יחזקאל, פרק מ׳, פסוק מ״ט

The architectural vision of the future Temple includes precise measurements and structural details for the entrance hall leading into the main sanctuary. The length of this hall spans twenty cubits. Commentators explain that this measurement actually refers to the broad side of the building, running from north to south, which perfectly aligns with the width of the sanctuary itself. The depth of the hall, measured from east to west, is eleven cubits. This specific depth mirrors the design of the Second Temple, marking a departure from King Solomon's original Temple, where the entrance hall was twenty cubits deep [רד״ק].

Visitors approaching the hall from the inner courtyard would ascend a staircase. While the exact number of steps is not explicitly recorded in the vision, commentators draw upon the historical layout of the Second Temple to complete the picture. They explain that a flight of twelve steps led up to the entrance, with each step measuring half a cubit in height [רש״י, רד״ק, מלבי״ם]. The placement of these stairs was structurally integrated with the entranceway, with the main doorposts standing directly beside the steps [מלבי״ם].

Just inside the hall, positioned near the relatively narrow doorposts, stood two massive, thick pillars. Flanking the entranceway with one on each side, these structures evoke a powerful historical memory. The primary approach among commentators is that these columns are the future equivalents of 'Yachin' and 'Boaz', the famous giant pillars that King Solomon erected at the entrance of the First Temple [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].