Altars of Earth, Stone, and Wood/1/en
Altars of Earth, Stone, and Wood
Introduction
Three Altars
In Shemot 20, immediately following the Decalogue, Hashem commands to build an earthen or stone altar:
(כ) מִזְבַּח אֲדָמָה תַּעֲשֶׂה לִּי וְזָבַחְתָּ עָלָיו אֶת עֹלֹתֶיךָ וְאֶת שְׁלָמֶיךָ אֶת צֹאנְךָ וְאֶת בְּקָרֶךָ בְּכָל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אַזְכִּיר אֶת שְׁמִי אָבוֹא אֵלֶיךָ וּבֵרַכְתִּיךָ. (כא) וְאִם מִזְבַּח אֲבָנִים תַּעֲשֶׂה לִּי לֹא תִבְנֶה אֶתְהֶן גָּזִית כִּי חַרְבְּךָ הֵנַפְתָּ עָלֶיהָ וַתְּחַלְלֶהָ. (כב) וְלֹא תַעֲלֶה בְמַעֲלֹת עַל מִזְבְּחִי אֲשֶׁר לֹא תִגָּלֶה עֶרְוָתְךָ עָלָיו.
(20) You shall make an altar of earth for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace-offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I record my name I will come to you and I will bless you. (21) And if you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones; for if you lift up your tool on it, you have defiled it. (22) And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness may not be revealed upon it.
However, only a few chapters later, in Shemot 27, Hashem commands the construction of a wooden ("עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים") altar plated with "נְחֹשֶׁת" (copper / brass / bronze).
(א) וְעָשִׂיתָ אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים חָמֵשׁ אַמּוֹת אֹרֶךְ וְחָמֵשׁ אַמּוֹת רֹחַב רָבוּעַ יִהְיֶה הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְשָׁלֹשׁ אַמּוֹת קֹמָתוֹ. (ב) וְעָשִׂיתָ קַרְנֹתָיו עַל אַרְבַּע פִּנֹּתָיו מִמֶּנּוּ תִּהְיֶיןָ קַרְנֹתָיו וְצִפִּיתָ אֹתוֹ נְחֹשֶׁת.
(ח) נְבוּב לֻחֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה אֹתוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר הֶרְאָה אֹתְךָ בָּהָר כֵּן יַעֲשׂוּ.
(1) And you shall make the altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square, and its hight shall be three cubits. (2) And you shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it; and you shall plate it with brass.
(8) Nevuv Luchot shall you make it; as it has been showed you on the mountain, so shall they make it.
Of what was the altar supposed to be made? What is the relationship between the earthen, stone, and wooden altars?
Other Questions
- The priests wore pants (Shemot 28:42), so why are we afraid that their nakedness will show?
- What does "נְבוּב לֻחֹת" mean?
- How did the wooden altar not burn up?
