"You, son of man, tell the house of Israel about the House, and let them be ashamed of their iniquities, and let them measure the plan." You, son of man, tell the house of Israel about the House. Hashem commands him to show them, tell them, and describe to them the House, built and perfected and fit and already prepared to descend, meaning the Third Temple. If so, then what, why has it not yet come? He says to them: tell them their iniquities. And let them be ashamed of their iniquities. Your iniquities were separating between you and Hashem. If you return in teshuvah, then immediately, as it were, the Holy One blessed be He says: this is ready, this is on the way, it is only waiting for you. Do teshuvah, and behold Hashem brings down the Beit HaMikdash. We explained that this is why the Holy One blessed be He shows him the House, as it were takes and measures in order to show, look and see, this is something that exists. Yechezkel was given a tour of the Beit HaMikdash, he saw the Beit HaMikdash. This is to say: one step of yours, and the Beit HaMikdash descends here built in fire. So He says: understand that your iniquities are the ones holding it back. Through this, they will be ashamed of their iniquities, they will hurry to return in teshuvah, and then the House will appear in its glory, and then they will measure the plan of the House.
What does "they will measure the plan of the House" mean? The Malbim explains that even in the form of the House and in its details there are lofty spiritual hints that allude to how the Holy One blessed be He leads the people of Israel, and to a person's own conduct, and in truth a person must prepare his soul, correct it and straighten it, so that it will be fit and in completion and correspondence with the Beit HaMikdash. For just as the Beit HaMikdash is fit and ready for the resting of the Shechinah, so too a person must prepare himself through the correction of his character traits, in his conduct, in his work on the fear of Heaven and so on, so that he too will be fit for the resting of the Shechinah. And then, through this, when a person fulfills the commandments of Hashem, when a person keeps His statutes and His teachings, through this he himself becomes an aspect of the resting of the Shechinah, and then the Shechinah will rest also in the Beit HaMikdash. For the Shechinah does not rest in the Beit HaMikdash as long as it does not rest within us. And it does not rest within us as long as we have not corrected our deeds. So in fact everything depends on this. The moment a person improves and corrects his deeds, he himself will be fit for the resting of the Shechinah, and consequently the Shechinah will rest also in the Beit HaMikdash. It emerges, then, that the building of the House depends on the building of our soul. As the form of the House is, so too is the form of the soul. This is why he says "tell the house of Israel." It does not say "tell to the house of Israel," but rather "tell the house of Israel" (using the accusative "et"). When is it that every telling is always followed by "to"? "And he told to him." It is always "to." Why here does it say "tell et"? The Malbim says: "tell the house of Israel about the House" (et). Tell the house of Israel that they themselves are the House, as we said. The house of Israel, the House, they are the House. What does this mean? They must correct the chambers of the soul, they must correct their deeds, their conduct, and then they will be worthy that, through measuring "the plan," and what is "the plan"? As we just explained, the inner content of the Beit HaMikdash, meaning my own inner content, how I must correct my character traits and my conduct, then you too will be worthy of the plan of the House in general, that the Beit HaMikdash will be built and perfected as befits it.
"And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, the form of the House and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, and all its forms, and all its statutes and all its forms and all its teachings, make known to them, and write it before their eyes, that they may keep all its form and all its statutes and do them." And if they are ashamed of all that they have done. When the Beit HaMikdash is built with these measurements and in this form that Yechezkel saw, the time of correction will still not arrive until the time comes when they purify themselves from their iniquities. That is to say, everything we have seen until now, in other words, is conditional. If you correct your deeds, if they are ashamed of all that they have done, that is the "if." "If" is a word of condition. If they are ashamed of all that they have done, if they return in complete teshuvah, as Chazal say: one who commits a sin and is ashamed of it, all his sins are forgiven. This is the aspect of "they will be ashamed." And why? Because when a person does teshuvah, sometimes he does teshuvah only because, as it is called, superficially, from the lips outward, as we once said. He does it only from the lips because he is pressured. That is not truly real teshuvah. Ah, because there is Gehinnom, so let us return in teshuvah. When does a person truly feel shame over the sin he committed? Understand this.
Chazal say that if a person is ashamed of his iniquities, one who commits a sin and is ashamed of it, all his sins are forgiven him. For in truth a person is not ashamed of his iniquities. If a person does teshuvah, it is because he knows there is a punishment for it. But to be ashamed of his sin, that is something rare, that is something far off, and one who truly merits to reach that, to be ashamed of his sin, all his iniquities are forgiven him. So he says they must be ashamed, be ashamed of all that they have done, and then make known to them the form of the House, only then will the House be built.
And here he mentions to us the matter of the form of the House three times. "The form of the House and its arrangement," and "all its forms," and then "all its forms and all its teachings." Three times he mentions "that they may keep all its form and all its statutes and do them." The Malbim says that this actually comes to tell us corresponding to three forms. First, the form that must be. Second, things that are not obligatory. Third, the Third Beit HaMikdash. We will detail them one by one.
