יחזקאל, פרק מ״א, פסוק י׳

The architectural plan of the future Temple features a precise system of spaces and support structures surrounding the central sanctuary. A key element of this design involves a specific measurement of twenty cubits related to the surrounding chambers. There are different perspectives on how to identify these chambers and understand this measurement. One approach suggests that the term refers generally to the rooms attached directly to the main sanctuary [מצודת דוד]. According to this view, the twenty cubits represent either the combined width of all these attached rooms or the width between one room and another [רד״ק, אברבנאל].

A different, central approach maintains that these chambers are not the rooms attached to the main building. Instead, they are separate structures located in the outer courtyard, north of the inner courtyard, which surround the Temple from a distance [רש״י, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. In this context, the twenty cubits describe the open, empty space that separates the walls of the inner rooms from the walls of these outer chambers [רש״י, רד״ק, אברבנאל]. Other interpretations suggest this measurement defines the width of the sanctified area in the outer courtyard, including the thickness of the chamber walls themselves [מלבי״ם], or the open space between the chambers and the foundation of a winding staircase [מצודת דוד].

This designated space wrapped around the building. Some specify that it primarily enclosed the northern and southern sides [מצודת דוד], while others note it surrounded the wall enclosing the inner courtyard [מלבי״ם]. The sudden mention of these outer structures during the detailed description of the inner rooms is a deliberate transition, serving as a preparation for the architectural layout detailed further on [מלבי״ם].

Importantly, this specific architectural layout, featuring a spacious twenty-cubit gap between structures, was never realized in the Second Temple. The Second Temple contained thirty-eight rooms arranged in a dense, tiered formation. In contrast, the expansive and open arrangement described here is entirely unique to the design of the future Temple [רש״י, רד״ק, אברבנאל].