The Prohibition of Using Iron in Building the Altar

 

THE SOURCES FOR THE PROHIBITION OF USING IRON

 

            The Torah relates to the prohibition of using iron in the building of the altar in two places:

 

And if you will make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone (even gazit); for if you lift up your tool upon it, you will have profaned it. (Shemot 20:22)

 

And there shall you build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones; you shall not lift up any iron tool upon them. You shall build the altar of the Lord your God of whole stones, and you shall offer burnt offerings upon it to the Lord your God. (Devarim 27:5-6)

 

            Similarly, when Shlomo builds the first Temple, the prophet says:

 

And the house, when it was built, was built of stone made ready before it was brought there, so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house. (I Melakhim 6:7)

 

It should be noted that according to the plain sense of the verse, Shlomo expanded the prohibition to the entirety of the Temple, beyond the prohibition regarding the altar, as Scripture attests to the fact that no sound of any iron implement whatsoever was heard at the Temple's building site.

 

            The mishna describes the building of the Second Temple:

 

The stones both of the ramp and of the altar were taken from the valley of Bet-Kerem. They dug into virgin soil and brought from there whole stones on which no iron had been lifted, since iron disqualifies by mere touch, though a scratch made by anything could disqualify. If one of them received a scratch, it was disqualified, but the rest were not. They were whitewashed twice a year… The plaster was not laid on with a trowel of iron, for fear that it might touch and disqualify. Since iron was created to shorten man's days and the altar was created to prolong man's days, and it is not right therefore that that which shortens [life] should be lifted against that which prolongs [life]. (Middot 3:4)

 

            Thus, we see that the prohibition of using iron was a fundamental matter in the building of the altar and the Mikdash, in the Mishkan, in the First Temple and in the Second Temple.

 

THE DEFINITION OF THE PROHIBITION

 

            It follows from the Mekhilta that the prohibition is limited to hewn stones over which an iron tool was lifted – that is to say, to stones which were cut with an iron tool. As we saw, however, the mishna in Middot disqualifies stones that merely come into contact with an iron implement.

 

            The Rambam relates to the prohibition:

 

Any stone that is damaged to the extent that a nail will become caught in it [when passing over it], as is the case regarding a slaughtering knife, is disqualified for [use in the] altar or the ramp, as it is stated (Devarim 27:6): "You shall build the altar of the Lord with whole stones."

From where would they bring the stones of the altar? From virgin earth. They would dig until they reached a point which was obviously never used for tilling or for building, and they would take the stones from there. Alternatively, [they would take them] from the Mediterranean Sea and build with them.

Similarly, the stones of the Temple and the courtyard were whole.  Damaged or split stones from the Temple and the courtyard are invalid. They cannot be redeemed [and used for mundane purposes]. Rather, they must be entombed. Every stone which was touched by iron, even though it was not damaged, is disqualified [for use] in building the altar or the ramp, as it is stated (Shemot 20:25): "By lifting your sword against it, you will have profaned it." Anyone who builds the altar or the ramp with a stone that has been touched by iron [violates a negative command and] is [given] lashes, as it is stated (ibid.): "Do not build them with hewn stone." One who builds with a damaged stone violates a positive command. (Hilkhot Bet Ha-Bechira 1:14-15).

 

The Rambam expands the prohibition and forbids all contact with an iron tool. We are dealing here with total removal, in order to prevent any contact whatsoever between iron and the altar.

 

            A most interesting and original ramification of the Torah's assertion, "By lifting your sword against it, you will have profaned it," is brought by the Chizkuni in connection with the pinching of the neck of a bird burnt-offering:

 

[The pinching is performed] by the priest himself, for it is done at the top of the altar, but not with a knife, as it is written: "By lifting your sword against it, you will have profaned it." (Vayikra 1:15, s.v. u-malak)

 

No knife was used in the slaughter of the bird so as not to lift a “sword” upon the altar. But the slaughter of all the sacrifices was performed by the rings found close to the altar to its north side, and in those cases the slaughter was done with knives! How is the pinching of a bird's neck different from the slaughter of the other animals?

 

            The answer seems to lie in the words of the gemara in Zevachim (65a), which says: "'And pinch off [its head], and make it smoke [on the altar]' – just as making it smoke is [done] on the top of the altar, so is pinching [done] on the top of the altar." In other words, the pinching of a bird offering is unique in that it is performed on the top of the altar itself.