There is in the Beit HaMikdash a necessary form. What does a necessary form mean? First Temple, Second Temple, Mishkan, the Mishkan at Shiloh, no matter where, it must be that the House include these elements. That is to say, that there be an azarah (courtyard), a heichal, a Kodesh HaKodashim, an altar, the golden altar, the copper altar, meaning the stone altar. These are things that are necessary for every Beit HaMikdash. At no stage did we have a Beit HaMikdash that did not have these necessary things. There are things that are not obligatory and that can change according to the time, as things changed between the First Temple and the Second Temple. For example, in the First Temple there were enormous keruvim that Shlomo built, which were attached to the wall of the House, apart from the keruvim upon the Aron, and in the Second Temple this was no longer so. Or the matter of the Aron, which was already hidden away toward the end of the First Temple. So if so, there are necessary things, and there are less necessary things. The third thing, there is the Third Temple. This is yet another form in itself, that is the Third Temple, which is the time of the correction, and they could not make one like it even in the time of Ezra, even though they knew what Yechezkel wrote, and this prophecy was known to them, for Yechezkel preceded them, he was among the exiles, and they were already among those who returned from the exile, seventy years had passed, nonetheless the Creator sees that these things are unique only to the Third Temple. Since they knew that the time of correction had not yet arrived, therefore these things they did not make as they appear in Sefer Yechezkel, for they are unique to the Third Temple.
The Malbim says: after we have understood that there are three forms, a fixed form, a changing form that was in the First Temple and not the Second, and a third form that is a form unique to the Third Temple, the Malbim says now we will understand what is written here. Regarding the form necessary for every Beit HaMikdash, on this he says "the form of the House and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances." This must be in every Beit HaMikdash. What is the arrangement of the House, what is its fixed form, and this must be in every Beit HaMikdash, the chambers, the gates and so on. As for the House that is designated only for the future, which is what we said is the Third Temple, one cannot make one like it at this time, since these matters will be revealed only in the future, they are of the nature of "chok" (a statute whose reason is hidden), and this will be revealed only in the future, on this he says "and all its forms and all its statutes," which are of the nature of statutes, matters whose reason is concealed. And regarding the things that were in one House and not in the other, in the First Temple and not in the Second, yes, so they, the changing things, which could be made in the days of the Second Temple when they built the House, and they built it resembling the First House, these things are not concealed statutes, but are only of the nature of "torot" (teachings). "Torot" means that their reason is a known reason. So if so, this too, this form and all of it as good in their eyes, write the form of the future House, that it may be for a keeping for a later generation. We see that Yechezkel wrote this before our eyes, behold he described to us all that he saw. And on this He said to him "that they may keep all its form." The meaning of this is: if they keep all its forms and all its statutes, to conduct themselves according to what is required, in holiness, in purity, in the improvement of their deeds, then they will be worthy and ready for these forms, for these forms in fact indicate cleaving to Hashem, the connection of Hashem to us. If we prepare our deeds, we will be worthy of all this, and then the Third Temple will be built as befits them according to their deeds.
"This is the teaching of the House. Upon the top of the mountain, all its boundary round about is Kodesh Kodashim. Behold, this is the teaching of the House." The Malbim says: here he comes to tell him that the Third Temple will be distinguished from the previous Houses in that, first, the House will be upon the top of the mountain. That is to say, the mountain itself upon which the Beit HaMikdash will be built, it will be true that the mountain of the House of Hashem will be at the head of the mountains. The meaning of this is that the mountain will be the highest of all the mountains that are in Jerusalem, that is one thing. Second, the House that is built today, it is written that it was not built in the very highest place, for the Gemara says "and between his shoulders he dwells," they said what is the beautiful spot on an ox, it is the spot that is not with them, meaning it is a bit lower, not the highest of all. The Third Temple will not be so. The mountain of the House of Hashem will be upon the top of the mountain. It will be in the very highest place. Not in the lower place of the mountain, but in the very highest place. So there are two things here. First, in the highest place of the mountain, second, the highest mountain of all the mountains. And this comes to show the exaltation and the loftiness of the Third Temple. Another matter, He tells you: round about it, Kodesh Kodashim, all its boundary. That is to say, in the mountain today, in the Beit HaMikdash today, the mountain around it is not Kodesh Kodashim, since around the mountain all of Israel dwelt and lived. In contrast, as we saw above regarding the Third Temple, the city itself will be far off, twenty-five thousand cubits away. It emerges, then, that there in that place it will be like in the time of the Mishkan, that in that place only the kohanim dwelt, only the sanctified people among the nation. So if so, round about, all of it will be Kodesh Kodashim. And then through this the place of the Mikdash itself will be sanctified, since the rest of the nation will dwell farther away. And he says: behold, this is the teaching of the House; in this teaching one must conduct oneself, whoever wants the House to be built.
