What Happens If an Altar Stone Gets Damaged?
What Happens If an Altar Stone Gets Damaged?
Part of Beit Hamikdash · 2:55
A short piece on the halachic status of the altar when one of its stones is damaged, and the punishment for intentionally breaking Temple stones.
Audio Transcript
It's not a peshat that if you have one stone that became 驻讙讜诐, so the whole 诪讝讘讞 is pasul now. As long as that stone is there, you can't use the 诪讝讘讞, but you could take out this stone and put in a different one, but the rest remain kasher. Then he says a different thing: 诪诇讘谞讬谉 讗转 讛诪讝讘讞 驻注诪讬讬诐 讘砖谞讛. You would, they would plaster the 诪讝讘讞 twice a year, b'Pesach uvachag, Pesach time and Sukkot time, twice a year. 讜讻砖诪诇讘谞讬谉 讗讜转讜, and when they would plaster it, 诪诇讘谞讬谉 讘诪驻讛. The way you put plaster is you take this metal, what's it called? Trowel. A trowel. That's metal, so you shouldn't do that. You take it with a 诪驻讛, you take this cloth. 讗讘诇 诇讗 讘讻驻讬住 砖诇 讘专讝诇, not with this thing of 讘专讝诇, of metal, 砖诪讗 讬讙注 讘讗讘谉 讜讬驻住讜诇, it might touch it. Even though you might not, you could reach if you have a layer of plaster, you could make sure not to touch the stone and would be kasher. But you never know, so you can't do it because you might touch the stone. The moment you touch the stone, it would make it pasul. Same thing when they were digging for it also, the shovel, whatever it is? Right, right, right, so to dig, make sure not to shouldn't be with metal. Zogt er vayter, 讗讬谉 注讜砖讬谉, 讗讬谉 注讜砖讬谉 诪讚专讙讜转 讘诪讝讘讞.
You're not allowed to make steps going up to the 诪讝讘讞. Shene'emar, it says: 诇讗 转注诇讛 讘诪注诇讜转 注诇 诪讝讘讞讬, do not go up with steps to My 诪讝讘讞. 讗诇讗 讘讜谞讬谉 讻诪讬谉 转诇 讘讚专讜诪讜 砖诇 诪讝讘讞, you would build like a ramp on the 讚专讜诐 side of the 诪讝讘讞, 诪诪注讟 讜讬讜专讚 诪专讗砖 讛诪讝讘讞 注讚 讛讗专抓, it goes down from the top of the 诪讝讘讞, that's where it starts, and goes down all the way to the floor. 讜讛讜讗 讛谞拽专讗 讻讘砖, that's called a 讻讘砖. 讜讛注讜诇讛 讘诪注诇讜转 注诇 讛诪讝讘讞, if someone walks on steps on the 诪讝讘讞, 诇讜拽讛, he gets 诪诇拽讜转, because there's a 诇讗讜. Like he said before, the pasuk is 诇讗 转注诇讛 讘诪注诇讜转. 讜讻谉 讛谞讜转抓 讗讘谉 讗讞转 诪谉 讛诪讝讘讞 讗讜 诪讻诇 讛讛讬讻诇, anybody who breaks one stone of the 诪讝讘讞, or from any part of the 讛讬讻诇, 讗讜 诪讘讬谉 讛讗讜诇诐 讜诇诪讝讘讞, or the 讛讬讻诇, or between the 讗讜诇诐 and the 诪讝讘讞, and he does it 讚专讱 讛砖讞转讛, for the purpose of breaking, 诇讜拽讛, you get 诪诇拽讜转. That's the floor, between the 讗讜诇诐 and the 诪讝讘讞? No, no, no. That's the stone between the 讗讜诇诐 and the 诪讝讘讞? The wall, by the wall. Between the 讗讜诇诐 and the 诪讝讘讞? Yeah, the wall around it, yeah. He get malkot, why? Because
砖谞讗诪专, it says: 讜谞转爪转诐 讗转 诪讝讘讞讜转诐, to destroy their 诪讝讘讞 of their avodah zarah, 诇讗 转注砖讜谉 讻谉 诇讛' 讗诇拽讬讻诐, not do to Hashem. So you're 注讜讘专 on a 诇讗讜, and therefore you get malkot. But he adds the word 讚专讱 讛砖讞转讛, it's only if you do it for the purpose of breaking, but if you have to fix it, like if something broke, and in order to fix it, a lot of time in order to fix it you got to break a little bit more in order to fix it, that's okay. That's the whole point what the Rebbe has in how the Oybershter was able to break the Beit HaMikdash. First of all, bal tashchit, but that you could say not, but the Oybershter keeps all the mitzvot. The Oybershter said you're not allowed to destroy the Beit HaMikdash. How did He do