Rising far above the rest of the Temple was the
main hearth (or Heichal) complex. The hearth and its antechamber,
the Ulam, formed a massive "T" shape, with the top bar lying to the east and
following a north-south plane. The Ulam was long
(one hundred Amos) and very narrow (from the east wall to the west wall
was only eleven Amos).
As antechambers go, the Ulam boasted its fair
share of attractions. While its main purpose was preparation for
entry into the hearth, there were sights a-plenty to hold the interest
of someone with time on his hands.
To begin with, the entrance itself was massive.
The opening leading in from the top of the stairs (there was no door, but
a curtain covering) measured twenty Amos wide by
forty Amos high! This was double the size of any other door in the Temple.
Above the opening were five graduated cedar
beams built both for their beauty and to support the weight of the wall
above - a wall that measured five Amos thick!
Just inside the opening were two tables.
The one to the right - made of marble - was used to lay the Lechem Hapanim
(show bread) on their way into the hearth on Shabbos. To the left
was a golden table for resting the Lechem Hapanim on their way out, after
their week of sitting on the golden showbread table in the hearth.
Incidentally, the Kohanim who happened to
be on duty that week were allowed (and required) to eat the week-old bread;
which was still miraculously warm and fresh.
To either side of the Ulam (that is to say,
to the south and north ends) were chambers called the Batai Chaliphos.
Along the walls of these rooms were cubbies used to store the knives
used in the Temple service (each watch of priests had its own cubby). According to some opinions, they were used to store the priestly garments.
There were cedar beams connecting the wall
of the Ulam with its twin, the outer wall of the hearth. The Ulam was not
actually joined to the hearth, but their
walls did rest on each other at the north-west and south-west corners.
You can understand the need for extra support when you think about the
sizes involved. Two walls, one hundred Amos up, one hundred across
and five thick, might otherwise have trouble staying up...
On the other side - the hearth side - was
the entrance to the hearth itself (ten Amos wide by twenty high). To
each side of the main door, there were smaller doors
leading into side offices.
Rabbi Boruch Clinton teaches at the Ottawa Torah Institute yeshiva high
school and Machon Sarah high school for girls (both in Ottawa, Canada).
You may reach him with comments and questions at
bclinton@torah.org.
You can now read some of Rabbi Clinton's essays on Torah life at
http://www.ncf.ca/~es625/essays
You can also buy his collection of essays on
the Book of Shmuel (Samuel) in printed form at
www.lulu.com/marbitzmedia
Copyright © 2000 by Rabbi
Boruch
Clinton and Project Genesis, Inc.
