In the Mishnah, Kelim 1.6-9, we have a list of the ten levels of Kedusha, where it says, “There are ten degrees of holiness. The land of Israel is holier that any other land. Wherein lies its holiness? In that from it they may bring the Omer, the Firstfruits, and the Two Loaves, which they may not bring from any other land.
The walled cities of the land of Israel are still more holy, in that they must send forth the lepers from their midst; moreover they may carry around a corpse therein wheresoever they will, but once it is gone forth from a city they may not bring it back.
Within the wall of Jerusalem is still more holy, for there only they may eat the Lesser Holy Things (Kodshai Kelim) and the Second Tithe. The Temple Mount is still more holy, for no man or woman who has a flux, no menstruate, and no woman after childbirth may enter therein. The Rampart (the Chel) is still more holy, for no gentiles and none that have contracted uncleanness from a corpse may enter therein. The Court of the Women is still more holy, for none that had immersed himself the selfsame day because of uncleanness may enter therein, yet none would thereby become liable to a Sin-offering. The Court of the Israelites is still more holy, for none whose atonement is yet incomplete may enter therein, and they would thereby become liable to a Sin-offering. The Court of the Priests is still more holy, for Israelites may not enter therein save only when they must perform the laying on of hands, slaughtering, and waving.
Between the Porch and the Altar (this is between the western wall of the Ulam and the eastern side of the Altar and is 77 cubits wide, or 147.84 feet) is still more holy for none that has a blemish or whose hair is unloosed (Or “wild hair.” Priests were to have short hair-Ezek 44.20) may enter there. The Sanctuary is still more holy, for none may enter therein with hands and feet unwashed. The Holy of Holies is still more holy, for none may enter therein save only the High Priest on the Day of Atonement at the time of the Temple service. R. Jose said: In five things is the space between the Porch and the Altar equal to the Sanctuary: for they may not enter there that have a blemish, or that have drunk wine, or that have hands and feet unwashed, and men must keep far from between the Porch and the Altar at the time of burning the incense.”
Now, keep in mind the area between the Porch and the Altar was between the western wall of the Ulam and the eastern side of the Altar. That is 77 cubits, or 147.84 feet wide. That area stretched from the south to the north of the Azarah. What we are building towards is something Yeshua said. The Tosefta, the tractate Kelim Bava Kamma 1.6 has additional information. Even the High Priest could not enter between the Porch and the Altar with unwashed hands and feet. The expression “between the Porch and the Altar” has a special connotation.
We are told in the Mishnah, Middot 3.6, that the Kior (Laver) was located between the Porch and the Altar, and we are told there was 22 cubits (42.24 feet). One would naturally assume it would be the 22 cubit area, right next to the Altar before the steps. That is where most people put the Kior, until now. Once you read Kelim 1.6-9 and the levels of kedusha, it can’t be there because you cannot enter this area unless you washed your hands and your feet. So, how could this be? We know that if a building opens up to the Azarah, it has the kedusha of the Azarah. We know that Beit Avtinas and the other three buildings that were 100 cubits x 50 cubits open up to the Azarah. The Temple Scroll told us that there was a building open to the Azarah called Beit Kior,and it opened up to the Azarah. It was between the Porch and the Altar. Now, where are we going with this? We are going to Matt 23.29-36.
When most people read the “prophets” in Matt 23.29-31, they think he is talking about the prophets of old, like Daniel, Hosea, Ezekiel, Micah, Isaiah and Jeremiah, etc. When Yeshua says serpents, brood of vipers” he is using a term used against the Pharisees of Beit Shammai and the Sadducees, who were aligned with Beit Shammai (Matt 3.7; Luke 3.7). Both Yochanon and Yeshua refer to the Pharisees as a “brood of vipers.” In Matt 23.35 you will notice that Yeshua talks about “Zechariah Ben Berechiah, whom you murdered between the Porch and the Altar.” There is our phrase again, and this gives us a location.
We have already gone over the fact that there was a meeting to discuss the 18 Edicts , and members of Beit Hillel were killed, and these people who were killed were called “prophets” in the Talmud. This event was 50 years before Yeshua spoke these words in Matt 23.29-36. What Yeshua is saying here is this meeting was in the upper chamber of Hananiah Ben Hezekiah Ben Gurion. This “upper chamber” is an upper chamber of the Temple. More specifically, between the Porch and the Altar. There are no chambers in the Azarah area, but there are many chambers in Beit Avtinas, Beit Otzrot, Beit Moked and Beit Nitzotz. So, could Yeshua be referring to an area in Beit Avtinas, on the western half of the building because it was between the Porch and the Altar, between the 147.84 feet area? This chamber was in Beit Avtinas. It doesn’t tell us that Hananiah was a priest or not, but we know he was a sage, a scholar and well respected. He may have been a member of the Sanhedrin, and the Sanhedrin met in the same building (Beit Avtinas), below this chamber of Hananiah.
The members of Beit Shammai present at this meeting would have been the fathers of those Pharisees from Shammai that Yeshua is talking to in this passage. They claim that they would not have acted in the same way their fathers did (23.30), in the way Shammai and the Zealots did, who probably did the killing. Yeshua said their own words now testify against them, that they are indeed the sons of those people who “murdered the prophets” (23.31). Rabbi Zadok aligned himself and Beit Shammai with Judas the Galilean in 6 A.D., thus proving that they followed in their father’s footsteps by aligning themselves with murderers and assassins. Yeshua then accuses the Pharisees from Beit Shammai of murdering Zechariah Ben Berechiah.
Josephus gives an account of a righteous man named Zacharias Ben Baruch who was murdered by Zealots on Temple grounds (Wars, Book 4, Chapter 5.4), but these are two different people. The Zacharias Josephus speaks of died 34 years after Yeshua said this. In addition, this was probably not who Yeshua is referring to because Yeshua said “whom you murdered” (past tense) when describing this event. In other words, it had already happened. There is a strong possibility, as we have seen, that this meeting was not in the “home” of Hananiah in the city, but in a chamber in the Temple. Yeshua is calling these people “murderers” to their face, and sons of murderers. They built tombs to honor the men involved in this. Yeshua is not pulling any punches or winning any friends among Beit Shammai when he says these things.
In Part 5, we are going to begin to look at Matt 23.1-39 in total, and look at this chapter in light of what we have learned about Beit Shammai. After that, we will look at other verses that refer to the Pharisees, but we will see that these Pharisees for the most part were from Beit Shammai, and what Yeshua is saying there is not an indictment on all Pharisees. A misunderstanding of these verses, and who he is talking to, has led to many anti-semitic attitudes towards the Jewish people, and the Rabbis. We want to set the record straight and point out these facts by correctly interpreting what Yeshua is saying in these verses.
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