 

            Accordingly, argues the Chizkuni, an iron tool must not be used on the top of the altar, because "by lifting your sword against it, you will have profaned it." Even though the priest would not touch the altar itself with the knife, nevertheless, merely bringing it close to the top of the altar is considered bringing it into contact with the altar. Accordingly, the pinching of a bird offering cannot be performed with a knife, but only by the priest himself with his hand.

 

WHAT IS “GAZIT”?

 

            The root of the word "gazit" is gimmel-zayin-heh, which is closely related to the root gimmel-zayin-zayin, to cut; gazit stones are cut and chiseled stones.

 

            The Mekhilta (ad loc.) states as follows:

 

"You shall not build it of gazit stone" – gazit here means cut stones, over which an iron tool was lifted.

 

The Ibn Ezra explains in his long commentary:

 

The word gazit is derived from "to his sheep-sheerers (gozezei)" (Bereishit 38:12); "it is soon cut off (gaz), and we fly away" (Tehillim 90:10); and so too, "so they shall be cut down (nigzezu), and it shall pass away" (Nachum 1:12). The meaning is "cutting off;" only whole stones in the form in which they were created [may be used].

 

The Ibn Ezra's wording implies that it is important that the stones of the altar should be whole as they were created – that is, human hands should not touch them – so that, as it were, the Divine seal upon them is clear and evident.

 

            According to this explanation, we can understand why the prohibition was stated specifically with respect to the altar. It is specifically with respect to the vessel that expresses man's service of God more than any other – the elevation of the earth heavenward, as it were – that this command was issued. It is specifically the vessel that expresses man's turning to God that must not be touched by man, but rather built of whole stones in the form in which they were created, which expresses God's world in its natural state.

 

WHY IS IT FORBIDDEN TO BUILD THE ALTAR FROM HEWN STONES?

 

1. THE ALTAR PROLONGS MAN’S DAYS, WHEREAS IRON SHORTENS THEM

 

            The simple answer to this question is stated already in the Torah: "By lifting your sword against it, you will have profaned it." The Mekhilta (ad loc.) expands upon this:

 

"By lifting your sword against it, you will have profaned it." From here, R. Shimon ben Eliezer says: The altar was created to prolong man's days, and iron was created to shorten man's days. It is not permitted that that which shortens [life] should be lifted against that which prolongs [life]. R. Yochanan ben Zakkai says: Surely it says: "You shall build the altar of the Lord your God of whole stones" – stones that make peace. Surely the matter is a kal va-chomer: If the stones of the altar which neither see, nor hear, nor speak, [but] because they make peace between Israel and their Father in Heaven, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: "You shall not lift up any iron tool upon them" – he who makes peace between man and his fellow, between husband and wife, between one city and another, between one nation and another, between one power and another, between one family and another, all the more so, will no misfortune come to him. (Mekhilta)

 

R. Shimon ben Elazar sees a most fundamental opposition between the altar and iron, and therefore one may not lift that which shortens life against that which prolongs it. What does R. Shimon ben Elazar mean when he says that the altar was created to prolong life?

 

            It may be suggested that the altar is a site of repair and atonement for the sins of man, and thus it prolongs his days. In similar fashion, the Yerushalmi states:

 

"And the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" (Bereishit 2:7) – R. Yuda ben Pazi said: The Holy One, blessed be He, took a spoonful of dust from the site of the altar and created from it the first man. He said: O that he be created from the site of the altar, so that he have endurance. This is what is written: "And the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground," and it is written: "An altar of earth shall you make to Me" (Shemot 20:21) – just as the earth there is an altar, here too an altar. (Nazir 7:2)

 

            In other words, it is precisely man's creation from earth taken from the site of the altar that gives him endurance. Through its capacity to lead to atonement, the altar prolongs man's life, whereas the sword which is used in war shortens his life because it kills.

 

            The Sefer Ha-Chinukh explains the prohibition similarly:

 

The root of this commandment is that we should fix in our souls from the day [the altar] is made that it is [the altar] that would later bring us pardon of sin, blessing, and peace. In order to remember this, we were commanded not to do anything with it with vessels that are made for destruction, i.e., iron which cuts down and is always prepared to shed blood. (Commandment 40)

 

2. THE STONES OF THE ALTAR MAKE PEACE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND THEIR FATHER IN HEAVEN[1]

 

            A second explanation arises from the words of R. Yochanan ben Zakkai. He interprets the verse: "You shall build the altar of the Lord your God of whole (shelemot) stones: and you shall offer burnt offerings upon it to the Lord your God" (Devarim 27:5-6), as teaching that stones make peace (shalom) between Israel and their Father in Heaven. What does he mean by this?

