MISHNAH: There were thirteen tables in the Temple¹⁰⁰For the sacred service. There were more tables in the back part of the Temple domain, between the walls of the Temple and the walls of the enclosure, where the Cohanim had to eat their part of the most holy sacrifices. Thirteen, as the number of the Divine attributes of mercy, is a most lucky number in religious matters.. Eight marble ones in the slaughterhouse on which one was soaking the intestines¹⁰¹Which must be washed before being sacrifices, Lev. 1:9,13.. Two West of the ramp, one of marble and one of silver. On the marble one they put the limbs, on the silver one the vessels of service¹⁰²Where the flour and wine sacrifices were deposited before being brought up to the altar.. And two in the vestibule¹⁰³The small hall in front of the main Temple hall in the Temples of Solomon and Herod, in contrast to the Tabernacle. inside, near the entrance to the Temple Hall, one of marble and one of gold. On the marble one they put the shew-bread when it was brought in, and on the golden one when it was brought out, for one increases in holiness and does not decrease¹⁰⁴The bread was brought in on Friday, but was exchanged for the old bread in the main Temple hall only on the Sabbath. The removed bread was deposited in the vestibule until it could be distributed to the Cohanim at the end of the musaf service. Since it was laying during the week on the golden table inside, it could not be deposited on a table of lesser value. Babli Menaḥot99b.. And a golden one inside on which the shew-bread was permanently¹⁰⁵Ex. 25:30..

HALAKHAH: It was stated, “on the silver one”¹⁰⁶It is not perfectly clear to what this baraita refers. In the Babli version, there were no marble tables, only silver ones. In the Yerushalmi version, it either can mean that in the vestibule there was a silver table instead of the marble one mentioned in the Mishnah, or that the sentence is not from a baraita, but a quote from the Mishnah, implying that according to R. Joḥanan there was no silver table at all in the Temple, and that wine and flour offerings also had to be kept cool.. Rebbi Yose in the name of Rebbi Samuel bar Rav Isaac; Rebbi Ḥananiah brought it in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: There was none of silver because it heats¹⁰⁷Assuming one speaks about the silver table mentioned in the Mishnah, one has to be careful to keep the flour offering cool lest it become leavened and forbidden in the Temple. If it is indicated that the table in the vestibule was of silver, the question is whether putting the new shew-bread on a warm table would spoil it. Tamid31b.. But did we not state¹⁰⁸Babli Yoma21a, in the name of R. Joshua ben Levi., this is one of the wonders which happened in the Temple, that just as they were putting it down hot, so they were removing it hot, [as it is written]¹⁰⁹Corrector’s addition from B, missing in ג and deleted by the scribe himself in the Leiden ms., to put hot bread as on the day it was removed¹¹⁰1S. 21:7. The implication is that a warm silver table would be more appropriate for the shew bread than a cold marble one.. Rebbi Joshua ben Levi said, one does not mention wonders¹¹¹One may not act trusting that a wonder will occur in one’s behalf. Babli Berakhot60a, Yebamot121b, Ḥulin43a.. They asked before Rebbi Ila: If they did not have bread, may they leave it for the coming week¹¹²Since the shew-bread has to be exchanged every Sabbath (Lev.24:8), if there was no replacement available is it better to leave the table empty or leave the old bread in its place.? He said to them, it is written¹¹³Ex. 25:30.: you shall put on the table the shew-bread before Me permanently. The shew-bread, even disqualified¹¹⁴Since the shew-bread removed from the sanctuary had to be eaten by the Cohanim as most holy sacrifice (Lev.24:9), it must be eaten on the day it becomes available and will be disqualified the next morning, to be burned. But this rule does not apply to bread never removed from the Sanctuary..

Solomon made ten tables: Solomon made ten tables and deposited them in the Temple Hall, five to the right and five to the left¹¹⁵2Chr. 4:8.. If you would say, five to the North and five to the South, but the table is only qualified in the North, as it is said, and the table put on the North side¹¹⁶Ex. 26:35.. Why does the verse say, five to the right and five to the left? Five to the right of Moses’s table, and five to its left. Nevertheless, only Moses’s alone was used, as it is said¹¹⁷1K. 7:49., the table on which is the shew-bread. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Jehudah says, all of them were used, for it is said¹¹⁸2Chr. 4:19., the tables on which the shew-bread is. It was stated: They were put East and West, the words of Rebbi. Rebbi Eleazar ben Rebbi Simeon says, they were put North and South. He who says East and West is understandable; all of them are proper for Service¹¹⁹As prescribed in Ex. 40:22,, the table at the North side of the Tabernacle, and Ex. 40:24, the candelabrum at the South side, standing East-West, opposite the table.. He who says, North and South, would then not the table be in the South and the candelabrum in the North? But was it not stated, the table was in the middle of the Temple, more to the inside, about two cubits away from the wall to the North, and opposite it the candelabrum in the South¹²⁰If they are all in one line, at the North side of the Temple, the long side oriented East-West, all pentateuchal requirements are satisfied. Babli Menaḥot 99a.. The golden altar was in the middle of the Temple, dividing the Temple, inside, a little bit drawn to the North¹²¹While the center of the golden altar exactly determines the middle of the Temple hall for distances measured East-West, i. e., between the entrance and the gobelins shielding the Holiest of Holies, it does not exactly determine the middle of the center of the distance of North to South walls.. All were put inside of a third of the Temple¹²²The first third of the distance between entrance and the Holiest of Holies was empty..

Solomon made ten candelabra, [as it is said]¹²³Corrector’s insert following B., he made the ten candelabra according to its rules¹²⁴2 Chr. 4:7. In the other two sources correctly “their rules”, and they add the end of the verse, to which the next argument refers: and put them in the Temple Hall, five to the right and five to the left. Cf. Babli Menaḥot98b–99a.. If you would say, five to the North and five to the South, but the candelabrum is only qualified in the South, as it is said, and the candelabrum opposite the table on the South side¹¹⁶Ex. 26:35.. Why does the verse say, five to the right and five to the left? Five to the right of Moses’s candelabrum, and five to its left. Nevertheless, only Moses’s alone was kindled, as it is said¹²⁵2 Chr.13:11, showing actual practice.\, and the golden candelabrum and its lights to kindle evening by evening. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Jehudah says, all of them were kindled, for it is said¹²⁶2 Chr. 4:20–21., the candelabra and their lights, to kindle them regularly in the Temple Hall, closed gold¹²⁷Cf. Yoma4:4, Note 101., and the flower¹²⁸According to Rashi, the ornament of the candelabrum mentioned in Num. 8:4 but not in the original instructions, Ex. 25:31–40., and the lights, and the pincers of gold, this uses up the gold. These used up Solomon’s gold. Rav Jehudah in the name of Assi¹²⁹In B a Tannaitic text, a statement of R. Jehudah in the name of Issy.: Solomon took 1’000 talents of silver, put them repeatedly into the (fire) [smelting furnace]¹³⁰The scribe’s text (in parentheses) is confirmed by the Genizah text; the corrector’s [in brackets] is from B. until they were reduced to one, to fulfill what is written¹³¹Ex. 37:24., from one talent of pure gold he made it. It was stated, Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Jehudah said, ¹³²The following is from Yoma4:4, Notes 107–108. it happened that the golden candelabrum which Moses made in the desert was in excess of one gold denar, and they returned it to the fire eighty times and it did not lose anything¹³³This seems to contradict the preceding story of Solomon’s refining smelter.. This is correct. Before it is refined it loses a lot, once it is refined it will not miss anything.