מדות ד׳Middot 4

Mishnah 1א׳

פִּתְחוֹ שֶׁל הֵיכָל, גָּבְהוֹ עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה וְרָחְבּוֹ עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת. וְאַרְבַּע דְּלָתוֹת הָיוּ לוֹ, שְׁתַּיִם בִּפְנִים וּשְׁתַּיִם בַּחוּץ, שֶׁנֶאֱמַר (יחזקאל מא), וּשְׁתַּיִם דְּלָתוֹת לַהֵיכָל וְלַקֹּדֶשׁ. הַחִיצוֹנוֹת נִפְתָּחוֹת לְתוֹךְ הַפֶּתַח לְכַסּוֹת עָבְיוֹ שֶׁל כֹּתֶל, וְהַפְּנִימִיּוֹת נִפְתָּחוֹת לְתוֹךְ הַבַּיִת לְכַסּוֹת אַחַר הַדְּלָתוֹת, שֶׁכָּל הַבַּיִת טוּחַ בְּזָהָב, חוּץ מֵאַחַר הַדְּלָתוֹת. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, בְּתוֹךְ הַפֶּתַח הָיוּ עוֹמְדוֹת, וּכְמִין אִצְטְרָמִיטָה הָיוּ, וְנִקְפָּלוֹת לַאֲחוֹרֵיהֶן, אֵלּוּ שְׁתֵּי אַמּוֹת וּמֶחֱצָה, וְאֵלּוּ שְׁתֵּי אַמּוֹת וּמֶחֱצָה, חֲצִי אַמָּה מְזוּזָה מִכָּאן, וַחֲצִי אַמָּה מְזוּזָה מִכָּאן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם), וּשְׁתַּיִם דְּלָתוֹת לַדְּלָתוֹת שְׁתַּיִם מוּסַבּוֹת דְּלָתוֹת, שְׁתַּיִם לְדֶלֶת אֶחָת וּשְׁתֵּי דְלָתוֹת לָאַחֶרֶת:

The entrance of the Sanctuary was twenty amot high and ten amot wide. It had four doors, two on the inside [of the entrance], and two on the outside, as it says, "There were two doors to the Sanctuary and to the Holy of Holies" (Ezekiel 41:23) The outer ones [doors] open into the opening [of the entrance] to cover the walls, while the inner ones open into the Sanctuary as to cover the behind the doors, for the entire Sanctuary was covered with gold, except for behind the doors. Rabbi Yehuda says, [the doors] were placed in the middle of the entrance way, and looked like folding doors, these [the outer doors] cover two and a half amot and these [the inner doors] cover two and a half amot, [leaving] half an amah and a doorpost at one end, and half an amah and a doorpost at the other end, as it says, There were two doors for [each] door, two swinging doors, two for one door, and two for the other." (Ezekiel 41:24)

Mishnah 2ב׳

וּשְׁנֵי פִשְׁפָּשִׁין הָיוּ לוֹ לַשַּׁעַר הַגָּדוֹל, אֶחָד בַּצָּפוֹן, וְאֶחָד בַּדָּרוֹם. שֶׁבַּדָּרוֹם, לֹא נִכְנַס בּוֹ אָדָם מֵעוֹלָם, וְעָלָיו הוּא מְפֹרָשׁ עַל יְדֵי יְחֶזְקֵאל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם מד), וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי ה' הַשַּׁעַר הַזֶּה סָגוּר יִהְיֶה לֹא יִפָּתֵחַ וְאִישׁ לֹא יָבֹא בוֹ כִּי ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּא בוֹ וְהָיָה סָגוּר. נָטַל אֶת הַמַּפְתֵּחַ וּפָתַח אֶת הַפִּשְׁפָּשׁ, וְנִכְנַס לְהַתָּא, וּמֵהַתָּא לַהֵיכָל. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, בְּתוֹךְ עָבְיוֹ שֶׁל כֹּתֶל הָיָה מְהַלֵּךְ, עַד שֶׁנִּמְצָא עוֹמֵד בֵּין שְׁנֵי הַשְּׁעָרִים, וּפָתַח אֶת הַחִיצוֹנוֹת מִבִּפְנִים וְאֶת הַפְּנִימִיּוֹת מִבַּחוּץ:

The great gate had two small doorways, one on the north, and one on the south. No person ever entered from the southern doorway, and the reason was spelled out by Ezekiel, as it says "And Hashem said unto me: 'This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, neither shall any man enter in by it, for Hashem, the God of Israel, will come through it, it shall be shut."' (Ezekiel 44:2) He [the Kohen] took the key and opened the small door, and he entered the cell, and from the cell, he entered into the Sanctuary. Rabbi Yehuda says, he would walk along in the thickness of the wall, until he found himself standing between the two doors [to the space between the two gates]. He opened the outer doors from the inside, and the inner doors from the outside.