Taamei Hamitzvos - The Sacrificial Altar
(Mitzvos #40 and #41 in Sefer HaChinuch)
Do not make [idols] with Me; gods of silver and gods of gold do not make for yourselves. Construct for Me an altar of earth, and you shall offer beside it…In every place I shall mention My name, I shall come to you and bless you. When you construct an altar of stones, do not hew the stones, for it will become profaned if your blade is waved over it. And do not ascend with steps upon My altar, upon which you may not expose yourself (Shemos 20:21-23).
THE MITZVAH
Following the Giving of the Torah, Hashem commanded us to construct for Him “an altar of earth,” which means that it must be set upon the ground and not upon pillars. In the Wilderness, this altar was made out of copper-plated wood and filled with earth (Rashi). The above passage also gives an option to make the altar out of unhewn stones; which is the type of altar that furnished the Beis HaMikdash. The Torah forbids ascending the altar by means of steps, it must therefore be accessed by means of a ramp.
EARTH OR UNHEWN STONES
The idol-worshippers used to make altars out of silver and gold, believing that this would draw down blessings through spiritual forces symbolized by these metals. Hashem commands us to sacrifice to Him upon a simple altar, either of wood and copper filled with earth, or of stone, because He does not need conduits of precious metals to bring down blessing (Ibn Ezra).
Presumably, gold symbolized the sun and silver symbolized the moon.
The stones may not be hewn with a chisel or with any metal tool, since metal is the material of weapons, which shorten life, while the altar atones and lengthens life. Furthermore, the altar makes peace between us and Hashem, and it is inappropriate to strike it with something that causes destruction (Rashi). In addition, Hashem wanted us to use whole stones, because if we were to cut them in two, half of a stone would go to the altar and the other half would be thrown away, which is disrespectful (Ibn Ezra). Hashem also intended to discourage the ways of idol-worshippers, who would use metal tools to engrave idolatrous designs on their altars (Rambam).
THE RAMP
Ascending or descending steps entails spreading out one’s legs. Even though the Kohanim wore pants beneath their tunics, it would still be disrespectful toward Hashem’s altar if they were to spread apart their legs. We are therefore commanded to build a ramp, upon which the Kohanim must ascend foot-by-foot so that their legs do not spread apart disrespectfully.
If we are commanded to be sensitive to the dignity of even stone and earth, then we must certainly treat people, who are created in Hashem’s image, with the utmost respect (Rashi)! It is especially important to treat the altar with reverence because it atones for our sins (Baal HaTurim).
In addition, it is haughty to walk with large steps, and haughtiness causes conflicts between people. Since the entire purpose of the altar is to bring peace between us and Hashem, it is not fitting to ascend upon it with large, haughty steps, but rather meekly (Moshav Zekeinim).
We may further suggest that the altar needed to be made out of earthly materials and set down upon the earth to symbolize that the offerings that are brought upon it provide atonement for the entire earth (see Sukkah 55b). Similarly, it had to be accessed specifically by a ramp for it to be considered an extension of the earth.
