The Curtain

Ritual Objects

The Curtain (Parochet) is the finely embroidered cloth that covers the Ark of the Covenant and divides the Temple’s inner sanctum from the rest of the shrine.

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The Sacred Partition

TANAKH

The detailed instructions for the curtain in the Tabernacle highlight its significance as a partition between the Holy and the Holy of Holies, emphasizing the sacredness of the space where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. The book of Exodus provides meticulous details about the materials, colors, and design of the curtain, as well as its function within the Tabernacle.

You shall make a curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen; it shall have a design of cherubim worked into it. Hang it upon four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and having hooks of gold, [set] in four sockets of silver. Hang the curtain under the clasps, and carry the Ark of the Pact there, behind the curtain, so that the curtain shall serve you as a partition between the Holy and the Holy of Holies.

Exodus 26:31-33

The High Priest's Yom Kippur Rituals

GUIDES

The High Priest's detailed rituals on Yom Kippur, including the sprinkling of blood, are central to the atonement and purification process. Adin Steinsaltz provides a comprehensive description of these rites, clarifying the order and disposal of the blood.

After concluding the service in the Holy of Holies, the High Priest performed additional rites in the Sanctuary, i.e., the sprinkling of the blood on the curtain and the golden altar, also called the incense altar. These rites too are performed almost exclusively on Yom Kippur. The order of the sprinklings on the curtain and the altar must be clarified in detail, from the spot where they are performed to the disposal of the remainder of the blood.

Introductions to the Babylonian Talmud, Yoma, Introduction to Perek V 5

The Two Curtains of the Temple

TALMUD

Rabbi Yehuda offers a unique perspective on the layout of the Temple, suggesting the existence of two curtains and detailing the High Priest's specific path between them. The Talmudic tractate Yoma, which discusses the Yom Kippur service, includes a debate among the Rabbis about the entrance to the innermost chamber of the Temple.

And Rabbi Yehuda maintains that there were two curtains, and therefore he could have said to you that although the entrance to the Holy of Holies was on the north side, because there were two curtains, one behind the other, the entrance was positioned in the south. The High Priest entered on the south side and walked between the curtains to the north of the inner curtain where he entered the Holy of Holies. The Gemara asks: And Rabbi Meir, in accordance with whose opinion does he hold? If he holds in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda…

Yoma 51b:8

Funding the Weavers of the Temple Curtains

TALMUD

The debate over the allocation of funds for the women who weave the Temple curtains highlights the importance of proper financial management in sacred spaces. The Talmudic discussion in Ketubot explores whether the wages for these women should come from the Temple maintenance funds or from the collection of the chamber.

Rav Naḥman said that Rav said: The women who weave the curtains that separate the Temple Sanctuary from the Holy of Holies would take their wages from the collection of the chamber. Rav Naḥman added: But I say that they would not be paid from the collection of the chamber; rather, their salary would come from the funds consecrated for Temple maintenance. Why? Since the curtains served in place of the solid construction of the building, they were part of the Temple itself…

Ketubot 106a:10

The Curtain of the Second Temple

MISHNAH

The intricate details of the curtain in the Second Temple reflect the reverence and dedication in Jewish worship practices. The Mishnah, in tractate Shekalim, provides a detailed account of the curtain’s construction, including its thickness, materials, dimensions, and the number of priests required to carry it.

The Gemara discusses the aforementioned curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the Sanctuary. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says in the name of Rabbi Shimon the son of the deputy High Priest: The curtain has the thickness of a handbreadth, and it is woven from seventy-two strands of yarn. And each and every strand from those seventy-two is made from twenty-four threads. The curtain was made from four materials: Sky-blue wool, purple wool, scarlet wool, and fine linen, and a strand was made up of six threads of each type of material…

Mishnah Shekalim 8:5

Engineering the Curtain in the Second Temple

TALMUD

The Second Temple's increased height posed significant structural challenges, particularly in constructing a curtain to separate the Holy of Holies from the Sanctuary. The Talmudic tractate Bava Batra discusses the practical and architectural solutions the rabbis proposed to address these challenges.

