It says in the mishnah Yoma 52b that the Cohen Gadol would say a "short prayer" in the "beis hachitzon", the heichal. Both things seem quite remarkable to me.
The gemara explains why the prayer was short - so as not to panic those waiting outside, who would be afraid that he died. But this is presumably the most powerful prayer of the year, with the ability to save and improve the lives of thousands. It is very important not to frighten people, but I would have thought that the importance of the prayer would override that. According to the gemara, there was one cohen gadol who agreed with me! But that is not the halacha.
Second, why was the prayer said in the heichal, not in the kodesh kodoshim? It takes the same time either way, and wouldn't it be much more powerful and effective in the kodesh kodoshim? Seems like he didn't say anything at all in the kodesh kodoshim, in the greatest meeting with Hashem ever.
Interestingly, there is a gemara in Brachos 7a, when Hashem initiated the conversation with a cohen gadol in the kodesh kodoshim, and asked him to pray for him, k'v'yachol. It records the prayer said, much lengthier and (I would have thought) much loftier than the one normally said in the heichal.
The gemara explains why the prayer was short - so as not to panic those waiting outside, who would be afraid that he died. But this is presumably the most powerful prayer of the year, with the ability to save and improve the lives of thousands. It is very important not to frighten people, but I would have thought that the importance of the prayer would override that. According to the gemara, there was one cohen gadol who agreed with me! But that is not the halacha.
Second, why was the prayer said in the heichal, not in the kodesh kodoshim? It takes the same time either way, and wouldn't it be much more powerful and effective in the kodesh kodoshim? Seems like he didn't say anything at all in the kodesh kodoshim, in the greatest meeting with Hashem ever.
Interestingly, there is a gemara in Brachos 7a, when Hashem initiated the conversation with a cohen gadol in the kodesh kodoshim, and asked him to pray for him, k'v'yachol. It records the prayer said, much lengthier and (I would have thought) much loftier than the one normally said in the heichal.