Introduction: The Order of the Nasi, the Gates, and the Cooking in the Future Temple
Chapter 46 of Yechezkel continues the description of the Third Beis HaMikdash, dealing primarily with the order of entry and exit of the Nasi and the people through the gates of the Temple, the consecration offerings (chinuch) that the Nasi brings on Shabbos, Rosh Chodesh, the festivals, and every day, the laws of the Nasi's land inheritance, and finally, the cooking areas for the sacrificial meat. We will follow the order of the pesukim according to the commentary of the Malbim, alongside the words of Rashi, Radak, and Chazal.
Which Gate Will Be Closed? The Dispute Between Rashi and the Malbim
כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה שַׁעַר הֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִית הַפֹּנֶה קָדִים יִהְיֶה סָגוּר שֵׁשֶׁת יְמֵי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה וּבְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת יִפָּתֵחַ וּבְיוֹם הַחֹדֶשׁ יִפָּתֵחַ׃ - Thus said the Lord God: The gate of the inner court that faces east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
Which gate is being discussed here? This is the subject of a dispute between Rashi and the Malbim. Rashi cites the words of Chazal in Masechet Middos: The gate of the Heichal (Sanctuary) had two posterns (small wicket gates), one to the south and one to the north. The gate of the Heichal was the central gateway through which one entered from the Ulam (Porch) into the Heichal, and inside the Heichal stood the Menorah, the Golden Altar, and the Shulchan (Table). At the entrance to this gate was a postern on the right (south) and a postern on the left (north). Concerning the right postern, the Mishnah states that it remained closed, and this is explicitly stated in the words of the Prophets: "No man shall enter through it, and it shall remain shut."
The Malbim, on the other hand, explains that this entire chapter describes the manner in which the Nasi arrives at the Beis HaMikdash to bring his offerings. Therefore, the "gate of the inner court" here refers to the eastern gate of the Ezras Yisrael, the gate through which one enters the courtyard where the stone altar - the Altar of the Burnt Offering - stands, upon which all the sacrifices are offered. Accordingly, "it shall be shut" refers to the entire gate itself, and not merely to the right postern of the Heichal's entrance as Rashi explained. When will it be shut? During the six working days. But on Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh - it shall be opened.
The Entry of the Nasi Through the Vestibule of the Gate from Without
וּבָא הַנָּשִׂיא דֶּרֶךְ אוּלָם הַשַּׁעַר מִחוּץ וְעָמַד עַל־מְזוּזַת הַשַּׁעַר וְעָשׂוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים אֶת־עוֹלָתוֹ וְאֶת־שְׁלָמָיו וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוָה עַל־מִפְתַּן הַשַּׁעַר וְיָצָא וְהַשַּׁעַר לֹא־יִסָּגֵר עַד־הָעָרֶב׃ - And the prince shall enter by the way of the vestibule of the gate from without, and shall stand by the doorpost of the gate; and the priests shall prepare his burnt-offering and his peace-offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate, and he shall go out; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.
The Nasi comes to stand over his consecration offerings, for Chazal teach that whenever a person brings an offering, he must stand beside it. And he enters "by the way of the vestibule of the gate from without," which the Malbim explains: at the inner gate, the vestibule faced outward. The ulam (vestibule), as explained in earlier chapters, is the covered portico before the gateway. For the inner gate, this entranceway faced outward; therefore, the Nasi approaches from the outer courtyard through the vestibule of the eastern gate.
This contrasts with what we saw previously regarding the gate of the outer courtyard, where the vestibule was situated on the inside and the Nasi would sit there to eat bread. The reason: the gate of the outer courtyard (the area that corresponded to the Ezras Nashim in the Second Temple) was permanently closed, so entry was through the southern and northern gates, and only then would they reach the gateway's vestibule from within and eat there. Here, at the inner gate, the Nasi approaches from the outside: he arrives from in front of the side chambers, stands at the doorpost of the gate, and the gate is opened specially for him. The Kohanim prepare his burnt-offering and peace-offerings, and he prostrates at the threshold of the gate and departs. Once the gate is opened for the Nasi - "and the gate shall not be shut until the evening," the gate leading into the Ezras Yisrael remains open the entire day.
