SHEYIBANEH BEIT HAMIKDASH...
A series of articles on Beit HaMikdash-related topics by Catriel Sugarman intended to increase the knowledge, interest, and anticipation of the reader, thereby hastening the realization of our hopes and prayers for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash.

From the Mikdash Mailbag

Chaver Catriel, three points:
1. I think you should be more careful in quoting Josephus. You should be even more careful in quoting Josephus when he contradicts Chaza"l. You know that Josephus had contempt for Chazal and did what he could to undermine their authority and blacken them. It is the equivalent of quoting a traitor to the Jewish people in our generation and asking him to give his expert opinion on something Jewish. A traitor always has his own ax to grind and we should not give him a platform to spread his warped ideas. There is no reason why should we give a traitor prominence if he supports the enemies of the Jewish people. I think we need more self-respect, or at the very least, critically analyze what we quote and not accept everything that Josephus says as fact just because he lived 2000 years ago. Remember, there were Meshumadim (apostates) in those generations too...

The credibility of Josephus is a subject that we have touched upon many times. The brutal truth is that Josephus was a Roman propagandist and therefore had his own political agenda; i.e. justifying and white- washing Roman atrocities and blackening the memory of the heroes of his own people. A quisling, he is even less trustworthy when he talks about himself and his role in the war against Rome. After deserting to the enemy, the turncoat proudly boasted, "When the city of Jerusalem was taken by force (and destroyed), Titus Caesar persuaded me frequently to take what I would of the ruins of my country." Following his master Titus to Romehe received his reward; Roman citizenship, a spacious apartment in Vespasian's former residence in Rome, and a yearly pension for his literary endeavors. In fact, though it has not been discovered, it is said that a statue of Josephus was erected in the Roman forum "for services rendered". Josephus was exceedingly conceited, over-dramatic, credulous, and like most ancient historians, totally unreliable when it came to numbers. However, when Josephus describes what he saw, or information that he was able to gather from primary sources or from reports of eyewitnesses, though his accounts are not free of discrepancies, he is surprisingly accurate. Scholars have compared his descriptions of Caesarea, Gamla and in particular the topography of Masada with the most recent archeological findings and have found him to be generally reliable. Despite his many faults, when one takes into allowances for his obvious biases, Josephus is still by far the most authoritative source of information of the history of Eretz Yisrael and Am Yisrael in that tragic era.

2. Shelamim: When you discuss Shelamim, ("Peace-offerings") you should strengthen and complete your thought process by explaining that this Korban was called Shelamim simply by quoting Rashi (the second opinion based on Torat Kohanim in Vayikra 3:1). Rashi writes, "Shalom La-mizbei'ach, Shalom La-kohanim Ve'shalom La-b'alim. (Shelamim were divided into three parts. The Emurim [the innards of the sacrificial animal] were burnt on the altar; the Kohanim received some of the sacrificial meat for their use; and the rest of the sacrificial animal was given to those who brought the Korban.) According to this Rashi, your emphasis should have been different: e.g. "There was one Korban that was unique in that part was burnt on the Mizbei'ach, part given to the Kohanim to eat and part was eaten by the Ba'alei HaKorban. Because of this uniqueness, this Korban was called Shelamim - from Shalom and Shaleim - peace and "completion". The Yisra'el who offered Shelamimin the Mikdash brought peace and completion into the world. Will do.

3. I have a challenge for you. Write about the Ta'im ("cells") of the Bayit. They were built in a unique way and they enveloped the whole Heichal. It seems that it would not have been too easy to get from one level to the other and yet in size and volume, they comprised a large percentage of the Heichal building and yet whose full use is not so clear. How much could there have been to store? - KT - JE - Onondaga County

Okay, I will. Our main source for information about the Ta'im, the "cells" that surrounded the outer walls of the Heichal and Kodesh HaKodashim is Mishnat Midot 4:3,4. The Mishna reads, "And there were 38 Ta'im there (in the Bayit), 15 to the north (of the Heichal and Kodesh HaKodashim), 15 to the south and 8 to the west. Those to the north and to the south were built five over five, and five over them (i.e. three levels of five cells each); and those to the west, three over three and two over them." The two lower levels in the west had three Ta'im each and the top level only two. The Mishna goes on to note that the Ta'im had passages in their ceilings, floors and sides. The Kohanim ascended and descended between the floors by means of ladders. Tif'eret Yisrael (26) comments that when the Mishna writes that 'each Ta had three entrances', that did not mean that they had them in the identical place or direction. "The Ta'im in the upper level …did not have openings (in their ceilings) because there were no Ta'im above them." Unlike the upper Ta'im, the lower Ta'im in the northeast corner and the southeast corner had opening on the east side.

These lower wickets connected the Ulam (the entrance hall) to the Heichal. When it was time for the Kohanim to open the Heichal, "The Great Gate (which led from the Ulam to the Heichal) had two wickets, one to the north and one to the south. No one ever entered the southern wicket, because Ezekiel expressly said, "And the Lord said to me, "This gate shall be shut, it shall be not be opened, neither shall any man enter by it, for the Lord, the G-d of Israel, has entered through it …" (44:2). He (the ministering Kohein) took the key and opened the (northern) door. He entered into (the lower northeast) Ta (and by turning left) entered the Heichal and approaching the Great Gate (from the inside)" (Tamid 3:7). When he reached the Great Gate, he drew back the bolt and opened the locks… (Tamid 3:7). The width of the three levels of Ta'im varied. "The lower level of Ta'im was 5 Amot wide, and the floor above it, 6; and the upper (floor) was 7…" (Midot 4:4). The outer walls of the lower levels were thinner then that of the lower levels which made excellent architectural sense. The Mishna does not specify their length, and this over the years has led to serious disagreements. Our Mekorot do not specify the precise use of the Ta'im but it is likely that they were used to store Mikdash treasures. We can picture the Ta'im in the dim light, lined with rows and rows of shelves right up to the ceiling stacked with gold vessels and chests of silver half Shekels contributed by all Am Yisrael. The Kohanim used them for the Avoda as needed.

Catriel's book in progress: The Temple of Jerusalem, A Pilgrim’s Perspective; A Guided Tour through the Temple and the Divine Service