Chut HaSikra

A red line runs around the altar at mid-height. It separates the bloods applied above it from those applied below it.

Dimensions

• at the midpoint of the altar's height (10 amot in all according to the Rambam, Beit HaBe'hira 2:5)

Sources

• Middot 3:1“וְחוּט שֶׁל סִקְרָא חוֹגְרוֹ בָאֶמְצַע, לְהַבְדִּיל בֵּין הַדָּמִים הָעֶלְיוֹנִים לַדָּמִים הַתַּחְתּוֹנִים”
• Rambam, Hilchot Beit HaBechirah 2:5“כֻּלָּן עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת גֹּבַהּ כָּל אֶחָד מֵהֶן”
• Rambam, Hilchot Beit HaBechirah 2:9“וְחוּט שֶׁל סִקְרָה הָיָה חוֹגֵר בְּאֶמְצַע הַמִּזְבֵּחַ [כְּשִׁשָּׁה טְפָחִים מִסּוֹף הַסּוֹבֵב וּלְמַטָּה]”

Project decisionMiddot 3:1 says only that the line girds the altar at its middle. The Rambam, who counts the altar as 58 tefachim, places it about six tefachim below the top of the sovev (Beit HaBe'hira 2:8–9).