כיור
The Laver
The bronze basin where priests washed before serving.
Text, diagram and reconstruction
וְעָשִׂיתָ כִּיּוֹר נְחֹשֶׁת וְכַנּוֹ נְחֹשֶׁת לְרָחְצָה וְנָתַתָּ אֹתוֹ בֵּין־אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וּבֵין הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְנָתַתָּ שָׁמָּה מָיִם׃ וְרָחֲצוּ אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו מִמֶּנּוּ אֶת־יְדֵיהֶם וְאֶת־רַגְלֵיהֶם׃
’Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, whereat to wash; and thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat;
Dimensions and materials
- Spigots
- Twelve, added by the High Priest Ben Katin (previously two)Mishnah / Talmud: Recorded in the Mishnah or Talmud, the rabbinic texts that preserve Temple practice and law.
Bronze, on a bronze stand (Exodus 30:18).
Function
Sanctifying hands and feet before any service.
Daily and annual use
Before every act of service. Ben Katin also built a mechanism so its water would not become unfit overnight.
The same throughout the year.
Interpretations
Service begins with washing: the body prepared before approaching.
A descriptive reading of the Torah's instruction.
Historical questions
- Its exact shape in the Second Temple is not described.
In the Third Temple
Halachah: Rambam: Codified as Jewish law by Maimonides (Rambam) in the Mishneh Torah.Required, between the Porch and the altar, slightly south.
All sources for this object