they were
coupled in the pins of brass; and as there were pins to the tabernacle, so
were there pins to the court, as is said, "All the vessels of the
tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all
the pins of the court, shall be of brass."(630) But you could not know how
much space there was from the hangings to the entrance of the court, till
he said, "And the hangings of the court, and the hanging for the door of
the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar."(631)
As between the tabernacle and the altar there were ten cubits, so from the
hangings to the entrance of the court there were ten cubits. But you could
not know how high was the entrance of the court, till he said, "And for
the gate of the court shall be a hanging of twenty cubits," in length and
height. In breadth it was five cubits. "There was no meaning in saying
five cubits, and what is the meaning of saying five cubits?" "To instruct
thee that its length was ten cubits, and its breadth five cubits." As was
the entrance of the tent, so was the entrance of the court. As was the
entrance of the court, so was the entrance of the sanctuary. As was the
height of the entrance of the sanctuary, so was the breadth of the
entrance of the porch. "The length of the court shall be 100 cubits, and
the breadth of it fifty everywhere."(632) The oral law says, "Take fifty
and surround them with fifty."(633) Hence said Rabbi Jose, the son of
Rabbi Judah,(634) "an enclosed space which can contain two seahs (of sown
grain) as the court of the tabernacle, is lawful for carrying burdens on
the Sabbath day."

Chapter VI

The ark which Moses made in the desert was in length two cubits and a
half, and in breadth one cubit and a half, and in height one cubit and a
half, as is said, "And they shall make an ark of shittim-wood, two cubits
and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth
thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof."(635) R. Meier said,
"with a cubit containing six hand-breadths--thus they make fifteen
hand-breadths. Take from them twelve hand-breadths for the breadth of the
tables, and two hand-breadths for the place where the roll of the Law lay,
and half a hand-breadth from either side for the thickness of the ark. And
the breadth of the ark was nine hand-breadths. Take from them six
hand-breadths for the length of the tables, and for the place where the
roll of the Law lay,