“There were doorposts… and the windows were covered,”2Ibid,:16. i.e. wooden frames were made for the windows and the frames “were covered,” plated with gold, for the entire Sanctuary was plated with gold, and gold plate cannot be applied to stone. There were large boards that would cover, “to the space above the height of the entrance… on the entire wall, all around,”3Ibid.:17. i.e., on all the walls of the Sanctuary, “in the inner [chamber],” i.e., the Holy of Holies, “and in the outer [chamber],” i.e., the Sanctuary. The boards were “carefully measured.” Designs were carved on these boards, including “cherubs and date palms; there was a date palm between one cherub and another. Each cherub had two faces, and there was a human face.”4Ibid.:18-19.
"וַיָּמָד אָרְכּוֹ" אֹרֶךְ הַהֵיכָל מִמִּזְרָח לְמַעֲרָב "אַרְבָּעִים אַמָּה" (יחזקאל מא, ב).
“He measured its length,”1Yechezkel 41:2. i.e., the length of the Sanctuary from east to west, “as 40 cubits.”
הַסִּפִּים וְגוֹ' וְהַחַלֹּנוֹת מְכֻסּוֹת אמכל המפרשים משמע, הכוונה בזה שמסגרות החלונות היו מכוסות בשחיף עץ כדי שיוכלו לצפותו בזהב. ומה שיש גירסא ברש”י שמשמע שהחלונות היו סתומות, כבר כתב הלבו”ש ועוד, שהוא גירסא מוטעית. ועוד, שהרי הוא נגד דברי רש”י לעיל שהחלונות אטומות הכוונה צר מבפנים ורחב מבחוץ. (יחזקאל מא, טז) בְּנֶסֶר שֶׁל אֶרֶז, לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ טָחִין עָלָיו צִפּוּי זָהָב, שֶׁכָּל הַבַּיִת טוּחַ בְּזָהָב וְאֵין יְכוֹלִין לָטוּחַ זָהָב עַל גַּבֵּי אֲבָנִים. "עַל מֵעַל" גֹּבַהּ "הַפֶּתַח ... וְאֶל כָּל הַקִּיר סָבִיב סָבִיב" בְּכָל כְּתָלָיו "בַּפְּנִימִי וּבַחִיצוֹן מִדּוֹת" (יחזקאל מא, יז) פֵּרוּשׁ, מְחֻפִּים נְסָרִים גְּדוֹלִים עֲשׂוּיוֹת בַּמִּדָּה. וּמְצֻיָּרִים בָּאֶרֶז הַהוּא "כְּרוּבִים וְתִמֹרִים, וְתִמֹרָה בֵּין כְּרוּב לִכְרוּב, וּשְׁנַיִם פָּנִים לַכְּרוּב, וּפְנֵי אָדָם וְגוֹ' " (מא יח-יט).
“There were doorposts… and the windows were covered,”2Ibid,:16. i.e. wooden frames were made for the windows and the frames “were covered,” plated with gold, for the entire Sanctuary was plated with gold, and gold plate cannot be applied to stone. There were large boards that would cover, “to the space above the height of the entrance… on the entire wall, all around,”3Ibid.:17. i.e., on all the walls of the Sanctuary, “in the inner [chamber],” i.e., the Holy of Holies, “and in the outer [chamber],” i.e., the Sanctuary. The boards were “carefully measured.” Designs were carved on these boards, including “cherubs and date palms; there was a date palm between one cherub and another. Each cherub had two faces, and there was a human face.”4Ibid.:18-19.