Why the Gate Remains Open
וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ עַם־הָאָרֶץ פֶּתַח הַשַּׁעַר הַהוּא בַּשַּׁבָּתוֹת וּבֶחֳדָשִׁים לִפְנֵי יְהוָה׃ - And the people of the land shall prostrate themselves at the door of that gate on the Sabbaths and on the new moons before the Lord.
The purpose of this opening is so that the people can prostrate themselves there, for on Shabbatot and Rosh Chodesh days they come to appear before Hashem, as it is said: "And it shall come to pass, that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to prostrate themselves before Me, says Hashem." Therefore, the gate remains open throughout the entire day.
The Nasi's Shabbat Olah and Its Minchah
וְהָעֹלָה אֲשֶׁר־יַקְרִב הַנָּשִׂיא לַיהוָה בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת שִׁשָּׁה כְבָשִׂים תְּמִימִם וְאַיִל תָּמִים׃ - "And the burnt-offering that the prince shall offer unto the Lord on the Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish."
Here the prophet returns to the dedication offerings discussed in the previous chapter, special offerings designated for the days of the Temple's inauguration. On all the Shabbatot of the one hundred and ninety days of dedication, from Pesach until the conclusion of Sukkot, the Nasi offers a unique sacrifice: six unblemished lambs and an unblemished ram. All this is in addition to the regular offerings explicitly prescribed in the Torah that are brought every single Shabbat.
וּמִנְחָה אֵיפָה לָאַיִל וְלַכְּבָשִׂים מִנְחָה מַתַּת יָדוֹ וְשֶׁמֶן הִין לָאֵיפָה׃ - "And the meal-offering shall be an ephah for the ram, and the meal-offering for the lambs as he is able to give, and a hin of oil to an ephah."
The meal-offering for the ram was set at an ephah for all the days of dedication. For the lambs, it is "a meal-offering as he is able to give [matat yado - the gift of his hand]," which is one-sixth of an ephah for each lamb. This is precisely the measure of the levy that the people gave to the Nasi from each chomer, as we saw in the previous chapter: one-sixth of an ephah from a chomer of wheat. The amount placed into his hand as a levy is the very measure of the lamb's meal-offering, which is why it is called "the gift of his hand." This is also stated explicitly later in verse 14, that the meal-offering for a lamb is one-sixth of an ephah; and in verse 7 it states "as his hand can reach," referring, as we explained, to what the people brought to him.
"A Bullock of the Herd Without Blemish [Plural]" - The Expositions of Chazal
וּבְיוֹם הַחֹדֶשׁ פַּר בֶּן־בָּקָר תְּמִימִם וְשֵׁשֶׁת כְּבָשִׂים וָאַיִל תְּמִימִם יִהְיוּ׃ - "And on the day of the new moon it shall be a young bullock without blemish, and six lambs, and a ram; they shall be without blemish."
There is a striking difficulty here: "a young bullock [par ben bakar]" is in the singular, yet "unblemished [temimim]" is in the plural! It should have said "tamim." The Malbim explains that Chazal offer an exposition on this, which Rashi cites from Masechet Menachot. The Torah says, "And in the beginnings of your months... two young bullocks"; from where do we know that if one did not find two, he brings one? One might have thought that if he lacks two, he should bring none at all. Therefore, it says here, "a young bullock... unblemished [plural]" - even if you have only one, bring that one. Likewise, "and six lambs": the Torah specifies seven, so from where do we know that if he did not find seven, he should bring six? From here. And from where do we know that he may bring even just one? Scripture teaches: "and for the lambs according to what his hand can reach" - if he obtained only one, let him bring one.
The Radak offers another possibility: the verse uses "bullock" in the singular and "unblemished [temimim]" in the plural, and some explain this to mean that both the bullock and its mother must be unblemished. This is a novel requirement needed only for the dedication of the Temple, for normally we do not inspect the mother of a sacrifice for blemishes at all; only the animal offered upon the Altar itself must be unblemished.
וְאֵיפָה לַפָּר וְאֵיפָה לָאַיִל יַעֲשֶׂה מִנְחָה וְלַכְּבָשִׂים כַּאֲשֶׁר תַּשִּׂיג יָדוֹ וְשֶׁמֶן הִין לָאֵיפָה׃ - "And he shall prepare a meal-offering, an ephah for the bullock, and an ephah for the ram, and for the lambs according as his hand is able to reach, and a hin of oil to an ephah."
