[Avodah] How to pour nesachim, major differences between the first and the second beis hamikdash

[Marty Bluke]

Yesterdays daf (Zevachim 61b) says that the mizbeach in the first beis
hamikdash was 28x28 amos and in the second beis hamikdash was 32x32 amos.
Rabin explains the difference as follows:

In the first Mikdash, Nesachim would flow into Shisim (a pit south-west of
the Mizbe'ach) down the wall of the mizbeach. In the second Beis Hamikdash
they enlarged the Mizbe'ach in order that the Shisim would be within
(under) the Mizbe'ach and they made the corners of teh mizbeach hollow so
that they could pour nesachim in the mizbeach. At first (during the first
Beis Hmikdash), they learned from the words "Mizbe'ach Adamah" that the
mizbeach has to be completely solid. In the second beis Hamikdash they
thought  that drinking ('consumption' of libations) should be like eating
(Korbanos that are burned, i.e. within the boundaries of the Mizbe'ach) and
therefore made the holes to pour the Nesachim as part of the mizbeach.
Therefore, they understood that Mizbe'ach Adamah" teaches that the
Mizbe'ach cannot be built over domes or tunnels (that are not needed for
the Mizbe'ach).


According to the Rambam in Hilchos Mamrim, this is perfectly standard
practice. Any Beis Din can come and darshen the pesukim differently then a
previous beis din. However, according to others this is not so simple.


For those who hold that there is one halachic truth, this would seem to be
very difficult, in either the first or second beis hamikdash they did the
avoda of the nesachim wrong.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/attachments/20180614/0bf55d64/attachment-0001.html>