Introduction
The first Beis Hamikdash was started by Shlomo Hamelech in the year 2928, 480 years after the Jewish People left Egypt. It stood for a total of 410 years, until the Babylonians, under Nevuchadnezzar, destroyed it in the year 3338, and exiled the Jewish People.
The perakim in Tanach that talk about Shlomo's reign (The beginning of Melachim I and Divrey Hayamim II) have a description of the Beis Hamikdash he built. They are primarily focused on the Heichal and the Keilim in the Azarah, however, this does not mean that this was all that was there. In Mishnayos Maseches Middos, there is a full description of the second Beis Hamikdash, and most of these details were also in the first, as the Rambam writes(Hilchos Beis Habechirah 1:4) “The people of the second Beis Hamikdash, when they built it during the days of Ezra, they made it like Shlomo's Mikdash, and similar to the clear parts of Yechezkel's Nevuah (of the third Beis Hamikdash)”. [see a list of the differences between these two Battei Mikdashos at the end of this book.]
The design of the Beis Hamikdash was in fact written down in a scroll given by Hashem to Moshe, who passed it down to Yehoshua, who passed it down to the Zekeinim, who gave it to Shmuel, who gave it to David, who gave it over to Shlomo. This scroll was able to be expounded on, but no detail could be changed from it, unless there is a clear Nevuah to change it. The passing of this scroll from David to Shlomo is mentioned in Divrey Hayamim (1 28:11-19). David said then (passuk 19) “This is all written down from the hand of Hashem, as it was made clear to me (from Hashem), all the work of the plan.”
There are other sources for information about the Beis Hamikdash as well. The primary one of these is Josephus (Yosef Hakohen), an eyewitness to the destruction of the second Beis Hamikdash, who gives detailed descriptions of the Second Beis Hamikdash in his books. In his book Antiquities of the Jews, where he writes the history of the Yidden until his times, he writes about the first Beis Hamikdash during the times of Shlomo, although most of what he says is based off the Pesukim and his explanation of them, he also incorporated things based off the Second Beis Hamikdash that he saw.
Archaeological excavations also give us some information to use, as the remains of some of Shlomo's other building projects have been found, giving us an idea of his style. Obviously, the remains of the outer walls of the Har Habayis (like the kosel) also help, although most of them are from Herod's expansion of the Second Beis Hamikdash; and only part of the eastern wall is from Shlomo's times.
I will describe the First Beis Hamikdash based off the Pesukim and the Mishnah, primarily using Rashi's explanations on them. May we soon merit to have the Geuah with Moshiach, and we will once again have the Beis Hamikdash.
The first Beis Hamikdash was started by Shlomo Hamelech in the year 2928, 480 years after the Jewish People left Egypt. It stood for a total of 410 years, until the Babylonians, under Nevuchadnezzar, destroyed it in the year 3338, and exiled the Jewish People.
The perakim in Tanach that talk about Shlomo's reign (The beginning of Melachim I and Divrey Hayamim II) have a description of the Beis Hamikdash he built. They are primarily focused on the Heichal and the Keilim in the Azarah, however, this does not mean that this was all that was there. In Mishnayos Maseches Middos, there is a full description of the second Beis Hamikdash, and most of these details were also in the first, as the Rambam writes(Hilchos Beis Habechirah 1:4) “The people of the second Beis Hamikdash, when they built it during the days of Ezra, they made it like Shlomo's Mikdash, and similar to the clear parts of Yechezkel's Nevuah (of the third Beis Hamikdash)”. [see a list of the differences between these two Battei Mikdashos at the end of this book.]
The design of the Beis Hamikdash was in fact written down in a scroll given by Hashem to Moshe, who passed it down to Yehoshua, who passed it down to the Zekeinim, who gave it to Shmuel, who gave it to David, who gave it over to Shlomo. This scroll was able to be expounded on, but no detail could be changed from it, unless there is a clear Nevuah to change it. The passing of this scroll from David to Shlomo is mentioned in Divrey Hayamim (1 28:11-19). David said then (passuk 19) “This is all written down from the hand of Hashem, as it was made clear to me (from Hashem), all the work of the plan.”
There are other sources for information about the Beis Hamikdash as well. The primary one of these is Josephus (Yosef Hakohen), an eyewitness to the destruction of the second Beis Hamikdash, who gives detailed descriptions of the Second Beis Hamikdash in his books. In his book Antiquities of the Jews, where he writes the history of the Yidden until his times, he writes about the first Beis Hamikdash during the times of Shlomo, although most of what he says is based off the Pesukim and his explanation of them, he also incorporated things based off the Second Beis Hamikdash that he saw.
Archaeological excavations also give us some information to use, as the remains of some of Shlomo's other building projects have been found, giving us an idea of his style. Obviously, the remains of the outer walls of the Har Habayis (like the kosel) also help, although most of them are from Herod's expansion of the Second Beis Hamikdash; and only part of the eastern wall is from Shlomo's times.
I will describe the First Beis Hamikdash based off the Pesukim and the Mishnah, primarily using Rashi's explanations on them. May we soon merit to have the Geuah with Moshiach, and we will once again have the Beis Hamikdash.
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