This Week's Article

Shaar Tadi

Midot (1:3) | Yisrael Bankier | 2 hours ago

This week we started masechet Midot, that discusses the design and structure of the second Beit HaMikash. The third Mishnah teaches that Har HaBayit had five gates. In this article we shall focus on the Northern gate. The Mishnah explains that this gate was called Shaar Tadi and it had no use.

The Rosh explains that the name related to the structure of the gated and particularly its height -- it was tall. Its lintel was made of two angled stones resting on one another, that came to a point. The Tifferet Yisrael explains that that is why some have a version of the Mishnah that reads that it was called Tri due to its triangular structure.

The Tosfot Yom Tov cites the Radak who explains that Tadi was a person and the gate was called so after him. The Ezrat Kohanim however is unsure why the gate would be called after a person. It is true that there was a gate called after Nikanor but that was due to the miracles that occurred to him as he endeavoured to bring the bronze doors to the Beit HaMikdash as we learn tin Yoma. Perhaps there was a similar misaret nefesh was involved in this gate, yet the Ezrat Kohanim argues that one would expect the Mishnah or Gemara to have recorded that story.

The Tosfot Yom Tov also provides another explanation that the word tadi is a language of piyut (poem or hymn). It is not immediately clear however why the gate would be called that name. He suggests that perhaps that by that gate there was a chamber for the paytanim to instruct the leviim in song. He explains that it would have been important since each mizmor had its specific tune. The Tifferet Yisrael suggests the word Tadi might have similar origins to the term Te Deum which means a song of thanks.

The Tosfot Yom Tov however also cites the Tosfot who explain that the term means hidden.

The difficulty with the Mishnah is that we learn that according to R' Eliezer ben Yaakov, that gate did have a use. The Mishnah (1:9) later teaches that if a kohen that was sleeping in the Beit HaMoked became a baal keri and therefore tameh, he would descend to immerse in the mikveh under Har HaBayit. R' Eliezer ben Yaakov maintains that he would not return to the Beit HaMoked but rather proceed to Shaar Tadi to leave Har HaBayit. The gate therefore did have a use.

The Ezrat Kohanim explains the Mishnah nonetheless teaches that it was not used for several reasons. Firstly, the Mishnah was focused on dear or important uses and the exit for baalei keri does not qualify. Secondly, its use was only as an exit, but not as an entry. Furthermore, its use was discrete. The kohen would leave through that gate before dawn, so during the daytime it would appear to everyone that it really was not used. All these reasons combined is sufficient to answer the question. He however also adds that it is possible that while that was its intended use, the Mishnah is explaining that it was never used. In other words, the situation to use it for this purpose rarely occurred.

The Gra explains that the Mishnah is teaching that it had no [other]{.underline} uses, because it was the exit for individuals that were baalei keri. That way they could exit, safe from any embarrassment. The Tifferet Yisrael explains it is for this reason that it was call Tadi. According to the above explanation that it means secret or concealed, it was to ensure that those that exited through that gate could do so secretly.

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