The "Women's Court" at the Temple

(5) The Woman's Courtyard was one hundred and thirty five [ amah] by thirty five [ amah]. And there were four chambers in its four corners each forty amot [long] and they did not have a roof. And this is the way they will be in the future [in the Third Temple], as is stated "And he took me to the outer Courtyard and passed me around the four corners of the Courtyard, and an enclosure in the corner of the Courtyard etc. And at the four corners of the Courtyard were enclosures that were keturot.(Ezekiel 46:21-22). The word keturot means nothing but without roofs. And what were these chambers used for? In the southeastern corner was the chamber of the Nazirim where the Nazirim would cook their peace offerings, shave their heads, and throw [the hair] underneath the pot. The Northeastern chamber was the chamber of the wood, where the Kohanim who were [physically] blemished would check the wood [to be used on the alter] for worms. Any piece of wood containing a worm was unfit for use on the alter. In the Northwestern corner was the chamber of the lepers. The Southwestern corner, Rabbi Eliezer son of Yaakov said "I forgot what it was used for." Abba Shaul said it was used to store the wine and oil. It was called the Chamber of the House of Oil. [The wall around the Women's Courtyard] was originally smooth [with no protrusions from it] but later a balcony was built around it, so that the women could watch from above with the men from below so they would not intermingle. There were fifteen steps going up [from the Women's Courtyard] to the Courtyard of the Israelites, equivalent to the fifteen songs of Ascent in psalms, and upon them the Levites would sing their songs. They [the fifteen steps] were not straight but rounded like a semi circular threshing floor.

(6) There were chambers underneath the Israelite courtyard that opened to the Women's Courtyard, which is where the Levites would put their harps, lyres and cymbals and all other musical instruments. The Israelites' Courtyard was one hundred and thirty five amot long and eleven [ amot] wide. Similarly the Kohanim's Courtyard was one hundred and thirty five amot long and eleven [ amot] wide. The tops of beams [stuck in the ground] separated between the Israelites' Courtyard and the Kohanim's Courtyard. Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov said that there was a step [the length of the Kohanim's Courtyard] one amah high and a platform [where the Levites stood when they sang] was placed on it. It [the one amah step] had three steps [leading to the platform], each was one half amah [high]. As a result we find that the the Kohanim's Courtyard was two and a half amot higher than the Israelite's Courtyard. The entire courtyard was one hundred and eighty seven [amot] long and one hundred thirty five [amot] wide. There were thirteen prostrations there [in the Courtyard]. Abba Yosi ben Chanan says, [these prostrations] corresponded to the thirteen gates [of the Courtyard]. [The names of the gates] The southern [gates] that were close to the west [were called] the Upper Gate, the Kindling Gate, the Firstborn's Gate and the Water Gate. Why was it called the Water Gate? Because it was through that gate that the jug of water was carried for the libation of the festival [Sukkot]. Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says, because there the water became a stream and in the future it will come out from underneath the Temple. And opposite [the southern gate] on the northern [side] close to the west was the Gate of Yechoniah, the Gate of the Sacrifices, the Gate of the Women and the Gate of Song. Why was it called the gate of Yechonia? Because it was through that gate that [King] Yechoniah left [the Temple] on his way into exile. On the eastern side was the Gate of Nikanor, and there were two smaller doors next to it one on its right and the other on its left. There were also two gates in the west that had no name.