Me'ila/ Middot 37: The Northern and Southern Chambers in the Courtyard

Today's daf includes four short Mishnayot that share further details about the organization of the Temple.  We learn that there were six rooms in the azara, courtyard.  Three of these were in the north and three were in the south.  

The northern chambers were called the Chamber of the Salt, the Chamber of the Parva, and the Chamber of the Rinsers.  The Chamber of the Salt was for storage of salt while the Chamber of the Parva is where the animal hides would be salted.  Its roof was the floor of the Hall of Immersion.  The Chamber of the Rinsers was used to rinse the innards of the sacrificial animals.  A spiral staircase led from that chamber to the Hall of Immersion, which was used by the High Priest on Yom Kippur.  

The southern chambers included the Chamber of the Wood, the Chamber of the Wheel and the Chamber of Hewn Stone.  The Chamber of Wood's purpose seems to have been forgotten.  The Chamber of the Wheel held a giant wheel over a well.  This was said to provide water for the entire Temple courtyard.  The Chamber of the Hewn Stone was named after the stones that were used in its construction.  It was used by the Sanhedrin to convene and judge members of the community.  

Steinsaltz notes that "parva" could refer to a number of different things, including an angushi, a type of sorcerer, or that Parva might have been a particular magician.  The Rambam says that this could only be explained by the following narrative: a magician created a hole in the Temple wall to secretly watch the order of the Temple service.  He was killed there.  Thus the Chamber of the Parva was named after this event.  Somewhat unlikely on a number of levels...