The Table stands to the north of the Heikhal, two and a half amot from the wall, in the western half of the room, facing the Menora. It measures 2 amot long, 1 wide, 1.5 high, in acacia wood gold-plated, with a rim, the zer. It bears the twelve showbreads, the Lechem HaPanim, arranged in two stacks of six that rise about two amot above it. The loaves are separated by 28 gold tubes, carried by four gold uprights set on the floor, which extend past the stacks and rise higher than the Menora. In the tour, two incense cups are set on the stacks; the Rambam places them beside the stacks.
Dimensions
- 2 amot long × 1 wide × 1.5 high, in the six-tefach ama (R. Meir)
- 2.5 amot from the north wall
- 12 loaves in two stacks of 6
- loaf of 10 × 5 tefachim, turned up 2 tefachim on each side of the Table, 7 etzbaot high
- stacks separated by 2 tefachim, that is ≈ 2 amot of stack above the Table
- 28 gold tubes (kanim), four uprights (snifim) ≈ 3.6 amot (height: model's choice)
- two incense cups (bazikhin): on the stacks in the model, beside the stacks according to the Rambam
Sources
Project decisionAdopted: the western half of the Heikhal, beyond twenty amot from the entrance. Menachot 98b reconciles “half” and “a third” of the building: the third is counted over the 60 amot of the Heikhal and the Kodesh HaKodashim. Adopted: R. Meir's six-tefach ama, which the Rambam follows (Temidin 5:9). Set aside: R. Yehuda, for whom the Table is 10 × 5 tefachim and the loaf is turned up two and a half tefachim (Menachot 11:5). Adopted: uprights on the floor, for the one who sees the loaf as an open box; set aside: the loaf “like a rocking boat”, whose uprights rest on the Table (Menachot 94b). Tour's choice: the height of the uprights, which no source gives, and the incense cups set on the stacks, following the Sages; Abba Shaul (Menachot 11:5) and the Rambam (Beit HaBechirah 3:14; Temidin 5:2) place them beside the stacks.