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Perek 6

Mishnayos Shekalim Perek 6 Mishnah 3

שקלים פרק ו׳ משנה ג׳

3
The previous mishna mentioned that there were thirteen prostrations in the Temple. Where were these prostrations? There were four in the north of the courtyard, four in the south, three in the east and two in the west, as the thirteen prostrations were facing the thirteen gates of the Temple courtyard. The thirteen gates were as follows: The southern ones, listed in order, beginning with the one adjacent to the western side, were the Upper Gate, and the topography of the courtyard was such that there was an incline on the east-west plane, therefore the gate farthest to the west was higher than the other gates; the Gate of Kindling, through which the priests would bring the wood for the arrangement of fire on top of the altar; the Gate of the Firstborn, through which priests would bring the ritually pure firstborn animals to be sacrificed, as it is permitted to slaughter firstborn animals on the southern side of the courtyard; and the Gate of Water. The mishna elaborates: And why was it named the Gate of Water? Since through it they would bring in the vial of water for the water libation on the festival of Sukkot, as they would ceremoniously draw the water from the Pool of Siloam and bring it to the altar through this gate. Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov says: There was a different reason for this name. It was called the Gate of Water because through it the water would trickle [mefakim], and in the future this water will increase and go out from under the threshold of the House. Facing these gates were the ones in the north, listed in order from the one closest to the west: The Gate of Jeconiah; the Gate of the Offering, through which they would bring the offerings of the most sacred order, as these could be slaughtered only in the northern part of the courtyard; the Gate of Women, where women would enter the courtyard to place their hands on the heads of their offerings; and the Gate of Song, through which they would bring the musical instruments into the courtyard. The mishna asks: And why was it called the Gate of Jeconiah? The reason is that through it Jeconiah went out to his exile. Before Jeconiah was exiled by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon he came to take leave of the Temple, and he left through this gate. The mishna resumes the list with the gates that are in the east: the Gate of Nicanor, which was named after Nicanor, who brought the doors of this gate from Egypt (see Yoma 38a). And the Gate of Nicanor had two wickets [pishpeshin], one on its right and one on its left. And there were two gates in the west that did not have a name, making a total of thirteen gates.
וְהֵיכָן הָיוּ מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים, אַרְבַּע בַּצָּפוֹן, וְאַרְבַּע בַּדָּרוֹם, שָׁלשׁ בַּמִּזְרָח, וּשְׁתַּיִם בַּמַּעֲרָב, כְּנֶגֶד שְׁלשָׁה עָשָׂר שְׁעָרִים. שְׁעָרִים דְּרוֹמִיִּים סְמוּכִין לַמַּעֲרָב, שַׁעַר הָעֶלְיוֹן, שַׁעַר הַדֶּלֶק, שַׁעַר הַבְּכוֹרוֹת, שַׁעַר הַמָּיִם. וְלָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ שַׁעַר הַמַּיִם, שֶׁבּוֹ מַכְנִיסִין צְלוֹחִית שֶׁל מַיִם שֶׁל נִסּוּךְ בֶּחָג. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר, בּוֹ הַמַּיִם מְפַכִּים וַעֲתִידִין לִהְיוֹת יוֹצְאִין מִתַּחַת מִפְתַּן הַבַּיִת. לְעֻמָּתָן בַּצָּפוֹן סְמוּכִין לַמַּעֲרָב, שַׁעַר יְכָנְיָה, שַׁעַר קָרְבָּן, שַׁעַר נָשִׁים, שַׁעַר הַשִּׁיר. וְלָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ שַׁעַר יְכָנְיָה, שֶׁבּוֹ יָצָא יְכָנְיָה בְּגָלוּתוֹ. בַּמִּזְרָח, שַׁעַר נִיקָנוֹר, וּשְׁנֵי פִשְׁפְּשִׁין הָיוּ לוֹ, אֶחָד בִּימִינוֹ וְאֶחָד בִּשְׂמֹאלוֹ. וּשְׁנַיִם בַּמַּעֲרָב שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה לָהֶם שֵׁם:
ג׳

והיכן היו ההשתחויות – thirteen prostrations, as is taught in the Mishnah above (Mishnah 1 of this chapter), where they made them.

שער עליון – the Temple was slanted going up from east to west, and the gate nearest to the west was the Upper Gate. And behind it was the Fuel Gate, which was the gate of the wood chamber, which was in the south of the [Temple] courtyard and it was called that name because they would bring in through there the wood of the altar that they would burn on the altar which is called the Fuel Gate.

שער הבכורות – they would bring in there the first-born [cattle] that would be slaughtered there in the south.

