יחזקאל, פרק מ׳, פסוק ה׳

Ezekiel’s vision of the future Temple begins by sketching the outer boundary of the sacred compound, moving from the outside in. The surrounding wall is not built for military defense. Instead, it serves to create a distinct border that separates the holy from the everyday [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The primary approach among commentators is that this external structure encloses the entire Temple Mount.

To understand the size of this boundary, it is necessary to define the units used by the man holding the measuring reed. The basic unit of width is a handbreadth, which equals the width of a palm or four joined fingers [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. While a standard everyday cubit consists of five handbreadths, the specific cubit used for constructing the Temple is a larger unit made up of six handbreadths. Therefore, the entire measuring reed, which is six of these larger cubits long, contains thirty-six handbreadths in total, a length estimated to be about three meters [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Using this reed, the man measures both the thickness and the height of the wall. Both dimensions are completely identical, standing at exactly one measuring reed each. A height of one reed, or six cubits, is considered unusually low. There is a fundamental difference between the structure of the Second Temple and the future Temple described in this vision. During the era of the Second Temple, only the eastern wall was kept low. This was done for a practical religious reason, allowing the priest preparing the Red Heifer on the Mount of Olives to look over the wall and see directly into the entrance of the Sanctuary [רש״י, רד״ק].

In Ezekiel’s vision, however, the wall is built low all the way around its entire perimeter. The main reason for this design is both aesthetic and spiritual. The low boundary is intended for beauty, ensuring that the sloped Temple Mount and all the magnificent inner structures of the Temple remain fully visible from the outside. By keeping the outer wall low, the architecture ensures that the splendor of the sacred compound is never hidden from those looking toward it [מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד, אברבנאל].