Talmud 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.

Jerusalem Talmud Maaser Sheni

Rebbi Zeïra asked, why do we not enumerate all for what they are: As we have stated⁶Tosephta 5:13.: “A dedicated tree one colors with vermilion, houses of idol worship one blackens with charcoal, a leprous house one indicates by burned ashes, the place of a slain person by blood, the place where the neck of a calf was broken⁷To atone for an unsolved murder case, Deut. 21:1–9. The place is permanently forbidden for agricultural use, v. 4. by a stone enclosure.” Is one not afraid that it will be said it is a tree which sheds its fruits⁸The tree painted vermilion; one might come to profanely use its fruits.? Did we not state⁹Ševi‘it Chapter 4, Notes 65–69; cf. Babli Šabbat 67a, Ḥulin 77b.: “If a tree sheds its fruits, one colors it red with vermilion, loads it with stones, and frightens it into producing.” They said, there that it should not loosen its fruits, here that it should start to produce¹⁰This sentence is copied from Ševi‘it; it makes no sense here. The correct answer is given in the next sentence.. Rebbi Jonah asked: Why do we not teach “a line”, like the vermilion line as remembrance of the altar, as we have stated there¹¹Mishnah Middot 3:1, describing the altar in the courtyard of the Temple. The blood of burnt offerings and animal purification offerings has to be poured on the upper wall of the altar; the blood of all other sacrifices goes on the lower part. The borderline is indicated by a red line, one cubit below the walkway around the altar. R. Jonah proposes to make the dedication mark narrow in contrast to the coloring of a misbehaving tree.: “A vermilion line is like a belt in the middle to distinguish between upper and lower blood.” Rebbi Ḥiyya stated, one writes on it with vermilion: “dedicated.”

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