The commandments comprised in the tenth class are those that [98a] we have enumerated in Laws concerning the Chosen Temple, Laws concerning the Utensils of the Sanctuary and Those Who Work in It, and Laws concerning Entry into the Sanctuary. We have already made known in a general way the utility of this class of commandments.
It is known that idolaters sought to build their temples and to set up their idols in the highest places they could find there: Upon the high mountains.1 Therefore Abraham our Father singled out Mount Moriah, because of its being the highest mountain there, proclaimed upon it the unity [of God], and determined and defined the direction toward which one would turn in prayer, fixing it exactly in the West. For the Holy of Holies is in the West. This is the meaning of the dictum of [the Sages]: The Indwelling is in the West.2 They, may their memory be blessed, have made clear in the Gemara of the Tractate Yoma3 that Abraham our Father fixed the direction toward which one should turn in prayer, I mean the Temple of the Holy of Holies. In my opinion, the reason for this is as follows: Inasmuch as at that time the opinion generally accepted in the world was to the effect that the sun should be worshipped and that it is the deity, there is no doubt that all men turned when praying toward the East. Therefore Abraham our Father turned, when praying on Mount Moriah — I mean in the Sanctuary — toward the West, so as to turn his back upon the sun. Do you not see what [the Children of] Israel did when they apostasized, became infidels, and returned to those ancient pernicious views? Their backs were toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the East; and they worshipped the sun toward the East.4 Understand this strange thing. In my opinion there is also no doubt that the place singled out by Abraham in virtue of prophetic inspiration was known to Moses our Master and to many others. For Abraham had recommended to them that that place should be a house of worship, just as the translator5 sets forth when he says:6 Abraham worshipped and prayed in that place and said before the Lord: Here will worship the generations, and so on. The fact that this place is not stated explicitly when mentioned in the Torah [98b] and not designated, but only hinted at by means of the words, Which the Lord shall choose, and so on,7 is due in my opinion to three wise considerations. The first is, lest nations8 should hold fast to the place and fight for it with great violence, knowing as they do that this place is the final purpose of the Law on earth. The second is, lest those who then owned the place ravage and devastate it to the limit of their power. The third, and it is the strongest, lest every tribe should demand that this place be within its allotted portion and should seek to conquer it, which would lead to conflict and sedition, such as happened with regard to the priesthood. Therefore the command was given that the Chosen Temple should only be built after the elevation of a King, so that only one would be qualified to give commands and quarrels would cease, as we have explained in the Book of Judges.9
It is known that these people10 built temples for the stars and that in that temple an idol whose worship was agreed upon was set up, I mean an idol assigned to a certain star or to a portion of a Sphere. Consequently we were commanded to build a temple for Him, may He be exalted, and place in it the ark within which were the two Tables containing the words I [am the Lord] and Thou shalt not have.
It is known that the fundamental principle of belief in prophecy precedes the belief in the Law. For if there is no prophet, there can be no Law. The prophet receives prophetic revelation only through the intermediary of the angel. Thus: And the angel of the Lord called;11 And the angel of the Lord said unto her.12 This occurs innumerable times. Even in the case of Moses our Master, his prophetic mission is inaugurated through an angel: And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord in the heart of fire.13 Consequently it has been made clear that that belief in the existence of angels precedes the belief in prophecy, and the belief in prophecy precedes the belief in the Law.
