The incense altar, at the center of the Heikhal between the Table and the Menora, set a little forward toward the east. One ama by one ama, two amot high, in acacia wood plated with gold: the top, the walls and the horns, which are part of the altar's own mass. A golden zer runs around it like a crown and rises above the top; beneath it, at two opposite corners, are the two rings that took the carrying poles. The altar has no fire of its own: each morning the kohen who clears it gathers the ash into the teni, a golden basket he leaves on the floor before the altar until after the blood of the tamid is sprinkled; then coals from the great altar are brought up for the incense. Fire, says the Talmud, had no hold on its gold. On Yom Kippur, the morning and evening incense is burned there as on every day; the incense of the day is burned in the Kodesh HaKodashim. On that day the Kohen Gadol sprinkles its four horns, starting with the north-eastern one, then seven times on its top, on the gold cleared of coals.
Dimensions
- 1 × 1 ama × 2 high, horns included
- four horns of a tefach and a half
- a zer one tefach high, rising above the top
- two rings, at the north-east and south-west corners
- 6 amot east of the Table and the Menora
- the teni: 2½ kabin, ≈ 3.5 l
Sources
- Exodus 30:1–5“מִמֶּנּוּ קַרְנֹתָיו […] וְעָשִׂיתָ לּוֹ זֵר זָהָב סָבִיב. וּשְׁתֵּי טַבְּעֹת זָהָב תַּעֲשֶׂה לּוֹ מִתַּחַת לְזֵרוֹ”
- Rashi on Exodus 30:3“זֵר זָהָב: סִימָן הוּא לְכֶתֶר כְּהֻנָּה”
- Rashi on Exodus 30:4“עַל שְׁתֵּי זָוִיּוֹת שֶׁבִּשְׁנֵי צִדָּיו”
- Haamek Davar on Exodus 30:4“בחוד שבין מזרח לצפון. וכן בזוית השנית בחוד שבין מערב לדרום”
- Rambam, Hilchot Beit HaBechirah 3:17“מְכֻוָּן בֵּין הַצָּפוֹן לַדָּרוֹם מָשׁוּךְ בֵּין הַשֻּׁלְחָן וְהַמְּנוֹרָה לַחוּץ”
- Kelim 17:10“כָּל הָאַמּוֹת הָיוּ בֵינוֹנִיּוֹת, חוּץ מִמִּזְבַּח הַזָּהָב”
- Menachot 97b“״זֶה גַּב הַמִּזְבֵּחַ״ – זֶה מִזְבַּח הַזָּהָב”
- Tamid 3:6“הַטֶּנִי דוֹמֶה לְתַרְקָב גָּדוֹל שֶׁל זָהָב, מַחֲזִיק קַבַּיִן וָחֵצִי”
- Rambam, Hilchot Temidin uMusafin 3:4“מַנִּיחַ הַטֶּנִי בָּאָרֶץ לְפָנָיו וְחוֹפֵן בְּיָדָיו הָאֵפֶר וְהַפֶּחָם”
- Tamid 6:2“צָבַר אֶת הַגֶּחָלִים עַל גַּבֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ”
- Chagigah 27a“מִזְבַּח הַזָּהָב שֶׁאֵין עָלָיו אֶלָּא כְּעוֹבִי דִּינַר זָהָב — כַּמָּה שָׁנִים אֵין הָאוּר שׁוֹלֶטֶת בּוֹ”
- Yoma 5:5“מֵהֵיכָן הוּא מַתְחִיל, מִקֶּרֶן מִזְרָחִית צְפוֹנִית”
- Bartenura Yoma 5:6“שֶׁחוֹתֶה הָאֵפֶר וְהַגֶּחָלִים אֵילָךְ וְאֵילָךְ וּמַזֶּה עַל זְהָבוֹ שֶׁל מִזְבֵּחַ”
- Rambam, Hilchot Avodat Yom HaKippurim 4:1–2“וּמַקְטִיר קְטֹרֶת שֶׁל בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם וּמֵיטִיב אֶת הַנֵּרוֹת שֶׁל בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם כִּשְׁאָר הַיָּמִים”
Project decisionThe two rings follow the verse and Rashi, who places them at the corners, as the Haamek Davar reads him: one at the north-east corner, the other at the south-west, one pole through each. Set aside: Abarbanel and the Malbim read four rings in Rashi, two on each side, at its corners; Shadal also counts four, two per side; the Bekhor Shor and Rav Hirsch put one in the middle of each side. Also set aside: Kelim 17:10 measures this altar with a smaller ama of five tefachim — R. Meir and R. Yehuda agree on this (Menachot 97b) — about 0.40 × 0.40 m at the base; the texts do not say whether its two amot of height use the same ama. The tour keeps the ordinary ama of six tefachim: 0.48 × 0.48 × 0.96 m. The tour's choices, where the texts are silent: the two amot include the horns, as the ten of the outer altar do; the horns are square and taper to a rounded head; the zer rises above the top like the Ark's (Rashi on Exodus 25:11) and carries lily finials, the flower of the Menora; the poles are not shown, since nothing moves the altar out of the Bayit. The teni is a ribbed golden basket with two handles; the scene shows it in the morning, like the kuz on the Menora's step.