The Kohanim would stand guard in three places in the Holy Temple: in the Chamber of Avtinas, and in the Chamber of the Ray, and in the Hall of the Fire. And the Leviim [would stand guard] in twenty-one places: five [Leviim] at the five gateways of the Temple Mount; four [Leviim] at the four corners of [the Temple Mount walls], on its inside; five [Leviim] at [the] five gateways of the Temple Courtyard; four [Leviim] at its four corners, on the outside; and one [Levi] in the Chamber of the Offering; and one [Levi] in the Chamber of the Curtain; and one [Levi] behind the Chamber of the Ark-cover.

The Officer of the Temple Mount would make the rounds to each and every guard, and torches were lit before him. And any guard who did not stand, the Officer of the Temple Mount would say to him, “Peace unto you!” [If] it was apparent that he was sleeping, [the Officer] would strike him with his staff, and he also had permission to burn his garment. And they would say, “What is that noise in the Courtyard? [It must be] the sound of a Levi being beaten and his clothing being burned, because he fell asleep on his watch.” R’ Eliezer ben Yaakov says: One time they found my mother’s brother sleeping [on his watch] and they burned his garment.

The Temple Mount had five gateways: the two Chuldah Gates in the south were used for enter-ing and exiting; Kiponos in the west was used for entering and exiting; Tadi in the north was not used for any purpose; the Eastern Gate, upon it was depicted a likeness of Shushan, the capital city [of Persia], that through it, the Kohen Gadol who was to burn the parah [adumah], and the parah [itself] and all the others assisting [the parah] would exit to the Mount of Olives.

There were seven gateways in the Courtyard: three in the north, and three in the south, and one in the east. In the south was the Kindling Gate; second to it was the Gate of the Firstborns; third to it was the Water Gate. In the east [was] the Ni-kanor Gate, and [this gate] had two chambers: one to its right and one to its left. One was the Chamber of Pinchas the Clothier, and one was the Chamber of the Makers of the Chavitin.

And [those gateways] in the north: the Gate of the Ray; and [this gateway] was like a pavilion, and a loft was built on top of it, so that the Kohanim would stand guard above and the Leviim below. And it had an opening to the Cheil. Second to it was the Gate of the Offering; third to it was the Hall of the Fire.

And there were four chambers in the Hall of the Fire, like suites that open into a ballroom. Two [chambers] were located in the consecrated portion [of the Hall of the Fire] and two were located in the unconsecrated portion. And the ends of beams separated between [the] consecrated [area] and [the] unconsecrated [area].  And what purpose did [these chambers] serve? [The] southwestern [chamber], it was the Chamber of Sacrificial Lambs; [the] southeastern [chamber], it was the chamber of the makers of the Panim Bread; [the] northeastern [chamber], in it the sons of the Hasmoneans concealed the stones of the Altar that the Greek kings had defiled; [the] northwestern [chamber], through it [the Kohanim] would descend to the immersion room.

The Hall of the Fire had two gateways: one opened to the Cheil and one opened to the Courtyard. R’ Yehudah said: The [gateway] that opened to the Courtyard had a small doorway, through which [the Kohanim] would enter to inspect the Courtyard.

The Hall of the Fire [was] a dome. And it was a large house, encircled with ledges of stone. And the elders of the beis av would sleep there, and the keys of the Courtyard were in their hands. And the young Kohanim [would sleep] each with his pillow on the ground.

And there was a hollow place there [that measured] one amah by one amah, and a marble tile with a ring was fixed in it, and a chain upon which the keys were hung. When the time to lock [the gates] arrived, [the Kohen] would lift the tile with the ring and remove the keys from the chain, and then the Kohen would lock [the gates] from the inside, [while] the Levi was sleeping outside. When [the Kohen] finished locking [the gates], he would return the keys to the chain and the tile to its place. He would then place his covering upon [the tile] and go to sleep.  If one of [the Kohanim] experienced a seminal emission, he would exit [the Hall of the Fire] and proceed through the tunnel that went under the Birah, and there were lamps burning here and there, until he reached the immersion room. R’ Eliezer ben Yaakov says: He would leave through a [second] tunnel that went under the Cheil, and he would exit [the Temple Mount] and go on his way, via Tadi.