As the Sabians were ignorant of the existence of the deity, may He be exalted and glorified, and thought that [99a] the Sphere with its stars is the being that is eternal and to which nonbeing can never come, and that forces flow over from the Sphere toward idols and certain trees — I mean the asheroth — they thought that the idols and the trees give prophetic revelation to the prophets, speak to them in the course of such a revelation, and make known to them what is useful and what is harmful, according to their doctrines that we have explained to you with reference to the prophets of Baal and the prophets of Asherah.14 Thereupon when the truth became clear to the men of knowledge and it became known by demonstration that there is a being that is neither a body nor a force in a body, who is the true deity, and that He is one; and that there are also other beings that are separate from matter and are not bodies, being toward whom His being, may He be exalted, overflows — namely, the angels, as we have explained;15 and that all these beings are beyond the Sphere and its stars; — it became known with certainty that true prophetic revelation is given to the prophets by the angels, not by the idols and the asheroth. Thus it has become clear through what we have stated before that the belief in the existence of angels is consequent upon the belief in the existence of the deity and that thereby prophecy and the Law are established as valid. In order to fortify belief in this fundamental principle, He, may He be exalted, has commanded that the image of two angels be made over the ark, so that the belief of the multitude in the existence of angels be consolidated; this correct opinion, coming in the second place after the belief in the existence of the deity, constituting the originative principle of belief in prophecy and the Law and refuting idolatry, as we have explained. If there had been one image, I mean the image of one cherub, this might have been misleading. For it might have been thought that this was the image of the deity who was to be worshipped — such things16 being done by the idolaters — or that there was only one individual angel, a belief that would have led to a certain dualism.17 As, however, two cherubim were made and the explicit statement enounced: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one,18 the validity [99b] of the opinion affirming the existence of angels was established and also the fact that they are many. Thus measures were taken against the error that they are the deity — the deity being one and having created this multiplicity.
Thereupon a candlestick was placed in front of it19 in order to glorify and honor the Temple. For the Temple, which was always illumined by lamps and separated by means of a veil [from the Holy of Holies], made a great impression upon the soul. You know to what extent the Law fortifies the belief in the greatness of the Sanctuary and the awe felt for it, so that on seeing it, man should be affected by a sentiment of submission and servitude. It says: And ye shall fear My Sanctuary,20 an injunction that He has coupled with the precept to keep the Sabbath in order to strengthen fear of the Sanctuary.
The need for the altar for incense and the altar for burnt-offering and for their utensils is manifest.
As for the table and the bread that was always to be upon it,21 I do not know the reason for this and I have not found up to now something to which I might ascribe this practice.
As for the prohibition against hewing the stones of the altar,22 you know the reason [the Sages] have given for this in their dictum: It is not fitting for that which shortens [human life] to be lifted up against that which prolongs it.23 This is excellent in the manner of the Midrashim,24 as we have mentioned. However, the reason for this is manifest, for the idolaters used to build altars with hewn stones. Accordingly assimilation to them was prohibited, and in order to avoid this assimilation to them it was commanded that the altar be of earth. It says: An altar of earth thou shalt make unto Me.25 If, however, it was indispensable to make it with stones, the latter must have their natural form and not be hewn. Similarly it is forbidden to set up a figured stone and to plant a tree beside the altar.26 In all this there is one and the same purpose, namely, that we should not worship God in the form of the particular cults27 practiced by them with regard to the objects of their worship; and this is the meaning of the prohibition in general. It says: How [100a] did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.28 The meaning is that one must not act in this way with regard to God for the reason that it states: For every abomination to the Lord which He hateth, have they done unto their gods, and so on.29
You know likewise how widespread was the worship of Peʿor in those times, and that it consisted in the uncovering of the nakedness.30 Therefore it commands the Priests to make themselves breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness31 during the divine service. Nevertheless they were commanded not to go up to the altar by steps: That thy nakedness be not uncovered thereon.32
As for the duty constantly to keep watch over the Sanctuary and to go around it, this was commanded in order to glorify and honor it, so that the ignorant, the unclean, and those who are in a disheveled state should not rush up to it, as shall be explained. For one of the things that necessarily resulted in an exaltation and glorification of the Sanctuary, bringing about in us fear of it, was the prohibition against drunken, unclean, and disheveled individuals — I mean those with unkempt hair and torn garments — entering it, together with the commandment that everyone engaged in the divine service shall sanctify his hands and his feet.
