יחזקאל, פרק מ״א, פסוק י״ג

The measurement of the future Temple reaches a moment of perfect harmony, where individual architectural elements combine to form one precise dimension. The measurer calculates the total size of the structures, revealing how the main building, the side chambers, and the surrounding walls together create an exact measurement of one hundred cubits. To understand this calculation, the specific architectural areas must be identified. One area refers to the main Temple structure and the hall in front of it, or its protruding section [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Another distinct area is the structure containing the side chambers located behind the main building [מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Finally, there are the physical walls of these structures themselves [מצודת ציון].

The primary approach among commentators is that the final total of one hundred cubits represents the sum of all these individual components combined [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Running from east to west, this comprehensive measurement includes the open space of the entrance hall and the specific storage area where the slaughtering knives were kept [רש״י, מצודת דוד]. Relying on the detailed calculations found in Tractate Middot, the exact thickness of the walls, the open hall, the main Sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, the side chambers, and the dividing walls between them all add up to exactly one hundred cubits [רש״י, רד״ק].

While this view sees a single, all-inclusive measurement, another perspective suggests that the measurer actually took two completely separate measurements: one dedicated to the Temple building itself and another for the main structural compound [רד״ק]. A more complex approach proposes that there were two distinct directional measurements, each totaling one hundred cubits. The first is the length of the Temple from east to west. The second measurement, which includes the main structure, the side chambers, and two walls of the inner courtyard, was taken on the western side from north to south. Although a north-to-south measurement typically represents width, it is defined as length in this context because, at this specific location, the north-to-south distance is actually longer than the east-to-west span [מלבי״ם].