Hebrew Literature

by Unknown

Chapter I

1. The priests guarded the sanctuary in three places, in the House Abtinas,[567] in the House Nitzus,[568] and in the House Moked;[569] and the Levites in twenty-one places, five at the five gates of the Mountain of the House, four at its four corners inside, five at the five gates of the Court, four at its four corners outside, and one in the chamber of the Offering, and one in the chamber of the Vail, and one behind the House of Atonement.

2. The Captain of the Mountain of the House went round to every Watch in succession with torches flaming before him, and to every guard who did not stand forth, the Captain said, “Peace be to thee.” If it appeared that he slept, he beat him with his staff; and he had permission to set fire to his cushion.[570] And they said, “what is the voice in the Court?” “It is the voice of the Levite being beaten, and his garments burned, because he slept on his guard.”[571] Rabbi Eliezer, the son of Jacob, said, “once they found the brother of my mother asleep, and they burned his cushion.”

3. There were five gates to the Mountain of the House, two Huldah gates in the south which served for going in and out, Kipunus in the west served for going in and out; Tadi[572] in the north served for no (ordinary) purpose. Upon [pg 234] the east gate was portrayed the city Shushan. Through it one could see the High Priest who burned the heifer, and all his assistants going out to the Mount of Olives.

4. In the court were seven gates—three in the north, and three in the south, and one in the east. That in the south was called the gate of Flaming, the second after it, the gate of Offering; the third after it the Water-gate. That in the east was called the gate Nicanor. And this gate had two chambers, one on the right, and one on the left; one the chamber of Phineas, the vestment keeper, and the other the chamber of the pancake maker.

5. And at the gate Nitzus on the north was a kind of cloister with a room built over it, where the priests kept ward above, and the Levites below; and it had a door into the Chel.[573] Second to it was the gate of the offering. Third the House Moked.

6. In the House Moked were four chambers opening as small apartments into a saloon—two in the Holy place, and two in the Unconsecrated place; and pointed rails separated between the Holy and the Unconsecrated. And what was their use? The southwest chamber was the chamber for offering. The southeast was the chamber for the showbread. In the northeast chamber the children of the Asmoneans deposited the stones of the altar which the Greek Kings had defiled.[574] In the northwest chamber they descended to the house of baptism.

7. To the House Moked were two doors; one open to the Chel, and one open to the court. Said Rabbi Judah, “the one open to the court had a wicket, through which they went in to sweep the court.”

8. The House Moked was arched, and spacious, and surrounded with stone divans, and the elders of the Courses slept there with the keys of the court in their hands; and also the young priests each with his pillow on the ground.