An ephah for the bullock and an ephah for the ram, and the meal-offering for the lambs according to what his hand can reach, as we have explained. Chazal expounded: "'An ephah for the bullock and an ephah for the ram' - Rabbi Shimon said: Is the measure for bullocks and rams the same? Rather, if he had multiple bullocks but lacked libations for all of them, he should bring one bullock and its libations, and not offer all of them without libations." That is, we do not say he should bring multiple bullocks and offer libations for only one of them; rather, according to the libations he has, so shall he bring bullocks. If he has libations for one bullock, he brings one bullock; if he has enough for all seven, he brings all of them, for libations are indispensable. The Radak similarly cites: If he had multiple rams but lacked an ephah of flour for all of them, he should bring one ram and its ephah, and not say, "I will bring all of them without an ephah."
The Departure of the Prince and the Departure of the People
וּבְבוֹא הַנָּשִׂיא דֶּרֶךְ אוּלָם הַשַּׁעַר יָבוֹא וּבְדַרְכּוֹ יֵצֵא׃ - And when the prince enters, he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gate, and by its way he shall exit.
When the prince enters inside into the Azarah (Courtyard), he does not need to walk around and exit through another gate as the people do, but rather exits through the vestibule of the gate through which he entered: he enters through the eastern gate and exits through the eastern gate. Rashi explains: he is not commanded to treat the Azarah as a thoroughfare (kapendarya). The people are commanded to treat the Azarah as a thoroughfare, meaning to enter from one side and exit from another, whereas the prince exits from the very point at which he entered.
וּבְבוֹא עַם־הָאָרֶץ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה בַּמּוֹעֲדִים הַבָּא דֶּרֶךְ־שַׁעַר צָפוֹן לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֺת יֵצֵא דֶּרֶךְ־שַׁעַר נֶגֶב וְהַבָּא דֶּרֶךְ־שַׁעַר נֶגֶב יֵצֵא דֶּרֶךְ־שַׁעַר צָפוֹנָה לֹא יָשׁוּב דֶּרֶךְ הַשַּׁעַר אֲשֶׁר־בָּא בוֹ כִּי נִכְחוֹ יֵצֵא׃ - And when the people of the land come before Hashem on the festivals, whoever enters by way of the north gate to prostrate himself shall exit by way of the south gate, and whoever enters by way of the south gate shall exit by way of the north gate; he shall not return by way of the gate through which he entered, but shall exit straight ahead.
The people who come before Hashem on the festivals: one who enters through the north gate exits through the south gate, and one who enters through the south gate exits through the north gate, and he does not return through the gate by which he came. From here the Malbim deduces that the people had no permission at all to enter and exit through the eastern gate. Even though it was stated above, "and on the Sabbath day it shall be opened," and even though verse 3 states, "The people of the land shall prostrate themselves at the entrance of that gate on the Sabbaths and on the New Moons" - it does not mean that they enter through it. The eastern gate is opened specifically for the prince; the people stand at its doorway and prostrate themselves, but they have no permission to enter through it. Rather, they enter on the north and exit on the south, or vice versa.
וְהַנָּשִׂיא בְּתוֹכָם בְּבוֹאָם יָבוֹא וּבְצֵאתָם יֵצֵאוּ׃ - And the prince among them: when they enter, he shall enter, and when they exit, they shall exit.
When the prince comes in the midst of the people, together with them, he must act as they do: enter through the south or north gate and exit through the opposite gate, and this is out of honor for the people. All that we said about the prince exiting through the gate by which he entered, the Malbim explains, applies only when he comes alone; but when he comes with the people, he enters where they enter and exits where they exit. Radak adds: "And his honor and splendor is to enter with them and exit with them." According to the Malbim, the reason is so as not to deviate from the practice of the people, whereas according to Radak, this is the very honor of the prince: that he does not come alone, but amid a multitude of people accompanying him.
However, there is a nuance in the wording: "When they enter, he shall enter (yavo)" is singular, while "and when they exit, they shall exit (yetze'u)" is plural. The Malbim explains: The halakhah is that the prince enters first and exits last. Therefore, regarding entering, it says "he shall enter" - he is at the front. But regarding the exit, he does not leave first; rather, they leave first, and therefore it says "and when they exit, they shall exit": first they exit, and after them the prince exits.
