Tamid 29a (כט.) — the Talmud in English

Although the tapuaḥ was an adornment for the altar, nevertheless, when the time came to clear it—

never

did the priest grow negligent [

for he was charged with doing this]

in removing the ashes .

After they had done this and cleared space for the pyre,

they began bringing up with

the ramp

wood billets

of cut wood, inspected and free of defects, in order

to arrange

with them

the pyre .

Are all types of wood fit for the pyre?

Indeed,

all types of wood are fit for the pyre, except

wood

from grapevines and olive trees !

The Gemara explains the reason.

Although all types of wood are fit,

but with

wood

of these types they were accustomed:

Branches [

of fig trees],

of fig, walnut, and oil trees [

a tree from which oil is extracted, and which burns like a lamp]. For all these types of wood burn well.

There were three wood pyres on the altar.

First, the priest who had performed the terumat ha-deshen

arranged

the first

pyre—

the

large one—

to the east,

on the eastern side of the altar, and they burned the offerings on it.

They made a front on the side of the pyre, like a window, so that the wind could blow through it and fan the fire.

Its front

was

to the east

of the pyre, because the wind came and blew through the eastern gate of the Temple courtyard.

And the ends

of the

inner billets,

which were long,

touched the tapuaḥ,

which was in the center of the altar, west of the pyre.

That is, the inner and outer billets were even with one another toward the outer side of the altar, so that they would not protrude outward and tear or burn the garments of the priests who walked there. Therefore, the long inner billets protruded from the pyre on the other side, toward the tapuaḥ in the center of the altar, and even touched it. [Ra’avad, chapter 2 of the Laws of the Daily and Additional Offerings, halakha 7].

And space was

left

between the billets,

because, in addition to the wood of the pyre, they brought thin wood splinters called “alitah,” and placed them between the large pieces of wood of the pyre; through them the large pieces of wood ignited well . [This is derived from the verse: “And the sons of Aharon the priest shall place fire on the altar”—that is, the wood of the pyre—and afterward: “And they shall arrange wood on the fire.”]

For this purpose they left a space between the billets of the pyre, because

they kindled the alitah from there,

through that space. For the alitah had to be kindled on top of the altar, rather than being lit on the floor and brought up [Yoma 45].

When they finished arranging the first pyre,

they selected from there,

from the wood chamber,

fine fig wood to arrange the second pyre,

from which they took burning coals

for

the purpose of the

incense,

which they burned every day on the inner altar in the Sanctuary. The priest who had won the privilege of performing the terumat ha-deshen also won the privilege of arranging this pyre.

The location of this pyre was

opposite the southwestern corner

of the altar, adjacent to the ramp. The location of this pyre was

set back from the corner

the southwestern

toward

the side of

the north—

four cubits .

estimated

The measure of the wood placed on this pyre was

estimated [

by estimation], so that after it burned, it would yield

five se’a

of

coals.

For the burning of the incense required three kav of coals. First, he took four kav of coals from this pyre with a silver firepan, and from it poured them into a golden firepan whose capacity was three kav. [He had to take four kav from the pyre because inevitably some of the coals would spill while being poured into the golden firepan.] The Sages estimated that in order to take four kav of coals comfortably from the pyre, it had to contain five se’a of coals.

On Shabbat,

the measure of the wood

was estimated—

so that after it burned

eight se’a of coals would remain.

Since

there,

on the second pyre,

they would place

on Shabbat the

two bowls of

the

frankincense of the showbread

to burn them. Therefore, they required this addition of three se’a of coals.

They did not burn the frankincense in its bowls on the large pyre, but on the second pyre, because anything taken from inside [the Sanctuary] is burned only near the inside, namely, at the southwestern corner, which is nearest the entrance of the Sanctuary [Zevaḥim 58].

They brought

the limbs and fats

of the previous day,

that had not been consumed in the evening, [

and which had remained arranged on the sides of the altar until then, as explained above] ,

and returned them to the pyre

to complete their burning .

They kindled

the

two pyres with fire.

And afterward they

descended

from the altar

and came to the Chamber of Hewn Stone [

in its half sanctified with the sanctity of the courtyard, as we derive from the verse “We walked to the House of God amid tumult”], in order to conduct the lotteries for the other services of the day.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: At times there were three hundred kor [on the tapuaḥ].

Rava said: It is an exaggeration

alone that he stated, and it is not meant literally. The ashes never reached such a measure, since the area of the pyre could not contain three hundred kor.

And similarly, concerning that which we learned below:

They gave the tamid to drink from a golden cup—

Rava said: It is an exaggeration

alone!

Rabbi Ami said:

We find that

the Torah speaks in exaggerated language!

This is like the language of people who wish to strengthen their statements and speak hyperbolically.

Similarly, we find that

the Prophets spoke in exaggerated language.

Similarly, we find that

the Sages spoke in exaggerated language!

And he proceeds to explain.

The Torah speaks in exaggerated language—

as

it is written: “Great cities fortified up to the heavens.”

But

would it enter your mind that they reached the heavens

?

Rather,

it is an expression of

exaggeration

.

The Prophets spoke in exaggerated language—

as

it is written

concerning Solomon: “All the people followed him,

and the people played the flutes

and rejoiced with great joy,

and the earth split at their sound.”

For this statement as well—that the earth split—is an expression of exaggeration.

The Sages spoke in the language of exaggeration -

that which we said

that there were three hundred kor of ash in the

apple.

And

this is

that they gave the daily offering to drink from a golden cup.

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahmani said, Shmuel said: In three places the Sages spoke in the language of exaggeration.

And these are they:

The apple, the grapevine, and the curtain.

And it will be explained below.

And it comes

to exclude from

this

which

said

Rava.

For we learned: They gave the daily offering to drink from a golden cup.

And

concerning it

Rava said: It is exaggeration

and Shmuel disagreed with him,

and he teaches us:

only

these

three,

are not

expressions of exaggeration.

But there

with the daily offering,

it is not

exaggeration, rather this is how it was, that they gave it to drink from a golden cup. For

there is no poverty in a place of wealth

and all the Temple's acts were carried out with wealth and authority.

And he explains these three matters:

The apple

of the altar -

that which we said.

That it is exaggeration to say that there were three hundred kor in it.

The grapevine -

that which we learned: The form of a

golden grapevine stood at the entrance of the Sanctuary. And

it was

trained

[raised]

on poles

of cedar, like branches of a grapevine that lean upon wooden pillars.