“There are ten degrees of holiness”: the land of Israel, walled cities, within the wall of Jerusalem, the Har HaBayit, the Cheil, the Ezrat Nashim, the Ezrat Israel, the Ezrat Kohanim, the space between the Ulam and the altar, the Heikhal and the Kodesh HaKodashim — eleven places for ten degrees. The Geonim explain that the land of Israel is not counted: the other degrees honour the place by keeping some impurity or some people out of it, which the land of Israel does not. Others say the first Tanna follows Rabbi Yose, for whom the space between the Ulam and the altar equals the Heikhal: he counts only ten.
Dimensions
- eleven places, ten degrees
- each degree keeps someone out
Sources
- Kelim 1:6“עֶשֶׂר קְדֻשּׁוֹת הֵן, אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל מְקֻדֶּשֶׁת מִכָּל הָאֲרָצוֹת”
- Bartenura on Kelim 1:9“וְעֶשֶׂר קְדֻשּׁוֹת דִּתְנַן בְּמַתְנִיתִין וְהָנָךְ אַחַד עָשָׂר נִינְהוּ, פֵּרְשׁוּ הַגְּאוֹנִים דְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵינָהּ מִמִּנְיַן הַקְּדֻשּׁוֹת”
Project decisionTour's choice: the first stop stands in Jerusalem, on the square before the western wall of the Har HaBayit; neither the land of Israel nor the walled cities are shown. No figures: each stop tells who may enter.