Beit Hamikdash - THE GATE OF NIKANOR

When a man, by the name of Nikanor, heard about the magnificent restoration of the second Holy Temple he wanted with all his heart to join in the great work and make his own contribution to G-d's House.

He decided that he would have two huge copper gates constructed to lead from the courtyard to the Holy Temple itself. And so Nikanor traveled to Egypt, the center of copper work, to commission and oversee the job.

The gates were of gigantic dimensions and the work was slow and painstaking. Nikanor could hardly wait to see his beautiful gates become a part of the Holy Temple. At long last the gates were loaded aboard a ship and on their way to the Land of Israel. Suddenly, a terrible storm blew up. Enormous waves crashed against the sides of the ship until it was filled with water and about to sink.

The panicked captain ran to Nikanor, pleading, "You must agree to throw at least one of your gates overboard. We need to lighten the ship's load and they are the heaviest part of our cargo. If we are to have a chance to survive, they must go."

Nikanor wouldn't hear of it. He clung to the doors with all of his strength. Soon, however, even he could see that his protests were futile. Nikanor watched in horror as they cast one of the enormous doors overboard. But the waves continued and the ship began to take water once again.

There was no choice. The sailors were about to throw the second gate overboard when Nikanor cried out in anguish, "If you throw this overboard, you will have to throw me, too! I will not be parted from it!" But the sailors seized the one remaining door and with all their might they cast it into the sea. And the sea quieted.

Nikanor scanned the sea and there, floating out on the smooth waters, was the gate, sparkling like gold in the sunlight. By some miracle it had not sunk into the deep, but was floating its way to the Holy Land. Nikanor couldn't contain his great happiness. The gate arrived the same time the ship docked. A few days later the other door also made its way to the shores of Akko to join its mate.

The two doors were transported with great celebration, to Jerusalem where they were installed in a place of honor, in the eastern wall opposite the Holy of Holies. The gateway which they occupied was given the name "The Gate of Nikanor."