Did the high priest have a rope tied to his leg before he went behind the curtain into the Most Holy Place so he could be pulled out if he should die?

Answer 1

Answer 1

There is no reference to such a rope in any biblical passage.

Answer 2

Yes, when he went into the Holy of Holies. This was to prevent others from needing to go in to bring him out since only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies. While there is no biblical confirmation of this, the mythos would not have developed if the practice did not exist at least on occasion.

Answer 3There is no reference to this practice in the Mishnah, Talmud or Midrash. The Zohar (Emor 102a) does, however, state that a gold chain was tied to the Kohen Gadol's ankle, but other Rabbinical sources make no mention of this.