(Mishnah) - R. Akiva: If a person sold land to his friend to build for him a house, or one who received land from his friend to build for him a wedding house for his son or a widow's house for his daughter, he must build at least the size of 4 by 6 amos.

R. Yishmael: That is a cowshed! A cowshed is 4 by 6 amos; a small house is 6 by 8 amos; a big house is 8 by 10 amos; a palace is 10 by 10 amos, with its height being a half of its length and half its width. A proof to this is from the Heichal and its walls.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel: Like the construction of the Heichal(?) (Some read this as a continuation of the previous statement, that the Mishnah is showing that it was actually said by Rabban Shimon. Alternatively, Rabban Shimon is saying it rhetorically and disagreeing with the previous statement, meaning that it should rather depend on local custom.)

(Gemara) - Beraisa: If he sold him a kanter (palace) he must supply a house which is 12 by 12 amos.

Question (Rav Hamnuna Safran to R. Chaninah): One pasuk states (Melachim I 6, 2), "(The House that Shlomo built for Hash-m was 60 amos in length, 20 amos in width) and 30 amos in height'' and another pasuk states there (Verse 20), "(And within the Dvir (Holy of Holies) was 20 amos in length, and 20 amos in width,) and 20 amos its height''? R. Chaninah did not have an answer.

He asked it to R. Yirmiyah, who answered, "The height of the main part of the Heichal was 30 amos; the height of the Dvir was 20 amos.''

Question (R. Abahu): But you are crushing the height of the Dvir! The Dvir stood from the ground until the beams (the same height as the rest of the Heichal) as the pasuk states (ibid. verse 16), "And he built the 20 amos at the end of the House with boards of cedar wood; from the floor until the beams (of the ceiling), and he built it within, for a Dvir, for the Holy of Holies''! Rather, the full height was 30 amos but from the top of the Keruvim (cherubs) until the ceiling was 20 amos. (Note: The replacement of the pasuk here was made by the Pnei Moshe.)

R. Tanchuma: There is an oral tradition that the Keruvim did not take up any space (inside the Dvir).

R. Levi: The Aron (Ark) did not take up any space...

R. Levi (Beraisa from R. Yehuda bei R. Ilai): The Aron was positioned in the middle, but from either side of it measured 10 amos until the wall. (Since the width of the Holy of Holies was 20 amos, the Aron could not have taken up any space at all.)