Holy of Holies

The innermost sanctuary of the ancient Israelite Tabernacle and Temple, associated with the Ark of the Covenant. In the Jerusalem Temple, the high priest entered it only on Yom Kippur.

Ark of the Covenant: A sacred chest described in the Hebrew Bible as holding the covenant tablets and as the focal point of divine presence. It was kept in the innermost chamber and defined its central ritual focus.
Leviticus 16: A biblical chapter prescribing the high priest’s rites on the Day of Atonement. It gives the fullest account of the annual rite performed within the chamber.
Mishkan: The Hebrew term for the Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary described in the Torah. The Torah places the earliest sanctuary’s inner chamber within this portable structure.
Shekhinah: A Jewish theological term for the immanent presence of God. The chamber was associated with divine presence dwelling among Israel.
Tabernacle: The portable sanctuary described in the Hebrew Bible as Israel’s place of worship during the wilderness journey. Its inner sanctuary is the earliest biblical setting for this chamber.
Veil of the Temple: A curtain separating the innermost sanctuary from the adjacent sacred space in the Temple. It marked the boundary that the high priest crossed during the annual rite.
First Temple: The Jerusalem sanctuary traditionally associated with Solomon and destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. Its innermost sanctuary is described in biblical accounts, though its contents remain uncertain.
Kodesh ha-Kodashim: The Hebrew expression meaning “Holy of Holies,” used for the innermost sanctuary. The phrase names the chamber and conveys its exceptional degree of holiness.
Jerusalem Temple: The sanctuary in Jerusalem that served as the central place of Israelite and Jewish worship in antiquity. The chamber became the innermost sanctuary of the First and Second Temples.
Incense: Aromatic substances burned to produce fragrant smoke in religious rites. The high priest brought incense behind the veil to create a cloud over the atonement cover.

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