"And these are the measurements of the altar in cubits: a cubit is a cubit and a handbreadth. And the base is a cubit, and a cubit is the width, and its border at its edge round about is one span, and this is the back of the altar." The Malbim says: the altar was almost no different from the altar that was in the Second Beit HaMikdash. Therefore here he tells us the making of the altar on its own, since the form of the Beit HaMikdash, the general form of the Beit HaMikdash, was unique only to the future, it was different from the form of the Beit HaMikdash that was in the Second Temple and also in the First Temple. But in contrast, the measurements of the altar, the Malbim says, can be made also at this time. In principle there is a possibility even to offer sacrifices; there were extensive disputes, as is known, about why we do not offer sacrifices today, why we do not offer the Korban Pesach, and much has been said and written about this; in the end the great sages of Israel ruled that one should not do so. But in any case, the measurements of the altar are almost identical to the altar that was in the Second Temple. We will see shortly that there were slight changes, but apart from that the altar was identical. Now let us see and explain in general terms how the altar looked, and afterward we will see the matters within the verses.
The altar was built, if we wish to describe it, as three cubes. A wide lower cube, above it a somewhat narrower cube, above it a somewhat narrower cube. Attached to it was a ramp (kevesh) by which one ascended up to the upper cube, and upon the upper cube was in fact the place of the pyre (maarachah) upon which the sacrifices were offered. On the upper cube there were four cubes at the corners, and shortly I will speak of the measurements, so I will be able to understand this more precisely, there were four cubes at the corners, and these cubes were in fact the corners of the altar, and each is a cube of a cubit by a cubit as we will explain shortly. The cubes, as we will explain now, I have brought here a certain diagram, one can see the drawing of the altar in many places. As I said, there was a lower cube. The lower cube was low. In the Beit HaMikdash in the First Temple and in the Second Temple, the lower cube was one cubit in height. And its width was thirty-two cubits by thirty-two cubits. I say cube, it is not necessarily a cube, you understand, I am speaking of something low. I am speaking of a cubit, a square structure of a cubit on the ground, thirty-two cubits long, thirty-two cubits wide. This part in the First and Second Temples was one cubit high; in the Third Temple it will be two cubits high. And that is the change we have between the Third Temple and the previous Houses, that the height of the altar begins two cubits below and not one cubit. This part, which is called the lower part of the altar, is called the yesod (base). The blood that was thrown upon the altar would descend to the yesod. The yesod, as we will shortly see, did not encompass all four sides, but rather the yesod, this protrusion, protruded only on two sides, and on two additional sides there are opinions as to whether it protruded a bit or did not protrude at all, there is a dispute about this. In any case, it protruded on two sides and not on all four sides. Above it was another cube, and this additional cube that is above it was four cubits in height, and its width was thirty cubits. So take note, if the lower cube is thirty-two and above it I place a cube of thirty, that means I place it in the middle, that means on each side we have, there is created for us a protrusion of a cubit. We will see shortly that it is not exactly on all sides, but there is created for us a protrusion of a cubit. This protrusion of a cubit all around is in fact the surplus, and it is the yesod, as I explained earlier, this is the lower part of the altar. This part, the second cube of which we are speaking now, whose width was thirty cubits, is called the sovev. Because upon it, upon this part, the kohen would walk and go around the altar and throw the blood. And on this we say "he ascends the ramp and turns to the sovev." Since the ascent on the ramp would bring him up to the top of the altar, but there was from the ramp a kind of exit to the right through which he would ascend onto the sovev, which is the sovev as we said, a place that is a cube of thirty cubits by thirty cubits, and its height is a height of four cubits. Afterward, above the sovev, incidentally the place of the yesod, as we will shortly see, was called by an additional name, the lower azarah or the small azarah. The place where the yesod protruded was called the lower azarah or the small azarah. We will see shortly and understand also why. And the place where the sovev protruded relative to the cube above it, was called the great azarah or the upper azarah. There the kohen would walk and go around. On the yesod the kohen would usually not walk, but on the sovev the kohen would walk and go around to sprinkle the blood. Afterward, above this, there was a place called the har'el. The har'el, its height was four cubits with the corners. The corner (keren), we said, is the corner that was at the edge. Without the corner, from the sovev to the altar itself, it was a height of three cubits. The altar itself is already the top of the altar; everything was done on top of the altar, meaning the pyres, the tapuach (mound) upon which the ashes were, the sacrifices, the wood, there were several pyres there on top of the altar. And from the sovev to the top of the altar was a height of three cubits. From the top of the altar, four more corners, four corners, at each corner of the altar a keren, this keren protruding a cubit by a cubit. That is, it is really a square, a square of a cubit by a cubit standing at the corners. Now all this place that was above the sovev, this is in fact the third cube we are speaking of, yes, all this place is called har'el. And its width was twenty-eight cubits. When we speak of twenty-eight cubits versus thirty cubits below, that means on each side all around we went in a cubit. Since if you go in a cubit from here and a cubit from there from thirty, you are left with twenty-eight. So it emerges that this upper cube, the third one, was in the middle of the part of the lower cube of what is called the sovev, it was in its middle, and then whoever walks on the sovev can go around to all four directions, he has a width of a cubit by a cubit as a walking space for the feet of the kohanim on the sovev. As I said, the upper part, the upper cube upon which the pyre was, is called har'el, and its height was three handbreadths.
