin would make a feast celebrating the fact that no disqualification was found among the offspring of Aaron the priest. And they would say as follows: Blessed be the Omnipresent, blessed be He, as no disqualification was found among the offspring of Aaron. And blessed be He Who chose Aaron and his sons to stand and serve before God in the House of the Holy of Holies, the Temple.