The Toll of Slumbering Routine - A Mussar Discourse from Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz
Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz, in Sichot Mussar (Essay 16, 5731), built a famous idea upon these verses regarding the perils of the slumber of routine: how precarious is the state of a person who grows accustomed to everything, including habituation in the service of Hashem, performing his actions as mere routine without heart, without thought, and without contemplation.
Why indeed were the people commanded not to return through the gate by which they entered? The Ya'avetz (Rav Yaakov Emden) cites in his commentary on Tractate Avot: because the Holy One, blessed be He, was particular that a person should not see the gate twice, lest it seem to him like the doorway of his own home, and the walls of the Temple like the walls of his house. The moment a person becomes familiar, the moment he grows accustomed, the reverence wanes, the excitement diminishes, and the sense of awe vanishes. Therefore: if you entered through one gate, exit through the other. When a person sees something for the first time, he is moved; afterward, he loses that awe. The Torah sought to prevent this, so that within us may be fulfilled, "In the house of God we walked with feeling" (Tehillim 55:15).
And Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz makes a precision: all of this was said only regarding the common folk, whose initial awe is fleeting and subsequently fades. But the prince - and here the reference is to Melech HaMashiach, who is exalted above the people in the Third Temple - his perception is rooted in the intellect rather than the imagination. His inspiration is not a momentary emotional thrill of the heart, but an inspiration born of contemplation and profound thought; the more he persists, the more his appreciation and love grow. Therefore, he exits through the same gate by which he entered, for repeated contemplation does not dull him, but rather adds depth, kavvanah, and genuine inspiration.
All this applies when the Nasi walks alone. But regarding "And the Nasi in their midst, when they enter, he shall enter, and when they go out, they shall go out" - when he walks with the people, he behaves like them, so as not to deviate from the community. And so we have seen with many Torah giants: all the stringencies, strictures, and meticulous practices they observed privately between themselves and their Creator, but in public - "I dwell among my people" - they conducted themselves like everyone else, so as not to appear as though they held special stringencies and to avoid seeming haughty. Even though on his own he would refrain from eating a certain food due to a special stringency (and we are not speaking of fundamental kosher requirements, but extra stringencies), here, since it would be perceived as separating from the community and displaying arrogance, he would not do so.
And the tremendous message learned from here, says Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz: if a person does not constantly awaken himself, his enthusiasm for all matters of sanctity will fade. Therefore, a person must always study mussar, constantly strengthen himself, and review the halachot of each and every matter. For if he does not arouse himself, naturally everything fades, the excitement wanes, the enthusiasm dissipates, and a person reverts to his previous state, finding himself sliding downward without even realizing it. "Who shall ascend the mountain of Hashem, and who shall stand in His holy place?" - the path of ascending the mountain of Hashem has been compared to a bicycle rider: the moment you stop pedaling, you roll backward. When you do not apply force, you inevitably descend. Therefore, a person must always awaken himself; otherwise, habit will numb feeling and emotion, and through this, he will deteriorate spiritually.
The Minchah Offering of the Festivals and Appointed Times
וּבַחַגִּים וּבַמּוֹעֲדִים תִּהְיֶה הַמִּנְחָה אֵיפָה לַפָּר וְאֵיפָה לָאַיִל וְלַכְּבָשִׂים מַתַּת יָדוֹ וְשֶׁמֶן הִין לָאֵיפָה׃ - "And on the festivals and on the appointed times, the meal offering shall be an ephah for a bull and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs as much as he can give, and a hin of oil for each ephah."
There is a difficulty here that we have already noted: what is the difference between "festivals" (chagim) and "appointed times" (mo'adim)? The Radak explains: all festivals are called mo'adim, as in "These are the appointed times of Hashem"; why, then, does the verse duplicate the term and say "the festivals and the appointed times"? Because there can be a chag that is not a mo'ed, such as the dedication of the Temple performed by King Solomon, regarding which it says, "And he celebrated the feast for seven days." A "chag" denotes joy where a person eats and drinks, and therefore it is called by that term even though it was not one of the established festivals of the Torah. Likewise, there is a mo'ed that is not a chag, as in "for signs and for seasons (mo'adim)," and as in "At the appointed time (mo'ed) I will return to you at this time next year" - for any designated time a person arranges with another is called a mo'ed. Therefore it says, "on the festivals and on the appointed times": whether a festival that is not an appointed calendar date, or an appointed time that is not a celebratory feast.
