אֶחָד אַבְנֵי הַכֶּבֶשׁ וְאֶחָד אַבְנֵי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, מִבִּקְעַת בֵּית כָּרֶם. וְחוֹפְרִין לְמַטָּה מֵהַבְּתוּלָה, וּמְבִיאִים מִשָּׁם אֲבָנִים שְׁלֵמוֹת, שֶׁלֹּא הוּנַף עֲלֵיהֶן בַּרְזֶל, שֶׁהַבַּרְזֶל פּוֹסֵל בִּנְגִיעָה. וּבִפְגִימָה לְכָל דָּבָר. נִפְגְּמָה אַחַת מֵהֶן, הִיא פְסוּלָה וְכֻלָּן כְּשֵׁרוֹת. וּמְלַבְּנִים אוֹתָן פַּעֲמַיִם בַּשָּׁנָה, אַחַת בַּפֶּסַח וְאַחַת בֶּחָג. וְהַהֵיכָל, פַּעַם אַחַת, בַּפֶּסַח. רַבִּי אוֹמֵר, כָּל עֶרֶב שַׁבָּת מְלַבְּנִים אוֹתוֹ בְמַפָּה מִפְּנֵי הַדָּמִים. לֹא הָיוּ סָדִין אוֹתָן בְּכָפִיס שֶׁל בַּרְזֶל, שֶׁמָּא יִגַּע וְיִפְסֹל, שֶׁהַבַּרְזֶל נִבְרָא לְקַצֵּר יָמָיו שֶׁל אָדָם, וְהַמִּזְבֵּחַ נִבְרָא לְהַאֲרִיךְ יָמָיו שֶׁל אָדָם, אֵינוֹ בַדִין שֶׁיּוּנַף הַמְקַצֵּר עַל הַמַּאֲרִיךְ:
Sowohl die Steine der Rampe als auch die Steine für den Altar kamen aus dem Tal von Beit Kerem. Sie würden unter [den Steinen] jungfräulichen Boden graben und vollständige Steine bringen, die niemals von Eisen berührt wurden, weil Eisen sie [die Steine] durch bloße Berührung unbrauchbar macht. [Sie sind auch nicht geeignet], wenn sie auf irgendeine Weise abgebrochen werden. Wenn einer von ihnen gechipt wurde, wird er unbrauchbar gemacht, der Rest [der Sones] jedoch nicht. Die [Mauern und die Spitze des Altars] wurden zweimal im Jahr weiß getüncht, einmal auf Pesach und einmal auf Sukkot. Das Vestibül [wurde weiß getüncht] einmal im Jahr auf Pesach. Rebbi sagt, jeden Freitag würden sie wegen der Blutflecken mit einem Tuch weiß getüncht. Die Tünche wurde nicht mit einer Eisenkelle aufgetragen, aus der Sorge heraus, dass die Eisenkelle die Steine berühren und unbrauchbar machen würde, da Eisen geschaffen wurde, um die Tage des Menschen zu verkürzen, und der Altar geschaffen wurde, um die Tage des Menschen zu verlängern, und das ist es auch Es ist unangemessen, dass der Shortner auf den Extender gelegt wird.
Sefer HaChinukh
The laws of the commandment - for example, from where they would bring these stones with which they would build the altar, that they, may their memory be blessed, said (Mishnah Middot 3:4) that they would bring them from virgin ground or from the Great Sea; the law of if metal touched a stone after the altar was built, whether all of it is disqualified or only it alone is disqualified; that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Mishnah Middot 3:4), [that] when they whitewashed the altar twice a year, that they did not whitewash it with a tool that had iron in it, so that the iron not touch a stone; and the rest of its details - are [all] elucidated in Tractate Middot (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of The Chosen Temple 1).
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Sefer HaChinukh
And the matter of tsaraat is that one or more places on the skin of the flesh of a man become white - and these places be very white until their white resembles the white of the membrane of an egg and more than it in its whiteness. But the whole time that it is less dark in its appearance than the membrane of an egg, it is not tsaraat but rather a shiny spot (bohak) - meaning to say, a different illness that is not a type of tsaraat at all, but rather like types of rash and other types of [skin] ailments that occur with a person. There are four appearances to the tsaraat on the skin of a man's flesh: Two are primary sources (avot) - and they are the se'et and the baheret - and two are their derivatives. And that is [the meaning] of their, may their memory be blessed, saying (Mishnah Negaim 1:1), "The appearances of ailments are two which are four: Baheret [...] and its adjunct; se'et [...] and its adjunct." And the understanding of its adjunct is meaning to say, its derivative; as the expression, adjunct (sapachat) is only an expression of [being] secondary. And the Sages likened these four appearances: one to clean white wool, and that is the se'et; one to snow, and that is the baheret; one to the lime of the sanctuary, and that is the derivative of the baheret; and one to the membrane of an egg, and that is the derivative of the se'et (Mishnah Negaim 1:1). These are the impure ones and they combine, one with the other, to render impure (Mishnah Negaim 1:3). And anyone who does not recognize them through their differences and their names should only determine them by the mouth of someone who recognizes [them] (Shevuot 6a) - and as it is stated below in the laws of the commandment.
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