In the second month, ba-sheni (=on/in the second). This means: on the second day of the week. Alternatively, it is a repetition, as in: “until the tenth month; in the tenth [month], on the first of the month” (Gen 8:5). Our Sages, of blessed memory (b. Rosh Hashanah 3a), say that the text says ba-sheni is to impart that [the number of years of the reign of] Israelite kings is counted from Nisan. That is, it says “In the second month, in the second” because the month that is second in the yearly cycle is also second for counting [the years] of Israelite kings.

It is these with which Solomon husad to build the House of God. This means: These are the characteristics and the dimensions with which Solomon husad to build the House of God. Husad means “was advised,” akin to yissad ha-melekh (=the king established; Esth 1:8), yissadta ‘oz (=You have established strength; Ps 8:3), and nosedu yaḥad (=plotted with one another; Ps 2:2): they all have the sense of yesod (=a foundation), because advice and guidance (sod) for action is like a yesod (=foundation) for a building. Solomon received the advice and guidance for the construction of the Temple from his father David, as it says above, “David gave his son Solomon the plan of the porch” (1 Chr 28:11).

By the former measure. This means: by the measure by which the Tabernacle and its furnishings were made: this cubit is equal to that one. It says in the Mishnah (Kelim 17:10): “The cubit was six fistlengths for the building and five for the furnishings.”

Sixty cubits. The inner Sanctuary is included in this.

The porch that, spanning the length, spanning the width of the Temple. This means: The porch that was positioned along the width of the Temple spanned twenty cubits in length, because its length spanned the width of the Temple. Because the longer surface is called the length and the shorter one the width, the “length” of the porch spanned the “width” of the Temple.

And the height [of the porch] was one hundred and twenty [cubits]. In the book of Kings the text does not mention the height of the porch, but it does mention the height of the Temple: “and the height was thirty cubits” (1 Kgs 6:2). It might be that the porch alone was this tall, and that it extended above the Temple. Alternatively, the entire Temple was the same height; and when it says in Kings “and its height was thirty cubits” it means from the floor of the Temple to the ceiling, whereas above the ceiling there were upper stories ninety cubits high, as it says “its storerooms and its upper chambers” (1 Chr 28:11). Indeed, it says [here], “and the upper chambers he overlaid with gold” (v. 9). But what I consider most likely is that the porch alone was this tall, because it contained the upper chambers. That is why the text relates the upper chambers to the porch when it says, “David gave his son Solomon the plan for the porch and its chambers, its storerooms, and its upper chambers and inner rooms” (1 Chr ibid.). After all, the description of the porch is not included with [that of] the Temple, nor is [the description of] the Temple included with [that of] the porch, either in the book of Kings or in this book. When the text says, “and the height was one hundred and twenty,” therefore, it refers to the porch alone. There cannot be an objection on the grounds that, because it says “and the height was one hundred and twenty” instead of “and its height,” it seems to refer to the entire Temple. After all, it says “spanning the length,” not “spanning its length.” When the text says, “David gave his son Solomon the plan for the porch,” this does not include the Great Hall and the inner Sanctuary. Rather, they are included in “and its chambers.” The text relates the Great Hall to [the porch] even though the Great Hall was longer than it: because the porch was the outer chamber, the text relates the inner chambers—that is, the Great Hall and the recesses in its walls—to the porch. It then mentions “the chamber of the Ark-cover” (1 Chr ibid.)—that is, the Devir, where the Ark was—which was the innermost chamber. But from what our Sages, of blessed memory, say, it seems that there were also upper chambers above the Great Hall and inner Sanctuary.

The large chamber he paneled with cypress wood. This is the Great Hall, which was the largest chamber; for its length was forty cubits.

Timorim. [This means] figures of temarim (=palms).

Parvayim. This is the name of a place. But our Sages, of blessed memory (b. Yoma 45a), explain that [the gold] was red like the blood of bulls (parim).

The Holy of Holies. This is the inner Sanctuary.

Sculptures of ṣa‘aṣu‘im. This is the equivalent of ṣe’eṣa‘im (=offspring), as our Sages, of blessed memory (b. Sukkah 5b), say: “Keruv (=cherub): … ke-ravia (=like a baby),” for [the cherubim] had faces of children. But some (?) explain that they were sculpted in a karkov-like (=rounded) form, known in Arabic as ṣan‘at kharrat.