The Malbim, on the other hand, already explained above that "the festivals" refers to Shavuot, on which they would bring the festival peace offerings (shalmei chagigah), while "the appointed times" refers to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which do not involve the festival peace offerings and are therefore called solely mo'adim. And the offering discussed here is the offering of the days of dedication, those one hundred and ninety days from Pesach to Sukkot. The minchah is an ephah for a bull - for he brings one bull, just as on Rosh Chodesh - and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs as much as he can give, meaning according to his wish, and he brings six lambs just as on Rosh Chodesh, along with a sixth of an ephah for each lamb as we have seen. And the Malbim notes that the verse left the number of offerings unspecified because Rosh Hashanah is also Rosh Chodesh, and therefore it is certainly not less than Rosh Chodesh.
The Nasi's Voluntary Offering on Weekdays
וְכִי־יַעֲשֶׂה הַנָּשִׂיא נְדָבָה עוֹלָה אוֹ־שְׁלָמִים נְדָבָה לַיהוָה וּפָתַח לוֹ אֶת־הַשַּׁעַר הַפֹּנֶה קָדִים וְעָשָׂה אֶת־עֹלָתוֹ וְאֶת־שְׁלָמָיו כַּאֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת וְיָצָא וְסָגַר אֶת־הַשַּׁעַר אַחֲרֵי צֵאתוֹ׃ - "And when the Nasi offers a freewill offering, a burnt offering or peace offerings as a freewill offering to Hashem, the gate facing east shall be opened for him, and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings as he does on the Sabbath day; then he shall go out, and after his departure the gate shall be shut."
Here the prophet begins to explain the protocol of the Nasi on weekdays. Although on weekdays the inner gate remains closed, if the Nasi offers a burnt offering or peace offerings as a voluntary offering, they open the gate for him even on weekdays, in honor of the Nasi. However, on those occasions they do not leave it open all day as on Shabbat and the festivals, but immediately upon his departure they close it behind him. And the reason is simple: on weekdays the people do not come to prostrate themselves as on Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh, and therefore there is no need to keep the gate open, as they do not enter through it. And as mentioned, even on Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh they would only reach the gate and prostrate there, and then enter through the north or south.
The Daily Burnt Offering of the Dedication
וְכֶבֶשׂ בֶּן־שְׁנָתוֹ תָּמִים תַּעֲשֶׂה עוֹלָה לַיּוֹם לַיהוָה בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר תַּעֲשֶׂה אֹתוֹ׃ - "And a lamb in its first year, unblemished, you shall prepare as a burnt offering each day to Hashem; morning by morning you shall prepare it."
Now the prophet explains the dedication order for weekdays: having explained what is done on the festivals and appointed times, he details what is to be done every day. Each day he would sacrifice a lamb for a burnt offering, in addition to the daily Tamid lambs of the morning and afternoon. The burnt offering of dedication was not offered in the afternoon, but only in the morning, which explains why only a morning offering is mentioned here: this is not the regular Tamid offering, but a unique offering for the period of the dedication of the Temple.
וּמִנְחָה תַעֲשֶׂה עָלָיו בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר שִׁשִּׁית הָאֵיפָה וְשֶׁמֶן שְׁלִישִׁית הַהִין לָרֹס אֶת־הַסֹּלֶת מִנְחָה לַיהוָה חֻקּוֹת עוֹלָם תָּמִיד׃ - And you shall prepare a meal offering with it morning by morning, a sixth of an ephah, and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour, a meal offering to the Lord as perpetual statutes continually.
A sixth of an ephah is the measure of the lamb's meal offering brought on weekdays during the one hundred and ninety days of inauguration. However, according to the standard proportion of a "hin per ephah," one should have brought a sixth of a hin of oil for a sixth of an ephah. Why then does it state here a third of a hin, double that amount? The reason is stated immediately: "to moisten [laros] the fine flour," to soften the flour. The Malbim explains that there would be an abundance of oil to sprinkle over the fine flour, from the expression "resisei lailah" (drops of the night), droplets trickling upon the flour. Rashi interprets "laros" as stirring and mixing the flour, also from the root for droplets or fragments; but according to the Malbim, the droplets refer to the oil (the drops of oil that are increased to soften the flour), whereas according to Rashi, the fragments are the lumps of flour, which were mixed more thoroughly with the aid of the oil.
