Commentaire sur Tamid 2:4

מערכה גדולה – because there is another pile of wood on the altar in the Temple, they called this the large pile of wood. There were three piles of wood on the altar every day, the first was the large pile of wood where they would burn on it the daily [morning] offering/תמיד; and the second was a lesser pile than it which was called the pile of wood of the incense, that they take from it coals with a coal-pan for the incense which they offer in the morning and at twilight, and third is not used a all other than for the establishment of the fire, as it is written (Leviticus 6:5): “The fire on the altar shall be kept burning, [not to go out],” this is the pile for the establishment of the fire.

He then arranged a large pile on the east side of the altar, with its open side on the east, while the inner ends of the [selected] logs touched the ash heap. They now begin to arrange the logs on the altar. They begin with a large pile of logs on the eastern side of the altar. In tomorrow’s mishnah we shall see that there was a smaller pile on the other side for burning the incense. The open side of the large pile faced east. The logs were arranged in straight rows from east to west, with the ends of the logs on the eastern side.

וחזיתה מזרחה – its appearance which is the opening and the window of he pile of wood on the altar, to the eastern side of the altar.

Spaces were left between the logs in which they kindled the brushwood. They left spaces in between the logs into which they put brushwood for kindling. Anyone who has ever made a good campfire should be familiar with this practice.

וראשי גזירין – the insides were long until they would touch the “apple”/place on the altar where the ashes were piled up.

את האליתא (wood of the fig tree, used as kindling wood on the altar) – they insert dried branches/twigs used for fuel and thin chips between the big pieces to kindle the fire. And the word אליתא is the language of tail/fat-tail, named for the tails of the fire-brands.