After we have a general view of the altar, let us dwell here on another change. He says here "and these are the measurements of the altar in cubits: a cubit is a cubit and a handbreadth." Incidentally, the word "cubit" is mentioned here five times in the verse. The measurements of the altar in cubits, a cubit is a cubit and a handbreadth. What did he mean by "a cubit and a handbreadth"? The Malbim explains that since the measurements were not identical, sometimes the cubit could be spoken of as a cubit of five handbreadths, and sometimes one could speak of a cubit of six handbreadths. And Chazal already dwell on when it is five handbreadths, when it is six handbreadths, the cubit of vessels, the cubit of building, Chazal dwell on the differences between them. The plain cubit is five handbreadths, and when it is a wider cubit, then one could also make a cubit of six handbreadths. A handbreadth is usually the space of the fist of a person's hand, more or less that is a handbreadth. So when he speaks to me here of "a cubit and a handbreadth," that means he intends to say a regular cubit of five handbreadths plus a handbreadth, that is, one more handbreadth, so I am speaking to you here of a cubit of six handbreadths.
Now he tells us "the base is a cubit." Take note, "and the base is a cubit, and a cubit is the width, and its border at its edge round about" and so on. What is "the base is a cubit"? The Malbim explains: the base (cheik) is what is called the yesod. These are the two lower cubits of which we spoke, which was the part attached to the ground of the altar, which in the First and Second Temples was one cubit in height, and in the Third Temple will be two cubits in height; this part he calls cheik. And why is it called cheik (bosom)? Since this thing is in the bosom of the earth, as it were it is in the bosom of the earth, therefore they called it cheik. So the Malbim says: "the base is a cubit," and the cheik, as we explained, is the rise of the yesod, was a regular cubit, a plain cubit, a cubit of five handbreadths. And so too "a cubit is the width," what was the yesod, wide a cubit relative to the sovev, as we explained that it protruded outward, this too was a cubit of five handbreadths. The Malbim says this is according to the opinion of the Rambam, that Chazal say the cubit of the yesod is by the smaller measure, this does not refer to the recess of the yesod and so on; whoever wishes may look here in the Malbim, who enters into explaining the dispute; we will not enter into all the details in this.
"And its border at its edge round about is one span." The Malbim explains that what we are speaking of here, "and its border at its edge round about is one span," we are speaking of what was called in the Second Temple the chut hasikra (the crimson line). And I will explain. As is known, in the sprinkling of blood in the Beit HaMikdash, there was blood that was sprinkled on the upper part of the altar, and there was blood that was sprinkled on the lower part of the altar. For example, the olat ha'of (bird burnt-offering) on the upper part of the altar, the chatat ha'of (bird sin-offering) on the lower part of the altar. When we speak of the olat behemah (animal burnt-offering) and chatat behemah (animal sin-offering) it is the reverse. The olat behemah, its blood is sprinkled on the lower part, and the chatat behemah on the upper part. Whoever wishes may hear the Mishnayot that we taught in Zevachim, there is an easy sign, it is written "the bird ascends above." This is a sign to remember. Olat ha'of, olah, ascends, the bird, flies, above. The bird ascends above. And then consequently you understand that the chatat ha'of, its blood is sprinkled, the squeezing of its blood, is below. And with an animal it is the reverse. That is to say, with an animal the olah is below and the chatat is above. In any case, this difference was expressed in the Mishkan by means of a copper mesh grating. Through this they knew what was the upper part, what was the lower part. In the Second Temple there was a line, a red line that they called chut hasikra, and it separated and divided between the upper part and the lower part. The Malbim says: now he speaks to us that in the Third Temple there will protrude from the altar a structure the measure of a span. And this structure will be a kind of protruding strip out of the altar, and it will be the boundary between the upper blood and the lower blood. And this thing will have a width of a span, and this is what is called the back of the altar.