"A meal offering to the Lord as perpetual statutes continually" - everything explained until now is merely the inauguration offering, which is temporary and not for future generations. But in addition, there is a meal offering to Hashem that is an everlasting statute continually, and what is it?
יַעֲשׂוּ אֶת־הַכֶּבֶשׂ וְאֶת־הַמִּנְחָה וְאֶת־הַשֶּׁמֶן בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר עוֹלַת תָּמִיד׃ - They shall prepare the lamb, the meal offering, and the oil, morning by morning, as a continual burnt offering.
In other words, the offering of the Tamid is not canceled on account of the inauguration lamb. In any event they offer the lamb - which is the Tamid lamb - along with the meal offering and the oil as commanded permanently in the Torah: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering mixed with a quarter of a hin of beaten oil. The continual burnt offering is fixed for every morning. All the more so, the Malbim notes, the afternoon Tamid is not suspended, as it is clear that everything commanded here is solely for the inauguration of the Temple, while the regular communal offerings retain their permanent schedule.
The Portion of the Nasi and the Laws of His Gifts
כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה כִּי־יִתֵּן הַנָּשִׂיא מַתָּנָה לְאִישׁ מִבָּנָיו נַחֲלָתוֹ הִיא לְבָנָיו תִּהְיֶה אֲחֻזָּתָם הִיא בְּנַחֲלָה׃ - Thus said the Lord God: If the prince gives a gift to any of his sons, it is his inheritance; it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession as an inheritance.
As recalled, the Land of Israel is divided into thirteen strips, and an entire strip equivalent to the inheritance of a full tribe is the portion of the Nasi. Although the Sanctuary is situated in its center, the strip on either side belongs entirely to the Nasi, which means he received a very large tract of land. Now, if he wishes to give a gift to one of his sons - "it is his inheritance; it shall belong to his sons": it does not revert in the Jubilee. For if it had the legal status of an ordinary gift, we would say that in the Jubilee it reverts to the estate to be divided equally among the other brothers; but here, since it is considered an ancestral inheritance, it remains with the son who received it and does not revert in the Jubilee.
וְכִי־יִתֵּן מַתָּנָה מִנַּחֲלָתוֹ לְאַחַד מֵעֲבָדָיו וְהָיְתָה לּוֹ עַד־שְׁנַת הַדְּרוֹר וְשָׁבַת לַנָּשִׂיא אַךְ נַחֲלָתוֹ בָּנָיו לָהֶם תִּהְיֶה׃ - But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the year of release, and then it shall return to the prince; only his inheritance shall remain with his sons.
On the other hand, if the Nasi gives from his inheritance to one of his servants, here the inheritance reverts in the Jubilee. "His servants" does not necessarily mean a Canaanite or Hebrew slave, but rather any subject among the people. When the Jubilee year arrives, that portion returns to the Nasi, fulfilling the verse: "only his inheritance shall remain with his sons" - his inheritance will remain with his sons and not pass to outsiders, and even what he gave away as a gift returns to him and is passed on to his sons. The Malbim notes that there is a halachic dispute as to whether an ordinary gift is treated like a sale that reverts in the Jubilee or not; according to the opinion that a regular gift does not revert in the Jubilee but remains permanent, the prophet here introduced a special rule concerning the Nasi, that in his case it does revert. In the language of the verse: "the year of release" is the Jubilee, when freedom is proclaimed to slaves, and "veshavat laNasi" is equivalent to "veshavah laNasi" (it shall return to the prince).
וְלֹא־יִקַּח הַנָּשִׂיא מִנַּחֲלַת הָעָם לְהוֹנֹתָם מֵאֲחֻזָּתָם מֵאֲחֻזָּתוֹ יַנְחִל אֶת־בָּנָיו לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָפֻצוּ עַמִּי אִישׁ מֵאֲחֻזָּתוֹ׃ - And the prince shall not take from the inheritance of the people, to wrong them out of their possession; he shall give his sons an inheritance from his own possession, so that My people will not be scattered, every man from his possession.
