“There was a gate to the Inner Courtyard opposite the gate from the north.… He measured one hundred cubits from one gate to another.”1Yechezkel 40:23. From this, it can be derived that the width of the Women’s Courtyard from the north to the south in front of the eastern wall of the Inner Courtyard was 312 cubits. The Women’s Courtyard was further extended, surrounding the building of the Beis HaMikdash on all sides. There were 312 cubits from its northern wall to its southern wall. To explain how that number is reached: a) there were 100 cubits from the northern wall of the Outer Courtyard to the northern wall of the Inner Courtyard; b) there were 100 cubits from the southern wall of the Outer Courtyard to the southern wall of the Inner Courtyard; c) the area comprising the open space of the Inner Courtyard measured 100 cubits; d) the two walls separating the Inner Courtyard on the north and the south were each 6 cubits wide, totaling 312 cubits. At the beginning of this composition,2See sec. 1. I promised to explain this.
"וְשַׁעַר לֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִי נֶגֶד הַשַּׁעַר לַצָּפוֹן ... וַיָּמָד מִשַּׁעַר אֶל שַׁעַר מֵאָה אַמָּה" (יחזקאל מ, כג). וּמֵעַתָּה נִמְצֵאתָ לָמֵד שֶׁרֹחַב עֶזְרַת נָשִׁים מִצָּפוֹן לַדָּרוֹם לִפְנֵי מִזְרָח הַפְּנִימִית, שי"ב אַמָּה וְכֵן הוֹלֶכֶת וּמְסַבֶּבֶת כָּל הַבִּנְיָן עַד שֶׁמִּכֹּתֶל צְפוֹנִית שֶׁלָּהּ עַד כֹּתֶל דְּרוֹמִית הֵם שי"ב אַמָּה. שֶׁמִּצְּפוֹן חִיצוֹנָה עַד צְפוֹן הַפְּנִימִית מֵאָה אַמָּה וְכֵן מִדְּרוֹמָהּ לִדְרוֹמָהּ שֶׁל פְּנִימִית גַּם כֵּן מֵאָה אַמָּה. וְהַפְּנִימִית בְּתוֹכָהּ מֵאָה, וּשְׁתֵּי כְּתָלִים הַמַּפְסִיקִים לַצָּפוֹן וְלַדָּרוֹם בֵּינָהּ לַחִיצוֹנָה כָּל אַחַת שֵׁשׁ אַמָּה, הֲרֵי שי"ב אַמָּה. וְהוּא הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתִּי וְיָעַדְתִּי לְבָרְרוֹ בִּתְחִלַּת הַסִּימָנִים (ראה סימן א').
“There was a gate to the Inner Courtyard opposite the gate from the north.… He measured one hundred cubits from one gate to another.”1Yechezkel 40:23. From this, it can be derived that the width of the Women’s Courtyard from the north to the south in front of the eastern wall of the Inner Courtyard was 312 cubits. The Women’s Courtyard was further extended, surrounding the building of the Beis HaMikdash on all sides. There were 312 cubits from its northern wall to its southern wall. To explain how that number is reached: a) there were 100 cubits from the northern wall of the Outer Courtyard to the northern wall of the Inner Courtyard; b) there were 100 cubits from the southern wall of the Outer Courtyard to the southern wall of the Inner Courtyard; c) the area comprising the open space of the Inner Courtyard measured 100 cubits; d) the two walls separating the Inner Courtyard on the north and the south were each 6 cubits wide, totaling 312 cubits. At the beginning of this composition,2See sec. 1. I promised to explain this.