Good, after we have understood the general drawing of the altar, let us now go down to the details. "And from the bosom of the earth to the lower azarah is two cubits, and the width is one cubit; and from the smaller azarah to the greater azarah is four cubits, and the width is a cubit." As we explained earlier, "from the bosom of the earth" refers to the part of the yesod, "to the lower azarah," the upper part of the yesod, we said first of all the yesod is two cubits, this is what he tells us here, two cubits. Up to where? To the lower azarah. We explained that the lower azarah or the small azarah is the protrusion of the yesod. So they called it, in contrast to the protrusion of the sovev which was above, which was called the upper azarah or the great azarah. So this lower protrusion of the yesod that protruded outward, this is called the small azarah. And "from the small azarah to the great azarah," how much must one now ascend, now we are speaking of the second cube, which as we said is called the sovev, and above it was the sovev on which the kohanim walked, how much must one ascend? The Mishnah tells us four cubits. The ascent is four cubits, since from the protrusion of the yesod to the top of the sovev, in fact we ascend the entire height of the sovev, the height is four cubits. And this is what is written here, "and from the small azarah to the great azarah is four cubits." "And the width is a cubit." The width is a cubit, that is to say, there too there was a width of a cubit, the width of the protrusion, both of the yesod relative to the sovev, and of the sovev relative to the part above it, which is the part upon which the pyre was, each protruded a cubit relative to the part above it.
"And the har'el is four cubits; and from the ariel and upward, the four horns." Now he passes to speak of the third cube, which was located upon the sovev, and from there four cubits. And we already explained that the four cubits from the har'el is four cubits including the corners. That is to say, we are speaking of the har'el that rises three cubits and the corner one more cubit, on this he speaks, together we have four cubits. And this is what is written, "and from the ariel and upward, the four horns." He means to tell you: above the ariel and upward, the four horns, there were four horns, so when I told you four cubits I included in this also the upper cubit which is the horns, and together four cubits. But if we are speaking only of the har'el itself up to the place of the pyre, then we have reached only a height of three cubits. The Malbim here makes a calculation that in fact the location of the chut hasikra in the Second Temple versus the location of the chut hasikra in the Third Temple was different. The difference stems from the fact that in fact the yesod in the Third Temple already occupies a cubit. So if you want to make something that cuts the altar in the middle, you already reach a different place than the place you reached when you cut the altar in the middle when the yesod is only a cubit in height. Therefore he means to say that the location of the chut hasikra is different, and he also calculates the location, how much exactly it comes out, we will not enter into the details here.
"And the ariel is twelve long by twelve wide, square in its four quarters." Now he passes to speak of the width of the place of the pyre. And the width of the place of the pyre, it is not understood how he arrives at a calculation of twelve long by twelve wide. For a moment ago we explained that the place of the ariel or the har'el, this place itself, we said its width is twenty-eight cubits. If it is twenty-eight cubits, how did you arrive at twelve cubits when you speak of it? So indeed Chazal say that the intent of the matter is: if we take its top and from the middle of the pyre we measure to the right and measure to the left twelve cubits. Seemingly this is still not precise, for according to what we explained earlier the width was twenty-eight by twenty-eight. And if you take from the central point twelve here and twelve there, you have reached twenty-four. You are still left short by four cubits. Where are those four cubits? So the calculation was like this. The place to which we refer, we speak of the altar, which is the usable place in the altar, this is the place of the pyre. Not every place was usable in the altar, since if we first of all speak of the corners of the altar, right away take off a cubit all around. A cubit all around one cannot use, since this place is the corners, there is a corner here, a corner there, so consequently the place of the pyre had to draw inward. Not only did this place draw inward, one more cubit drew inward on each side. Why? This was the place for the walking of the feet of the kohanim. The kohanim would walk around the pyre on top of the altar, so there had to be a place for the walking of the feet of the kohanim. So if so, let us do the calculation. From the edge of the altar we drew in one cubit, this is the cubit of the horns. Another cubit we drew in, this is the place for the walking of the feet of the kohanim. It emerges then that on the right side two cubits, on the left side two cubits, we subtracted four cubits. It is precise, then, that the width of the place of the pyre is twenty-four cubits. Twenty-four cubits, plus two cubits on each side, a cubit for the walking of the feet of the kohanim and a cubit for the horns that were at the four corners of the altar, so consequently it emerges that if I measure from the middle and to the right, from the middle and to the left, twelve cubits to the right, twelve cubits to the left, twelve cubits forward, twelve cubits back, I reached in total twenty-four cubits by twenty-four cubits, when outside of this we still have one more cubit surrounding for the walking of the feet of the kohanim and one more cubit all around that was for the horns. So this is what is written here "and the ariel," which means the top of the ariel, which is the place of the pyre, twelve long by twelve wide, square in its four quarters. The meaning is that this thing was made in a form that was square. Why does he mention here the matter of being square? So the Malbim already mentioned above, since regarding the yesod, the yesod was not on all four sides, it was only on two sides. Therefore when he wants to distinguish the yesod from the sovev and from the ariel or har'el, when he wants to distinguish them he tells you they were truly square. Since the yesod was not truly square, it protruded on two sides and on two other sides it was shorter.