Le-ammot ḥamesh (=five cubits). The lamed is like the lamed of ve-ha-shelishi le-Avshalom (=and the third one Absalom; cf. 1 Chr 3:2).

Spread across twenty cubits—as was the length of the Temple. But there was no need for the bodies of the cherubim to stand miraculously, because the bodies were under the wings.

And they stood on their feet—not like the ones Bezalel made, which were on the Ark at the two ends of its covering (Exod 37:6–9); for these stood on their feet on the floor of the Temple.

Facing the Temple. But concerning the ones Bezalel made it says, “facing one another” (Exod 37:9)! It is possible to explain that they were altered in this respect, just as they were altered in that they stood on their feet and were of olive wood overlaid with gold (1 Kgs 6:23, 28). But our Sages, of blessed memory (b. Bava Batra 99a), harmonize the two verses, saying that [the cherubim] faced sideways, akin to a student taking leave of his mentor.

[Solomon] made the curtain. He made a curtain even though the inner Sanctuary had doors (1 Kgs 31–32). For they were not closed, so that the poles would be seen upon the front of the inner Sanctuary.

And he worked cherubim into it. There were designs of cherubim on the curtain. The text says the same thing concerning the curtain in the Tabernacle: “he shall work cherubim into it” (Exod 26:31).

Thirty-five cubits in length. This refers to the measurement of the two columns together; for the height of one column was only eighteen (1 Kgs 7:15), and the same for the other—for a combined total of thirty-six. The reason the text says just thirty-five, though, leaving out one cubit, is that half a cubit of each was inserted into a capital. The reason the text provides the height of the two columns together is that when they were cast, they were cast as one. The proof is that it says “length,” implying that it is providing the measurement at the time of the casting; for when they were cast, their height was in fact length. In the book of Kings, however, the text provides their measurement after they were stood up in place, at which point they were vertical—so it provides their height. That is why it provides the measurement of each column independently—in height.

And the ṣefet. This is the koteret (=capital) mentioned in the book of Kings (1 7:16), for there was a capital on top of each column (ibid.). It was five cubits, as the text says here, “five cubits.” But at the end of the book of Kings it says, “the capital was three cubits” (2 Kgs 25:17)! Our Sages, of blessed memory (Baraita of the Forty-nine Principles), say: “The two bottom cubits of the capitals, which had no design, were identical to the columns, whereas the top three [cubits] extended outward by virtue of their surrounding design, as the text says, ‘nets of meshwork’ (1 Kgs 7:17): they were surrounded by the likeness of palm branches.” At the end of Kings, then, it only counts the three upper cubits that had the meshwork on them. That is why it says right afterward, “and there was a meshwork [decorated] with pomegranates about the capital” (2 Kgs 25:17)—for it is speaking only of the three upper cubits that had the meshwork on them. The reason the capital is called the ṣefet is that it was ṣafuy (=laid over) the column.

[Solomon] made chainwork on the inner Sanctuary and he placed on top of the columns. This is not saying that he placed the chainwork that was on the inner Sanctuary on top of the columns, for the columns were on the porch in front of the Great Hall! Instead, it means that he made chainwork on the inner Sanctuary, as the text says in Kings, “He inserted bars of gold chainwork in front of the inner Sanctuary” (1 Kgs 6:21); and, it proceeds to say, “he placed on top of the columns,” meaning that he placed [more] chainwork on top of the columns. But because it had already said “chainwork,” it leaves [the word] out and relies on the reader’s understanding. Such is the method of the text in many places.

And [Solomon] called the [column] to the right Yakhin and the one to the left Bo‘az. According to the plain sense, he called them this as a good omen: Yakhin in the sense of hakhanah (=securing), meaning that the Temple should be secured forever, and Bo‘az in the sense of ‘oz (=strength)—it is a compound word: bo ‘oz (=there is strength in it)—meaning that God should give the Temple strength and endurance. Because the columns were at the entrance to the Temple, he called them names that would be a good omen for it.