Commentary for Menachot 194:19

אלא חיק האמה בגובהה אמה רוחב כניסה גבולה אל שפתה סביב

- He was not exact [in his reckoning]. But we have learnt further: The place<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' On the top surface, beyond the horns, upon the altar.');">²⁴</span> on which the feet of the priests trod was one cubit on every side; thus there were left twenty-four cubits by twenty-four, the place for the altar fire.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Mid. III, 1.');">²⁰</span> According to you, however, it should be twenty-five by twenty-five! Should you say also here that he was not exact, but it is written, And the altar hearth shall be twelve cubits long by twelve broad, square.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ezek. XLIII, 16.');">²⁵</span> Now you might say that it was only twelve cubits by twelve; but when it also says, In the four quarters thereof,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ezek. XLIII, 16.');">²⁵</span> it teaches that one must measure from the middle twelve cubits in every direction!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., each quarter of the top surface of the altar must measure twelve cubits by twelve, therefore the whole top surface must be twenty-four by twenty-four. And as this is the teaching of the verse it cannot be said that the measurement is not exact!');">²⁶</span> And should you say that originally<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' At the construction of the altar.');">²⁷</span> six [of the thirty-two cubits] were cubits of five handbreadths,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the last three cubits of each side of the base were of five handbreadths each, so that six of these cubits equalled five cubits of six handbreadths each; accordingly the length of each side was in reality thirty-one cubits.');">²⁸</span> then the Temple court must have had more space, and we have learnt: The Temple court was in all a hundred and eighty-seven cubits long and a hundred and thirty-five cubits wide. From east to west it was a hundred and eighty-seven cubits: the place where the feet of the Israelites trod<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The court of the Israelites, at the entrance of the Temple court.');">²⁹</span> was eleven cubits; the place where the feet of the priests trod<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The court of the priests. okut kfhv');">³⁰</span> was eleven cubits; the altar was thirty-two cubits; between the porch<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Heb. , the entrance to the , the Sanctuary.');">³¹</span> and the altar was twenty-two cubits; the Sanctuary was a hundred cubits, and eleven cubits behind the Holy of Holies!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'the house of the mercy seat'; v. Mid. V, 1.');">³²</span> - You must therefore say that 'the bottom shall be a cubit' refers to the height [of the base], 'a cubit the breadth' to the rebatement [of the sobeb], an 'the border thereof by the edge thereof round about' refers to the height<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So MS.M. and Sh. Mek., and such is the interpretation of Rashi. It is omitted in cur. edd.');">³³</span> [of the horns], but [as to the spac taken up by the horns]

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