שמות, פרק כ״ז, פסוק י״ח

The dimensions and materials of the Tabernacle's courtyard establish a defined, sacred boundary that serves as a transition zone between the mundane world and the inner sanctuary. Stretching one hundred cubits from east to west on both sides, the total area of five thousand square cubits became the standard legal measure for a defined living space. Known as a space of two seahs, this measurement is used in Jewish law to determine carrying boundaries and Sabbath limits [תורה תמימה, רש״ר הירש]. The legal definition of a courtyard is also derived from this layout, establishing the principle that a courtyard inherently includes the structures contained within it, just as the Tabernacle stood within its surrounding enclosure [תורה תמימה].

The unique dimensions provided for the courtyard's width reveal its specific internal layout. The primary approach among commentators is that the Tabernacle, measuring thirty cubits long and ten cubits wide, was positioned in the western half of the courtyard. This placement left an empty, perfectly square space of fifty by fifty cubits in the eastern half [רש״י, רשב״ם, מזרחי, אבן עזרא הקצר]. Consequently, a person entering the complex immediately stepped into a spacious, open area before approaching the sanctuary itself [רש״ר הירש]. Around the northern, southern, and western sides of the Tabernacle, a uniform gap of twenty cubits remained [רש״י, רשב״ם, שפתי חכמים]. There is some debate regarding the exact calculations of this space and whether the measurements included the thickness of the wooden boards and pillars. Some maintain that the pillars stood outside the measured area [מזרחי], while others argue they were included within the hundred cubits [גור אריה, לבוש האורה]. Another perspective notes that the open eastern square was actually only forty-nine cubits deep, as the thickness of the Tabernacle's sockets occupied the remaining space [חזקוני].

The height of the courtyard's partitions and hangings was five cubits [רש״י, ביאור יש״ר, קאסוטו]. However, this measurement sparks a debate regarding the relative heights within the complex, specifically because the copper altar standing in the courtyard was ten cubits tall. If the surrounding hangings were only five cubits high, a priest working atop the altar would be completely visible from the outside. To resolve this, some explain that the hangings were actually fifteen cubits high, towering five cubits above the altar [מלבי״ם, הדר זקנים, דעת זקנים, חזקוני]. Another approach suggests the five-cubit measurement applied only as an addition to the eastern hangings, making the entrance gate twenty cubits high, much like the future doors of the Temple [הדר זקנים, דעת זקנים]. Conversely, others maintain a literal interpretation, asserting that the hangings were exactly five cubits tall [אבן עזרא הקצר], or perhaps six cubits in total, with five-cubit hangings attached to sockets that were one cubit high [חזקוני].

The physical materials used for the courtyard carried deep symbolic meaning. The hangings were crafted from twisted white linen, with the stark white color symbolizing the fundamental requirement for moral and physical purity as a prerequisite for approaching the holiness of the Tabernacle [רש״ר הירש]. The foundations supporting the courtyard's pillars were made of copper [העמק דבר]. Although this detail is established earlier, it is repeated to emphasize that the sockets supporting the entrance gate's screen were also made exclusively of copper [רש״י, מזרחי, גור אריה]. The deliberate choice of copper for the outer courtyard, in sharp contrast to the silver and gold utilized inside the sanctuary, represents the initial stage of refining human nature, elevating a person from a base state toward spiritual perfection [רש״ר הירש].