Also in order to exalt the Temple, the rank of its servants was exalted, the Priests and Levites were singled out, and the Priests wore the most splendid, finest, and most beautiful garments: Holy garments . . . for splendor and for beauty.33 And it was commanded that someone who has a blemish should not be employed in the divine service; not only one who is afflicted with an infirmity, but also those afflicted with deformities are disqualified from being Priests,34 as is explained in the regulations of legal science dealing with this commandment.35 For to the multitude an individual is not rendered great by his true form,36 but by the perfection of his limbs and the beauty of his clothes; and what is aimed at is that the Temple and its servants should be regarded as great by all.
As for the son of Levi, he did not sacrifice and was not imagined as imploring forgiveness for sin, as is stated with regard to the Priests:37 And he shall make atonement for him; And he shall make atonement for her. But the purpose of the Levite consisted in singing only; he [100b] is disqualified [only] because of [his] voice. For the purpose of singing too is to bring about an affection of the soul by means of the words in question; and the soul can only be affected by means of pleasing melodies with, in addition, the accompaniment of musical instruments, as was always the case in the Sanctuary. Even the Priests who were fit [for the divine service] and who sojourned in the Sanctuary were forbidden to sit down in it, to enter into the Temple at every moment, and ever to enter the Holy of Holies, except the High Priest who entered it on the Day of Atonement — four times, not more. All this was to exalt the Sanctuary.
Inasmuch as many beasts were slaughtered daily in that holy place, the flesh cut into pieces, and the intestines burnt38 and washed, there is no doubt that if it had been left in that state its smell would have been like that of a slaughterhouse. Therefore it was commanded in regard to it that incense be burnt there twice daily in the morning and in the afternoon in order to improve its smell and the smell of the clothes of all who served there. You know their dictum: The odor of the incense was smelt even in Jericho.39 This also preserved fear of the Sanctuary. For if it had not had a pleasant smell, and all the more if the contrary were the case, the result would have been the opposite of glorification. For the soul is greatly solaced and attracted by pleasant smells and shrinks from stench and avoids it.
As for the anointing oil,40 it has two useful functions: it gives a pleasant smell to whatever is anointed with it, and induces the belief that the anointed object is great, sanctified, and distinguished beyond other things of the same species, regardless of whether the thing is a human individual or a garment or a vessel. All this redounds to fear of the Sanctuary, which is a cause of fear of the Lord. For when one came there the soul was affected, so that hard hearts were softened and touched. [101a] For the deity with far-away counsels41 devised this gracious ruse in order that they be softened and become submissive when they came to the Temple, so that they accept God’s guiding commands and fear Him, as is explained to us in the text of the Torah: And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which He shall choose to cause His name to dwell there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd and of thy flock; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always.42 Thus the intended purpose of all these actions, whatever they may be, has become clear to you.
The reason for the prohibition against imitating the anointing oil and the incense is most clear. This was forbidden in order that this odor be smelt only there, so that it should produce a stronger affection in them, and also in order that it should not be thought that whoever was anointed with this oil or one similar to it was singled out thereby, a thought that would have produced ruin and sedition.
The fact that the ark had to be carried on the shoulder and not in a wagon43 is clearly due to the intention to exalt it. Its shape ought not to be damaged, not even by moving the staves from the rings. Similarly the shape of the ephod and of the breastplate ought not to be damaged, not even by moving one from the other.44 It was also commanded that the making of the garments [of the Priests] be wholly woven, not divided and cut, so that the shape of the woven object be not spoilt.
It was likewise forbidden for one individual among the servants of the Sanctuary to take over the function of another.45 For slackness and negligence in all things occur when various functions are entrusted to a group of people, and every individual has not his own particular work assigned to him. It is also clear that the gradation with regard to the various places46 — in consequence of which different laws are prescribed with respect to the Temple Mount, to the place between the two walls, to the Hall of Women, to the Hall, and to the Holy of Holies — were all [101b] intended to bring about additional glorification and to instill a greater fear into the heart of all those who came to the Temple.
We have thus set forth the reasons for all details belonging to this class.