Commentary for I Kings 6:20
וְלִפְנֵ֣י הַדְּבִ֡יר עֶשְׂרִים֩ אַמָּ֨ה אֹ֜רֶךְ וְעֶשְׂרִ֧ים אַמָּ֣ה רֹ֗חַב וְעֶשְׂרִ֤ים אַמָּה֙ קֽוֹמָת֔וֹ וַיְצַפֵּ֖הוּ זָהָ֣ב סָג֑וּר וַיְצַ֥ף מִזְבֵּ֖חַ אָֽרֶז׃
And before the Sanctuary which was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof, overlaid with pure gold, he set an altar, which he covered with cedar.
Rashi on I Kings
The inside of the Holy of Holies. Within that partition was an area of twenty [amohs] long and twenty [amohs] wide.
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Rashi on I Kings
And twenty amohs high. I.e., the height of the Holy of Holies was lower than that of the Temple.32The height of the Holy of Holies was twenty amohs, and the height of the Temple was stated as thirty amohs in v. 2 above.
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Rashi on I Kings
He covered it. The Sanctuary, [i.e.,] the partition.
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Rashi on I Kings
Refined gold. Our Rabbis explained this [סגור], that at the time [this type of gold] was offered for sale, all other stores were closed [=נסגרות].33See Maseches Yoma 45a. The other stores were closed because no one would want to buy regular gold. But [Targum] Yonoson rendered this as “good gold,” i.e., he who possesses this gold “locks” it [סוגרו] for himself.34It is so precious that he keeps it closed up all the time.
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Rashi on I Kings
[He] covered the altar with cedar wood. That is the [golden] altar of incense, but I am perplexed, why was Moshe’s [golden altar] hidden?
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