In a Bible class today, the subject of the "Holy of Holies" came up and I commented that the High Priest went into that room only once a year to make sacrifices for sin.  I further added that they tied a rope around his waist or ankle so that if he touched the Ark of the Covenant--which meant he would die--that they could pull him out.

         This was disputed.  So I looked it up, and here is what I read in Jewish literature:
"According to the account of our rabbis preserved in the Talmud, the High Priest wore a rope around his waist as he made his way - absolutely alone - into the holy of holies...in the event that the High Priest said or did something wrong...he would be struck dead for his offense...the rope enabled his assistants to safely pull the corpse...out of the inner-sanctum in the event of mishap."(www.tbsoc.com/sermons/donnellyk5763.html)  (Read Hebrews Ch. 7-10)

          Also from "Torah Class Podcast,  Studies in the Old Testament", I read:
"...later on in the Temple era (the Temple was just a permanent Tabernacle), a rope was tied onto the ankle of the High Priest when he went into the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur…..the Day of Atonement. The idea was that the lower priests, who would be standing outside the Sanctuary, would listen for the constant gentle jingling of the golden bells (on his robe) as the High Priest moved around, performing his purification rituals; if the jingling ceased for any substantial period of time, then they would assume that Yehoveh has likely killed the High Priest for some breach of protocol, and they would pull him out with the rope attached to his foot. The logic for this procedure is understandable: ONLY the High Priest can go into the Holy of Holies.

Jesus is our high priest, so we don't have to worry about all that.  This is kinda heavy, but some of you out there like details.  Hebrews 10:7,10,14  "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins...we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all...for by one offering he has perfected for ever them that are sanctified."  FOR EVER!!!