Here the prophet explains the reason for this special privilege. Had his gifts not reverted to him, what would happen when he wanted to bequeath an inheritance to his sons? He might go and seize land from the people's inheritance, since the Nasi holds immense power, and rob the people in order to bequeath to his sons. We already saw earlier in chapter 45, verse 8 that the reason he was granted such a large territory was so that he would not need to act like the ancient kings who oppressed the people and seized their land: you were given an inheritance the size of an entire tribe, more than enough, so that you would never need to rob. And for that very same reason, even if you gave a gift from your estate, it will revert to you, ensuring that your inheritance remains intact to bequeath to your sons without having to rob the people - "so that My people will not be scattered, every man from his possession," meaning that people will not be driven from their ancestral property due to the expansion of the prince's estate.
The Cooking Place of the Most Holy Offerings
וַיְבִיאֵנִי בַמָּבוֹא אֲשֶׁר עַל־כֶּתֶף הַשַּׁעַר אֶל־הַלִּשְׁכוֹת הַקֹּדֶשׁ אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים הַפֹּנוֹת צָפוֹנָה וְהִנֵּה־שָׁם מָקוֹם בַּיַּרְכָתַיִם יָמָּה׃ - Then he brought me through the entrance that was at the shoulder of the gate into the holy chambers for the Kohanim, which faced northward; and behold, there was a place at the rear, westward.
The Malbim explains: Until now, the prophet stood in the Ezrat Yisrael near the northern gate, as seen in chapter 44, verse 4. Now he exits through the northern gate and arrives at the path running alongside the shoulder of the gate. This was the ten-amah path used to pass from east to west via the chamber of fifty amot, and from there through the courtyard partition to the ten-amah path fronting the chamber of twenty. The chamber of twenty, as explained earlier, was located closer to the Sanctuary (Heichal), the Vestibule (Ulam), and the Holy of Holies (Kodesh HaKodashim), containing holy chambers that were sanctified with the sanctity of the Azarah. And there, on the western side of the chamber of twenty - the side facing further toward the Holy of Holies and beyond, on the western flank of the Temple complex - he sees an area prepared for cooking.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי זֶה הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יְבַשְּׁלוּ־שָׁם הַכֹּהֲנִים אֶת־הָאָשָׁם וְאֶת־הַחַטָּאת אֲשֶׁר יֹאפוּ אֶת־הַמִּנְחָה לְבִלְתִּי הוֹצִיא אֶל־הֶחָצֵר הַחִיצוֹנָה לְקַדֵּשׁ אֶת־הָעָם׃ - And he said to me: This is the place where the Kohanim shall cook the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the meal offering, so as not to carry them out to the outer courtyard to sanctify the people.
Here he is shown that cooking the Most Holy Offerings (Kodshei Kodashim) requires a distinct area situated in a sanctified location. The principle is as follows: other sacrificial offerings that required boiling were cooked in the open-air corner courtyards located at the four corners of the outer courtyard. That area was not sanctified with the sanctity of the Azarah, since the outer courtyard corresponds to the Ezrat Nashim and does not possess the sanctity of the Ezrat Kohanim. However, the guilt offering (Asham) and sin offering (Chatat) are Kodshei Kodashim, not Offerings of Lesser Sanctity (Kodashim Kalim) - they are neither peace offerings (Shelamim) nor firstborn animals (Bechorot) - and therefore a dedicated cooking area was established for them within the sanctified precinct, rather than in the corner courtyards, which lacked the elevated level of holiness they required. The reason is explicitly stated: "so as not to carry them out to the outer courtyard to sanctify the people" - so that they would not bring the Most Holy Offerings out into the outer courtyard, causing their sanctity to impact the people, transferring holiness to the common folk and leading to profanation. Therefore, he showed him a truly distinct place within the holy precinct where the Kohanim cook the Asham and the Chatat.