"And the azarah is fourteen long by fourteen wide in its four quarters; and the border round about it is half a cubit, and its base is a cubit round about, and its steps face east." And the azarah, now he speaks of the great azarah, which the great azarah is in fact the place of the sovev as we explained, this is the second cube above, this is called the great azarah, and its width is twenty-eight, as we see, this is the width. So therefore now he tells us that when we measure the width from the middle, then he tells you fourteen long by fourteen wide. Fourteen long, fourteen wide, which in fact means from the central point we received in total twenty-eight. And now besides this, he tells you "and the border round about it is half a cubit." What is "the border round about it"? This is what we explained above, that there was a certain structure that protruded a little from the altar; this protruding structure was in place of the chut hasikra. This place was in the middle of the altar and it was meant to distinguish between the upper blood and the lower blood; on this he speaks here, "and the border round about it." This was the border, which was half a cubit, which was in fact a protrusion in the structure of the altar that separated between the upper blood and the lower blood. "And its base is a cubit round about." The base is a cubit round about, as we explained, this was the yesod. And the yesod is a cubit round about. What did he want to emphasize to us by this, that it is a cubit round about? We already saw this above. The Malbim says that there was room to say, since there was a protrusion of the border, as we explained that this is the place that separates between the upper blood and the lower, this really protruded outward, and the protrusion, the Malbim says, was half a cubit. So there was, then, room to say that then one must widen the yesod more because of this protrusion, one must widen the yesod more. He tells you: no, the yesod was not wider, rather the yesod was a cubit only, and there was not in addition to it also the half cubit of the protrusion of the border; they did not take that into account, rather it was only a cubit.
"And its steps face east." "Its steps face east" means whoever ascended upon the altar would turn to the eastern side. And if we again draw for ourselves and imagine in what form the Beit HaMikdash was built, then the Beit HaMikdash was built so that its entrance was from the direction of Har HaZeitim. Do not be confused, not from the direction of how we enter to the Kotel, but from the direction of Har HaZeitim. From there was the entrance. Now the moment one enters like this, opposite us, what we see immediately in the inner courtyard, what is called the courtyard of the kohanim, what we see immediately is the altar. The altar, its ramp was on the left side, meaning on the south side. For one who comes from the direction of Har HaZeitim, so when I say left side it means the south side. Which means, if today for example we look from the direction of the Kotel, then it is toward the women's section, not toward the men's section. The men's section is the north. All the sacrifices that are kodshei kodashim were slaughtered on that side, which is toward the men's section, meaning their slaughter is in the north. I am not speaking now about the location, for the location surely is spoken of more inward toward Al-Aqsa, we are not speaking now about the location of the Kotel, I mean only that we should grasp and imagine for ourselves the sides. So if so it emerges that the ramp was on the left side. Now when the kohen ascended the ramp, he in fact ascends from the south side, and his face toward where? Toward the north. Now, he ascends the ramp and turns to the sovev. When he turns to the sovev he turns immediately to the right side. Since all turns that you turn shall be to the right. So he turns immediately to the right side. To which side does he turn? He turns to the eastern side. He turns to the side of kadim (east). When you ascend from the south side, if you ascend from the direction of the women's section toward the men's section and take a right, you go toward Har HaZeitim. You turned toward the east. This is "he ascends the ramp and turns to the sovev," the turns are to the right and then you reach the side of kadim. This is what he says. A cubit round about, and its steps face east. When one ascended the altar, one would turn to the eastern side, for all turns that you turn shall be to the right.
"And He said to me: son of man, so says Hashem Elokim, these are the statutes of the altar on the day it is made, to offer upon it a burnt-offering and to throw upon it blood." Hashem now informs him how the dedication of the altar will be. As is known, when one builds a Beit HaMikdash, when they built the Mishkan, there is the dedication. The dedication is not just a celebration. The dedication is in order to sanctify the place. And also when the Sanhedrin would decide to add to the courtyards or to the chambers, an entire process with the Sanhedrin was required as to how to sanctify the place. So too here, one had to sanctify the place, one had to dedicate the Third Temple. And He informs him how the dedication of the altar will be done in the future. The Malbim says: the new altar, the way to dedicate it is through the tamid offerings. Through the morning Korban Tamid. But here the Malbim says, the dedication will not be only the dedication of the altar, it will be a general dedication for the entire Beit HaMikdash. The Malbim says, in the time of Ezra there was also a dedication for the altar, but there it was a temporary ruling, there it was in a different manner, in a different form, since there they knew that this was not the future House. They knew that this was not the House that would remain, they knew that it was destined to be destroyed, and we already spoke about this several times in the past. Here Hashem promises him that this House that will be built, and it will be the Third Temple, Yechezkel, who is now speaking with the Holy One blessed be He, who was also a kohen, he himself will perform the work of dedicating the Beit HaMikdash. Yechezkel himself will dedicate the Beit HaMikdash. Therefore they do here a dedication in a different form from the dedication that was in the Second Temple.
