The High Priest continues on his way with the incense to the Holy of Holies. He walks through the Sanctuary until he reaches the two curtains that separate it and the Holy of Holies. The space between the two curtains measured one amah (about two feet). Rabbi Yose says there was only one curtain, as the Torah describes it, “And the curtain shall divide between the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies.” 
Rabbi Yose seems to be right since he has a quote from the Torah to support him. What do the Sages answer? They say that this was true in the First Temple, which was relatively low. The wall, which had a thickness of one amah, served as a partition, and a door in that wall was used as an entrance. However, the Second Temple was higher, and the wall could no longer stand on its own due to its weight. Therefore, there were two curtains instead, marking the outer and inner parts of the would-be wall.
Art: White Walls in Sunlight Morocco by John Singer Sargent
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