Shaar Hamayim
- Water Gate, and its adjacent chambers
During the festival
of Sukkot, the Kohanim drew water from the Shiloach
Brook, and brought it through this gateway. The water
gate was open only during the festival.
Mikvah
- The Ritual Bath
Above the water gate was a mikvah. It was used only
once a year, by the High Priest on Yom Kippur.
On that Holy Day, the High Priest
immersed himself five times in a mikvah. The first
immersion was done here. This mikvah above the water
gate, may also have contributed to the Gate's name.
The water gate took its name
as well from the narrow stream of water that flowed
from beneath the foundations of the Heichal, across
the courtyard, and out through the Water Gate.
Lishkat
Avtinus - The Avtinus Chamber
To the right of this gateway (inside the Azarah) was
a chamber called the Lishkat Avtinus.
In this room, the incense that
was offered on the golden Altar was compounded. The
chamber was named after an illustrious family of spice
makers. They knew of a certain ingredient, which,
when added to the incense, made the smoke rise in
a straight column. They refused to divulge the name
of this ingredient lest others use it for idol worship.
During
the Second Temple period, the High Priesthood was
a political appointment based on reasons other than
merit. Often the priest was unable to read Hebrew.
It was in this Chamber of Avtinus
that he was taught how to present the special Yom
Kippur incense offering, which was burnt in the Holy
of Holies.
In
Addition to the Water Gate, the Southern side of the
Temple also had several additional gateways: 1) Sha'ar
HaBechorot - Gate of the Firstborn; 2) Sha'ar
HaDelek - The Firewood Gate and 3) Sha'ar
HaElyon - The Upper Gate.
Sha'ar
HaBechorot - Gate of the firstborn
Sacrifices are divided into
two types: those of greater and those of lesser sanctity.
Those of greater sanctity had to be slaughtered north
of the Altar. Those of lesser sanctity could be slaughtered
anwhere in the Azarah, even in the southern area.
The firstborn offering was one
of the more common sacrifices of lesser sancitity
and was therefore brought into the Temple through
a southern gate -- to indicate its relative unimportance.
Some say that when Abraham
brought Isaac, his firstborn, to be sacrificed upon
the mount he walked over this area.
Sha'ar
HaDelek- The Firewood Gate
The forests of Jerusalem were
located west of the Upper City. The wood was cut down
and brought in through the Kiphonus Gate, the only
gate on the western side of the Temple wall to lead
directly onto the Temple Mount.
The wood could
not be brought in through the western gates surrounding
the Azarah, because those gates were narrow and small.
The wood had to
be carried around to the southern part of the Azarah
and brought in through one of those gateways, which
was called the Gate of the Firewood.
The firewood from
the Wood Chamber was also
brought into the Azarah through the Gate of the Firewood.
Sha'ar HaElyon - Upper Gate
The upper gate
- not to be confused with the Nikanor
Gate that was also called the Upper Gate - was
the highest point on the Temple Mount.