The Malbim says: in the Mishkan we saw that the dedication was with sacrifices that were also sacrifices that were practiced only temporarily. Temporary sacrifices, the offerings of "one silver bowl, its weight a hundred and thirty," all the offerings of the princes that were one-time offerings; these are not sacrifices that one continues to offer permanently. And this is what he tells us here, "on the day it is made," you shall dedicate it so that it will be fit to offer upon it the limbs of the burnt-offering, to throw upon it the blood of the burnt-offering, kodshei kodashim, kodashim kalim, you shall dedicate the altar so that one may begin to offer upon it sacrifices. "And you shall give to the kohanim, the Levi'im, who are of the seed of Tzadok, who are near to Me, says Hashem Elokim, to serve Me." And you shall give to the kohanim, the Levi'im, who are of the seed of Tzadok. We already saw, we in fact mentioned, we have not yet seen it explicitly, but we mentioned that only the sons of Tzadok will be fit for the service of the Mikdash in the future, because they were always near to Hashem, they did not serve idolatry. A kohen who served idolatry was disqualified from serving in the Beit HaMikdash. Therefore He says to him: only the kohanim, the Levi'im, who are of the seed of Tzadok, who are near to Me. "The kohanim, the Levi'im" means the kohanim of the tribe of Levi, that is the meaning of "the kohanim, the Levi'im." Who are near to Me, says Hashem Elokim, to serve Me, they did not serve idolatry, they served Me, so they shall now draw near to serve Me. And Hashem now informs him: a young bull for a sin-offering, and you shall give, who? You. As we said earlier that Yechezkel himself will be there at the dedication of the Mikdash, and he himself will give them the bull so that they will offer it. "And you shall take of its blood, and put it upon its four horns, and upon the four corners of the azarah, and upon the border round about; and you shall purify it and atone for it." And you shall take of its blood, He informs him that he too himself, Yechezkel, will take and do also the blood. The taking is the receiving in a vessel. Since as is known to us slaughter is valid by a non-kohen, but from the receiving onward, the receiving of the blood from the neck of the animal onward, from there is the commandment of the priesthood. The giving that is written here, "and put it upon its four horns," this is the placing on the horns. And you shall give of its blood upon the four horns of the altar and upon the four corners of the azarah. What are the corners of the azarah? The azarah is not the azarah of the Beit HaMikdash, the azarah as we explained earlier is the great azarah and the small azarah; here they speak of the great azarah, in fact of the sovev, it is called the great azarah. And upon the border, the border we saw is the span that protruded out from the altar, it is called the border, the chut hasikra, yes, in the Third Beit HaMikdash it will be called border, it protruded. And the upper half handbreadth in fact belongs to the upper part, belongs to above. And you shall purify (vechiteta), a place where it is written vechiteta the meaning is that they give the blood with the finger, as they would give on the inner altar when he would take and purify the altar from its four corners in the service of Yom Kippur. And atone for it. And atone for it means through pouring the remainder onto the yesod, through this and atone for it. The matter here of atonement is not in the sense of atoning for something, but rather it is in the sense like kippurim in the sense of purifying something, yes, like "and he shall come to the cleansing of my hands," to cleanse the hands like to clean his hands. This is the meaning here. So He says to him there, and you shall purify it and atone for it. The Malbim explains: here he in fact reveals to us several matters regarding the resurrection of the dead. First, he reveals to us that at the time the Mikdash is dedicated there will already then be the resurrection of the dead, for behold you see that Yechezkel is alive and existing. And Yechezkel, as we all already know, is no longer with us. What does this mean? Immediately when the Beit HaMikdash is built there will already be the resurrection of the dead, he will dedicate the Beit HaMikdash. Another thing the verses teach us here, that the resurrection will be in body and soul. The meaning is that he will rise truly with a garment of flesh, sinews and bones, he will be whole in his body without any blemish. For the Malbim says, if you say that he will come as a soul, as a spirit, as an angel, an angel is not fit for the service. If you say that he will be lacking, one with a blemish is not fit for the service. Rather, perforce he will come whole in his body, whole in complete wholeness like the body of a person. The meaning of this is that the resurrection will be that they will truly rise in their bodies. The third thing, that he will be obligated in the commandments like other people. For if not so, how will he fulfill the commandment of wearing the priestly garments, the commandment of offering the sacrifices? For only one who is obligated in a matter can do and act; one who is not obligated in a matter cannot do it. So if here you see that he will do and act, that means he will be in the category of one obligated, and they will be obligated in the commandments like other people. I brought in Mishnat HaGilgulim what the Arizal writes, that when the Beit HaMikdash is built we will all complete the parts that we are lacking in the Torah. For in order for the soul to reach refinement it must complete all six hundred thirteen commandments. Of the six hundred thirteen commandments there are commandments that we do not have, like sacrifices. The Arizal says: when the Beit HaMikdash is built we will offer the sacrifices we are lacking, and then consequently through this we will complete our soul. So what do you see? That in the future they will offer the sacrifices in the Beit HaMikdash, and in this will be their completion. So he says, you understand that this speaks only when a person rises in the form of a person in the resurrection of the dead and is obligated in the commandments, only then is it relevant. If he is not obligated in the commandments, how will one who is not obligated offer sacrifices?