מים מפכים – as it is written in Ezekiel (47:2): “And I found water was gushing from [under] the south wall,” and that is south which is called “right-hand,” as it is written )Psalms 89:13): “North and south – [You created them; Tabor and Hermon sing forth Your name].” But see Ezekiel in prophecy that they would go out from the House of the Holy of Holies thin like the proboscides of locusts (see Tractate Pesahim, Chapter 3, Mishnah 5), and when they would arrive at this gate, they would grow strong/gather courage and become like the fulness of a small flask/jar and that is why they call them “gushing waters.”

שער הקרבן – there they would bring in the Holy of Holies whose slaughter was in the north.

שער הנשים – for in it, the women would enter to lay their hands on their sacrifice, according to the words of Rabbi Yosi who said that women lay their hands optionally, but according to Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Shimon, to stand near their sacrifice (see Talmud Eruvin 96b, Rosh Hashanah 13a and Hullin 85a).

שער השיר – through that path they would bring in the musical instruments.

שבו יצא יכניה בגלותו – when he when to the Temple to prostrate and to get permission when he went to Babylonia in the Diaspora, and he left through the path at that gate.

שער ניקנור – it is explained in Yoma 38a in the chapter: “The officer said to them”/אמר להם שממונה (i.e., the Prefect over the Priests).

פשפשין – small gates within the larger gates and even they are from the count/number of thirteen gates, and even though the gate leading to the room (in the Temple) in which the fire is perpetually maintained (see Tractate Tamid, Chapter 1, Mishnah 1 and Tractate Middot, Chapter 1, Mishnah 1, as well as Tractate Shabbat Chapter 1, Mishnah 11), also had a wicket, it was not considered because it was the smallest of them all, but the others were all slightly larger, and these of our Mishnah, of the thirteen gates, we establish in the Gemara in the Jerusalem Talmud like Abba Shaul the son of Hanan, but the Sages state that there were seven gates in the courtyard, but they hold that these thirteen prostrations correspond to the thirteen breaches made by the Grecian kings in the courtyard (see Tractate Middot, Chapter 2, Mishnah 3), and when the Hasmonean kings rose up and defeated them and repaired the breaches, they established thirteen sites of prostration corresponding to every breach that had been repaired.

והיכן היו השתחויות. שלש עשרה השתחויות דתנן לעיל, היכן היו עושין אותן:

שער העליון. הר הבית היה משופע ועולה ממזרח למערב, והשער הסמוך למערב הוא שער העליון. ואחריו שער הדלק, הוא שער של לשכת העץ שהיתה בדרום העזרה, ועל שם שמכניסין דרך שם עצי המערכה שדולקים על המזבח נקרא שער הדלק:

שער הבכורות. שמכניסין שם הבכורות הנשחטים בדרום:

המים מפכים. כדכתיב ביחזקאל (מ״ז) והנה מים מפכים מן הכתף הימנית, והיינו דרום שקרוי ימין, כדכתיב צפון וימין. וראה יחזקאל בנבואה שהיו יוצאים מבית קודש הקדשים דקים כקרני חגבים וכשמגיעים לשער זה מתגברים ונעשים כמלוא פי פך קטן, והיינו דקרי להו מים מפכים:

שער הקרבן. שם מכניסים קדשי קדשים ששחיטתן בצפון:

שער הנשים. שבו הנשים נכנסות לסמוך על קרבנן לדברי רבי יוסי דאמר נשים סומכות רשות, ולדברי רבי יהודה ורבי שמעון לעמוד על קרבנן:

שער השיר. דרך שם היו מכניסין כלי שיר:

שבו יצא יכניהו בגלותו. שנכנס לבית המקדש להשתחוות וליטול רשות כשהלך בגולה לבבל ויצא דרך אותו שער:

שער ניקנור. מפורש ביומא [לח] פרק אמר להם הממונה:

פשפשין. שערים קטנים בתוך השערים הגדולים. ואף הם ממנין שלש עשרה שערים. ואף על גב דגם לשער בית המוקד היה לו פשפש, לא חשיב ליה, לפי שהיה קטן ביותר, אבל אלו היו גדולים קצת. והך מתניתין דשלש עשרה שערים מוקמינן לה בגמרא בירושלמי כאבא יוסי בן חנן. אבל חכמים אומרים שבעה שערים היו לעזרה ואינהו סברי דהנך שלש עשרה השתחויות כנגד שלש עשרה פרצות שפרצו מלכי יון בעזרה, וכשגברו מלכי חשמונאי ונצחום וגדרו אותם פרצות, תקנו שלש עשרה השתחויות, כנגד כל פרצה גדורה השתחויה: