The foundation stone, at the center of the Kodesh HaKodashim: raw rock breaking through the gold floor, taken from the First Temple, and rising three fingers above it. The Ark rests on it.
Dimensions
- rises three fingers above the floor
- at the center of the room (tour's choice)
Sources
Project decisionAdopted: the stone at the center. Bava Batra 99a gives the Ark of Moses, in Shlomo's Temple, ten amot of space on every side; but this is a miracle — “מְקוֹם אָרוֹן וּכְרוּבִים אֵינוֹ מִן הַמִּדָּה” — and the baraita says nothing of the stone. Set aside: the Rambam, who places the stone in the western part of the Kodesh HaKodashim (Beit HaBechirah 4:1). Tour's choice: the irregular outline of the rock, its extent and its relief; only its height, three fingers, is fixed. First Temple: the gold floor (I Kings 6:30); Middot 4:1 speaks only of gold. In the Second Temple the stone stood empty, the Ark having been removed (Yoma 5:2); the tour shows the Temple to come, with the Ark resting on it.