lindi asked:
It has been said that during the time of the high priests that when they entered the Holy of Holies they had a rope tied to their ankle, in case they sinned against the Lord and no one could go in to get them.
Is this a true fact or fiction, and if true where is it recordered?
lindi, council bluffs iowa usa
The Kollel replies:
It was not uncommon for the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) to die in the Kodesh ha'Kodashim, as is evident from the Mishnah in Yoma 052b (see Perush ha'Mishnah of the Rambam there).
The only source we found for the story about the rope around the Kohen Gadol is in the Midrash ha'Zohar, Vayikra 102b.
Best wishes from Jerusalem,
Mordecai Kornfeld
Kollel Iyun Hadaf