The Gemara asks: If so, if the Second Temple building was taller, then to separate between the Holy of Holies and the Sanctuary in the Second Temple they should have made a wall thirty cubits high and then made a curtain for the rest of the height, the seventy-cubit difference in height between the First and Second Temples. The Gemara answers: This would have been impossible, as even when a thirty-cubit wall that is six handbreadths thick stands, it is due to the ceiling and plaster which attaches it to the ceiling that it stands…

Bava Batra 3b:2

The Sanctity of the Curtain

KABBALAH

The artisans' work on the curtain was not just craftsmanship but a spiritually inspired act of holiness. The Zohar, a central text of Jewish mysticism, delves into the deeper spiritual meanings behind the Torah, including the sanctity of the artisans' work.

Now, when the women brought articles for the Tabernacle they used to specify what part each was for; “this is for the holy place, this for the curtain”, and so forth, and each thing went to its place in holiness.

Zohar, Tazria 28:146

Craftsmanship and Purity in the Temple Curtain

TALMUD

The detailed procedures for maintaining the Temple curtain reflect the importance of ritual purity and aesthetics in Jewish worship. The Jerusalem Talmud provides meticulous specifications for the creation and maintenance of the Temple curtain, including its dimensions, materials, and the number of priests involved in its immersion.

MISHNAH: If a gobelin became impure by derivative impurity, one immersed it inside and brought it back immediately. But if by original impurity, one immersed it outside and spread it out in the ante-court because it requires sundown. If it was new, one spreads it out on the roof of the stoa so the people could see its workmanship, which was beautiful.
Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel says in the name of Rebbi Simeon, the son of the Executive Officer of the Temple: The thickness of a gobelin was a hand-width. It was woven on 72 strings and each string was composed of 24 threads…

Jerusalem Talmud Shekalim 8:2:1

Maintaining Sacred Curtains

TOSEFTA

The maintenance of the sacred curtains was crucial for ensuring ritual purity, especially on the Day of Atonement. The Tosefta Shekalim provides detailed procedures for handling the sacred curtains, including the use of two curtains and their replacement process.

R. Hananya b. Antignos says: Two curtains were there, one spread and one unfolded. If the one spread out became unclean, the unfolded one was spread out. On the eve of the Day of Atonement, they brought in the new one and took out the old one.

Tosefta Shekalim (Lieberman) 3:15

The Spiritual Journey

MUSAR

The spiritual journey is marked by continuous striving for higher levels of sanctity, and divine assistance comes when man begins to sanctify himself. Rabbi Isaiah HaLevi Horowitz’s 17th-century work, Shenei Luchot HaBerit, offers profound insights into spiritual growth and ethical conduct.

ועשית פרוכת והיה מבדיל בין הקודש ובין קודש הקדשים, "You shall make a curtain which will divide between the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies." We have a lesson here on how man must proceed in order to advance towards higher levels of sanctity. When physical man on earth begins to sanctify himself, G–d will assist by helping him to perfect himself and contribute twice as much as man had already contributed towards this goal. One must never be satisfied and think that one has achieved as much as possible in this respect, but forever strive to advance towards still higher levels of sanctity.

Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Torah Shebikhtav, Terumah, Derekh Chayim 17

Guardians of Sacred Spaces

HALAKHAH

The Levites had specific duties in the Temple, including guarding sacred areas like the Chamber of the Parochet and other critical locations. In his monumental 12th-century legal code, the Mishneh Torah, Maimonides details the responsibilities of the Levites in maintaining the sanctity and security of the Temple.

They also stood watch in the Chamber of the Sacrifices, the Chamber of the Parochet, and behind the Holy of Holies.

Mishneh Torah, The Chosen Temple 8:9

The Menorah's Position in the Tabernacle

MIDRASH

The precise placement of the menorah in the Tabernacle is crucial for understanding the layout and rituals of ancient Jewish worship. The Sifra, an early halachic midrash on Leviticus, clarifies that the menorah was positioned closer to the parochet (curtain) than to the entrance of the tent of meeting.

8) (Vayikra 24:3) ("Outside the veil (parocheth) of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, shall Aaron order it, from evening until morning, before the L–rd always, an everlasting statute throughout your generations.") "outside the veil (parocheth) of the testimony": What is the intent of this? (i.e., it is already written) From (Shemoth 40:24) "And he put the menorah in the tent of meeting opposite the table, "I do not know if close to the parocheth or close to the entrance. "Outside the parocheth of the testimony in the tent of meeting tells us that it was closer to the parocheth than to the…

Sifra, Emor, Section 13 8

Torah Ark Curtain, Germany 1728/29. Gift of Rose Weinfeld, The Jewish Museum, New York.

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