The Chatzerot Keturot - The Kitchen Courtyards
וַיּוֹצִיאֵנִי אֶל־הֶחָצֵר הַחִיצוֹנָה וַיַּעֲבִרֵנִי אֶל־אַרְבַּעַת מִקְצוֹעֵי הֶחָצֵר וְהִנֵּה חָצֵר בְּמִקְצֹעַ הֶחָצֵר חָצֵר בְּמִקְצֹעַ הֶחָצֵר׃ - Then he brought me out into the outer courtyard and led me past the four corners of the courtyard; and behold, in each corner of the courtyard was another courtyard.
The word miktzoa denotes a corner. In each of the four corners of the outer courtyard he saw a separate enclosure; these are the Chatzerot Keturot mentioned earlier, and scripture now elaborates on their design.
בְּאַרְבַּעַת מִקְצֹעוֹת הֶחָצֵר חֲצֵרוֹת קְטֻרוֹת אַרְבָּעִים אֹרֶךְ וּשְׁלֹשִׁים רֹחַב מִדָּה אַחַת לְאַרְבַּעְתָּם מְהֻקְצָעוֹת׃ - In the four corners of the courtyard were unroofed courtyards, forty cubits long and thirty wide, a single measurement for all four corner enclosures.
What is the meaning of keturot? The Malbim explains: It derives from the term ketoret, related to smoke and rising vapor (kitor). Why was smoke the defining factor? These courtyards had no ceilings, which is why they were termed "courtyards" (chatzerot) rather than "chambers" (lishkot) - they were walled, yet open to the sky. The reason: they were designated as cooking kitchens, and it was necessary for the smoke to rise and disperse freely, so they were left unroofed. Their dimensions were forty amot in length and thirty in width. The Malbim notes precisely that the length ran from east to west, and the width from north to south. For if one were to say the length extended from south to north, it would intrude into the space occupied by the adjacent chamber of one hundred amot. Therefore, the area necessarily stretched forty amot from west to east, with a width of thirty amot from north to south, thus preventing any encroachment upon the chamber of one hundred.
וְטוּר סָבִיב בָּהֶם סָבִיב לְאַרְבַּעְתָּם וּמְבַשְּׁלוֹת עָשׂוּי מִתַּחַת הַטִּירוֹת סָבִיב׃ - And there was a row of masonry surrounding them, surrounding all four of them, and cooking hearths were constructed beneath the ledges all around.
Rows of stone projected outward along the base of the wall, constructed to serve as ledges upon which to rest cooking pots. Beneath them were the "cooking hearths" (mevashelot), spaces designed to kindle fires for cooking, built directly under the surrounding masonry ledges, beneath those protruding stone rows.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָי אֵלֶּה בֵּית הַמְבַשְּׁלִים אֲשֶׁר יְבַשְּׁלוּ־שָׁם מְשָׁרְתֵי הַבַּיִת אֶת־זֶבַח הָעָם׃ - And he said to me: These are the boiling-places where the ministers of the House shall boil the sacrifice of the people.
These are the cooking houses, where they would cook the shelamim (peace offerings), the todah (thanksgiving offering), the breast and the thigh, and all those offerings eaten by the Kohanim which may be eaten anywhere [in Jerusalem], and therefore there was no barrier to cooking them there. But the most holy offerings (kodshei kodashim), as we have seen, had their designated place inside the sacred Courtyard (azarah), since they are of a higher level of sanctity, and they did not wish to bring them out into the outer courtyard.
In summary:
Chapter 46 teaches the protocols of the Nasi in the Beit HaMikdash: the inner eastern gate remains closed on weekdays and opens on Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh for the Nasi, while the people prostrate at its entrance but do not enter through it; the special dedication offerings on Shabbatot, Roshei Chodashim, festivals, and every morning, in addition to the regular offerings prescribed in the Torah, which are not nullified; the laws governing the Nasi's ancestral inheritance and his gifts, intended to prevent him from usurping the people's land; and finally, the cooking areas - a consecrated place for the most holy offerings inside, and the corner enclosures in the outer courtyard for the sacrifices of the people. And within all of this lies a profound message: the Nasi departs through the same gate by which he entered, whereas the people do not, because his apprehension is intellectual and his contemplation only increases love, whereas emotional excitement wanes through habituation. From this we learn that a person must constantly awaken himself through the study of mussar and through review; otherwise, routine will dull the emotions, and he will decline without even realizing it. Alongside this - when the Nasi enters among the people, he conducts himself as they do, for no person is permitted to deviate from the community or appear to separate oneself from them.