Hypermikdash

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THE MIZBAYACH

     Of all the objects of the courtyard, the mizbayach (altar - but what's in a name?) commanded more than its share of  attention.  The whole structure  - including its ramps - stretched across sixty amos from north to south and thirty-two from east to west.  When a priest walked along the outer rim of the mizbayach's roof, his feet were ten amos above the floor (in other words, his head was nearly four body lengths up).
     If the purpose of the Temple was to provide a place for bringing our offerings, then the mizbayach was the activity center:

     *Blood from newly slaughtered animals was sprinkled either above or below the bright red line (the chut hasikra) painted half-way up the mizbayach's side.

     *Entrails were often burned on one of the three wood piles on the roof.

     *Offerings of wine and water were poured down one of the two drains built on the south west corner of the roof.

     *meal offerings (menachos) were brought to the side of the mizbayach to receive their kedusha.

    *Those sacrifices whose halacha dictated they be burned in their entirety were placed on the fires of
     this mizbayach.

     *Even the ashes from the fires were packed into a ball  in the middle of the roof.

     Just a quick rundown.  From floor level to the height of one amah was the base of the mizbayach (called the yesod).  The yesod was not a perfect square as a strip one amah thick on the south and east sides was left out.
     From above the yesod until the height of six amos was the sovev (lit. "surround").  The top of the sovev was an amah wider in every direction than the level above it, so it formed a walking ledge.  It was below this ledge that the red chut hasikra was drawn to separate between blood that had to be thrown "above" and blood thrown "below."
     The final section was the maracha (top - lit. "arrangement").  It was three amos high for the most part.  At the corners were one amah cubes called the keranos (corners; what else?).
     From the mizbayach to the antechamber of the hearth - a space taken up largely with stairs - the Mishna tells us were 22 amos from east to west...