Halakhah for Middot 3:1

הַמִּזְבֵּחַ הָיָה שְׁלֹשִׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם עַל שְׁלֹשִׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם. עָלָה אַמָּה וְכָנַס אַמָּה, זֶה הַיְסוֹד. נִמְצָא שְׁלֹשִׁים עַל שְׁלֹשִׁים. עָלָה חָמֵשׁ וְכָנַס אַמָּה. זֶה הַסּוֹבֵב. נִמְצָא עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁמֹנֶה עַל עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁמֹנֶה. מְקוֹם הַקְּרָנוֹת אַמָּה מִזֶּה וְאַמָּה מִזֶּה. נִמְצָא עֶשְׂרִים וָשֵׁשׁ עַל עֶשְׂרִים וָשֵׁשׁ. מְקוֹם הִלּוּךְ רַגְלֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים, אַמָּה מִזֶּה וְאַמָּה מִזֶּה. נִמְצָא עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבַּע עַל עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבַּע, מְקוֹם הַמַּעֲרָכָה. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי, מִתְּחִלָּה לֹא הָיָה אֶלָּא שְׁמֹנֶה וְעֶשְׂרִים עַל שְׁמֹנֶה וְעֶשְׂרִים, כּוֹנֵס וְעוֹלֶה בְּמִדָּה זוֹ, עַד שֶׁנִּמְצָא מְקוֹם הַמַּעֲרָכָה עֶשְׂרִים עַל עֶשְׂרִים. וּכְשֶׁעָלוּ בְנֵי הַגּוֹלָה, הוֹסִיפוּ עָלָיו אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת מִן הַדָּרוֹם וְאַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת מִן הַמַּעֲרָב, כְּמִין גַּמָּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יחזקאל מג), וְהָאֲרִיאֵל שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה אֹרֶךְ בִּשְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה רֹחַב רָבוּעַ. יָכוֹל שֶׁאֵינוֹ אֶלָּא שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה עַל שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה, כְּשֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר (שם) אֶל אַרְבַּעַת רְבָעָיו, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁמִּן הָאֶמְצַע הוּא מוֹדֵד שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה לְכָל רוּחַ. וְחוּט שֶׁל סִקְרָא חוֹגְרוֹ בָאֶמְצַע, לְהַבְדִּיל בֵּין הַדָּמִים הָעֶלְיוֹנִים לַדָּמִים הַתַּחְתּוֹנִים. וְהַיְסוֹד הָיָה מְהַלֵּךְ עַל פְּנֵי כָל הַצָּפוֹן וְעַל פְּנֵי כָל הַמַּעֲרָב, וְאוֹכֵל בַּדָּרוֹם אַמָּה אַחַת, וּבַמִּזְרָח אַמָּה אֶחָת:

The altar was thirty two [ amah] by thirty two [amah]. It rose up one amah and indented one amah. This [tier] was called the yesod [base]. We thus find [that at this level, the altar was] thirty by thirty [ amot]. It rose another five [amot] and indented one [ amah]. This was called the sovev [ledge]. We thus find [that at this level, the altar was] twenty eight by twenty eight [ amot]. The area for the horns [on the corners of the altar] was one amah on this side and one amah on this side. We thus find [that at this level, the altar was] twenty six by twenty six [ amot]. The area designated for the Kohanim to walk around [the top of the alter] was one amah on this side and one amah on this side. We thus find [that at this level, the altar was] twenty four by twenty four [ amot] which was the area of the pyre. Rabbi Yosi said, in the initially [in the first Temple] the base [of the altar] was only twenty eight by twenty eight [ amot], rising and indenting in the same pattern until we find that the area of the pyre was twenty by twenty [ amot]. When the Jews returned from [the Babylonian] exile they added four amot to the south and four amot to the west in the shape of [the Greek letter] gamma [L shaped], as its stated "And the hearth was twelve amot wide and twelve amot long, a square" (Ezekiel 43:16) . We might have thought that it [the altar] was only twelve by twelve [ amot]. However when it says "to its four quadrants," it teaches us that the measurement was taken from the center of the altar and it was twelve [ amot] in every direction. And there was a red line that circled [the altar] which was the dividing line [midway] between where blood [that needed to be placed] on the upper half of the altar and [those that had to be placed] on the lower half [of the altar]. The base went around the entire northern side and western side of the altar and took up [only] one amah on the the southern side and one amah on the eastern side.

Sefer HaChinukh

And [it] is practiced at the time of the [Temple] by the males of the priesthood. And one who transgresses it and enters the Temple with wild [hair] - meaning after he grows his hair for thirty days - and serves there is liable for death by the hand of the Heavens; as it is stated, (Leviticus 10:6), "you shall not let your head be wild [...] and you shall not die." And the words of the Torah are [in short] - meaning to say, behold if they let their heads be wild, they will die. Nonetheless their service is not disqualified. And one who entered there but did not serve, is with a warning - meaning to say, he violated a negative commandment and is lashed. But he is only in [the category of] the death penalty if he served - since so did the explanation come. And Ramban, may his memory be blessed, wrote (in Sefer HaMitzvot, Mitzvot Lo Taase 163) that one with wild [hair] not enter the Temple is an embellishment from [the Rabbis] and is not from Torah writ; and his proofs are in his book. And he said that the verse is only coming to forbid drawing close for service, and it is included in the negative commandment of one with a blemish who served. And he wrote further that even the Sages only forbade the place that is called, "between the chamber and the altar"; but they did not forbid in front of the altar itself - which is thirty-two ells, as we learned (Mishnah Middot 3:1, 6), "The altar was thirty-two ells [...]; between the chamber and the altar was twenty-two."

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