הא במים מכבסין אמר אביי ה"ק הוגעו במים מכבסין אותו בנתר ואהל
in the Temple, whereupon the priests decided by vote to hide it. Our Rabbis taught: The priestly garments were not sewn but woven,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' They were woven directly into garments, not first into cloth and then sewn together.');"><sup>33</sup></span> as it is said, of woven work.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XXVIII, 32.');"><sup>34</sup></span> If soiled, they might not be washed with natron<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Sanh. (Sonc. ed.) p. 330, n. 5.');"><sup>35</sup></span> or with ahal.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A substance used as soap. - The reason for all these is that it savours of poverty to repair or cleanse them for Temple use.');"><sup>36</sup></span> But you may wash them in water?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Surely not; that too savours of poverty and is moreover inefficient.');"><sup>37</sup></span> - Said Abaye, This is what he means: If they [merely] needed water,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit ,'if they were brought to water.' - i.e., they were only slightly soiled.');"><sup>38</sup></span> you may wash them [even] with natron or ahal.
Sefer HaChinukh
From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Zevachim 112b) that before the Temple was built in Jerusalem, they would sacrifice in other places; but from when the Temple was built, all of the places were forbidden to build a house for the sake of God and to sacrifice there - as it is stated (Psalms 132:14), "This is the place of My resting forever and ever. And these are the things that are the main part of the building of the Temple: We make a Holy and a Holy of Holies there; and in front of the Holy is another place and it is called the chamber, and the three of them are called the sanctuary (Mishnah Middot 4:6); and we make a partition around the sanctuary distant from it, like the curtains of the courtyard that were in the wilderness; and everything that is encircled by this partition, which is like the courtyard of the tent of meeting is called the yard - and the whole thing is called the Temple (mikdash) - and we make the vessels in the Temple that are written in the Torah that we need there. And that which they said (Zevachim 88a) that we immediately melt down all holy vessels that become pierced or cracked and make new ones; and [that] we do not fix a knife, the blade of which is detached or dented, but rather bury it immediately, as there is no poverty in a place of wealth. And [that] we make boundaries in the yard - up until here for Israel, up until here for the priests. And [that] close to it, we build enclosures to use for all the needs of the Temple, and each one is called a compartment. And the rest of its details, such as how was the building of the Temple, its form, all of its measurements, the building of the altar and its ordinances – are [all] elucidated in Tractate Middot. And so [too,] the form of the menorah, the table, and the golden altar and their place in the chamber are in the Gemara, [in] Meanchot and Yoma.
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