"And you shall take the bull of the sin-offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place of the House, outside the Mikdash." The Malbim says: here there will be a resemblance of this bull to the bull of the miluim (inauguration) that was made at the dedication of the Mishkan, that Moshe Rabbeinu placed on the horns of the altar and the bull he burned in fire outside the camp. So too here he says to burn it outside the Mikdash, which is a place that was designated for the burning of those that are burned outside the Beit HaMikdash, this is what he says "in the appointed place of the House." "The appointed place of the House" means the place appointed and prepared for this purpose outside the Beit HaMikdash where they would burn the bulls that are burned. "And on the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin-offering, and they shall purify the altar as they purified with the bull." On the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin-offering, Rashi says, this was not in the Mishkan. And in the miluim of the future to come this is how it will be according to the command, according to the word. The Metzudot says that "and they shall purify" means those who throw the blood shall purify the altar with the throwing of the blood of the goat, as they purified it on the first day with the throwing of the blood of the bull; on the second day it will be through the throwing of the blood of the goat. "When you have finished purifying, you shall offer a young bull without blemish and a ram from the flock without blemish." This too will be on the second day, after the purifying with the blood of the sin-offering goat, he will offer a bull and a ram for a burnt-offering. "And you shall bring them before Hashem, and the kohanim shall throw salt upon them, and they shall offer them up as a burnt-offering to Hashem." The kohanim shall throw salt upon them, as it is said in the Torah, "upon all your offerings you shall offer salt," and then they shall offer them up as a burnt-offering to Hashem. "For seven days you shall prepare a sin-offering goat each day, and a young bull and a ram from the flock, without blemish they shall prepare." For seven days you shall prepare a sin-offering goat each day, the Radak says, there was nothing similar to this in the days of the miluim of Moshe. And also those who came up from the exile, the Radak says, we did not see that they made such an offering when they built the altar. And even though Chazal say that they offered miluim in the days of Ezra as they offered in the days of Moshe, the Radak says, in this order in any case they were not, and this will be a novelty that is destined to be in the sacrifices that are destined to come. So in fact do not try to compare this to something that already was, for there was nothing like this thing. Here the Torah commands, in fact the prophet here commands about something that is destined to be and will be unique to the dedication of the Third Temple, and this thing will continue for a period of seven days apart from the first day on which they offered the bull. "For seven days they shall atone for the altar and purify it, and they shall fill its hands." In these seven days on which they will offer a goat and a bull and a ram, they will atone for the altar through the blood of the goat, and purify it and fill its hands, the meaning is through the offering of the burnt-offering. For on the first day on which they offered a bull, they did not fill its hands, since the bull was not upon the altar, the bull was burned outside the camp; when did they fill its hands? When did the altar, as it is called, go out with full hands? Only from the second day. On the first day the bull was not burned upon it. Therefore "for seven days they shall atone for the altar," this is apart from the first day, and purify it and fill its hands, that upon it there will truly be sacrifices. "And when they have finished the days, it shall be on the eighth day and onward that the kohanim shall make upon the altar your burnt-offerings and your peace-offerings, and I will accept you, says Hashem Elokim." And when they have finished the days means they will finish offering all eight days, and it shall be on the eighth day and onward that the kohanim shall make upon the altar your burnt-offerings and your peace-offerings, the meaning is anyone who becomes obligated and wants to offer a burnt-offering or wants to offer peace-offerings, this will be only from the eighth day and onward. From the day the dedication began on the first day, which is on the seventh day from the second day, in total including the first day that is eight days. Then they will be able to offer upon it burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. The first day, we will see further on, will be on the twenty-third of Adar, and the eighth day will be on Rosh Chodesh Nisan. And this is like it was in the time of Moshe Rabbeinu at the dedication of the Mishkan, that there too the miluim began on the twenty-third of Adar and the eighth day was on Rosh Chodesh Nisan. And then He says, and I will accept you. And I will accept you, Rashi says, a language of favor, I will favor your burnt-offerings and your sacrifices as acceptable upon My altar, may they be acceptable before the Holy One blessed be He, may Hashem build for us the Beit HaMikdash speedily, amen.