 

            It may be suggested that in general, the essence of every sacrifice is the closeness that it establishes between man and God, whether it is a thanksgiving offering, a freewill offering, or an offering brought in the wake of a sin (a burnt offering, a guilt offering, or a sin offering). This is certainly the case regarding a peace offering, the essence of which is, by definition, peace. R. Shimon states this explicitly in the Tosefta:

 

“Peace offerings” [are so called because] all are at peace with them – a part to the altar, a part to the priests and a part to the owners. (Zevachim 11:1)

 

In other words, in the very fact that part of a peace offering goes to the altar, part to the priests, and part to the owners, there is an aspect of peace, in addition to the fact that it is sometimes brought to the Mikdash as a freewill offering.

 

            From this perspective, every sacrifice, by way of its expressing unmediated closeness to God, brings peace.

 

            Another way to understand the peace brought by the altar is based on the fact that the purpose of the sacrifices is to repair and atone for sin.

 

            Sin creates a separation between Israel – both the collective and the individual – and God. The repair of the sin by way of the offering of a sacrifice expresses the renewed unity, the connection that follows the distancing between God and the man who sinned, and in this sense there is a dimension of peace.

 

            It is interesting that the continuation of the Mekhilta brings another statement of R. Yochanan ben Zakkai regarding this issue, which completes what he had previously said:

 

From the fact that it says: "By lifting your sword against it, you will have profaned it," you might have said that they are only disqualified if they were cut with a sword. Therefore, the verse teaches you: "You shall not lift up any iron tool upon them" – an iron tool is like a sword. If in the end we treat [any] iron tool like a sword, what is taught by: "By lifting your sword against it"? This is what R. Yochanan ben Zakkai said: What did he see to disqualify iron from among all metals? Because a sword is made from it, [and] a sword is a sign of calamity, and an altar is a sign of atonement; we remove something that is a sign of calamity from before something that is a sign of atonement. Surely this is a kal va-chomer: If stones which neither see, nor hear, nor speak, [but] because they make peace between Israel and their Father in Heaven, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: "You shall not lift up any iron tool upon them" – people of Torah who are atonement for the world, and all the more so that they will not be touched by any demonic powers in the world. (Mekhilta de-Rashbi, 20)

 

            The midrash notes the relationship between iron and a sword. Iron of all metals is disqualified because swords are made from it, whereas the essence of the altar is atonement, which repairs that which ensues from the sword – calamity.

 

            R. Hirsch, in his usual manner, tries to understand the symbolic meaning of metals in general, and in this case, of iron:[2]

 

The strongest metal according to the accepted opinion, the one that cannot be overcome and cannot be destroyed, is iron, and similar properties are found in brass. Thus, God promises the prophet Yirmiyahu: "For, behold, I have made you this day a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and walls of brass against the whole land" (Yirmiyahu 1:18). Cattle are described as follows: "His bones are tubes of brass; his limbs are like bars of iron" (Iyov 40:18). So too, Iyov laments: "Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh of brass?" (Iyov 6:12). The frozen heaven and earth are called: "And I will make your skies like iron, and your earth like brass" (Vayikra 26:19). And also: "And your heaven that is over your head shall be brass, and the earth that is under you shall be iron" (Devarim 28:23). The prophet Yeshayahu says to the house of Yaakov: "Because I know that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your forehead brass" (Yeshayahu 48:4). Thus, we see that in a poetic manner, iron and brass are presented as the ultimate hardness and strength. Clear proof that the entire Mikdash and its vessels are symbols is found in an important detail. Here is it explicitly stated that the structure as well as the manner of building symbolize something for Israel. It is written: "And if you will make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone: for if you lift up your tool upon it, you have defiled it. (Shemot 20:22). So too, it is written regarding the building of the First Temple: "So that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house. (I Melakhim 6:7). Chazal say: "'You shall not build it of gazit stone' – gazit here means cut stones, over which an iron tool was lifted… From here, R. Shimon ben Eliezer says: The altar was created to prolong man's days, and iron was created to shorten man's days. It is not permitted that that which shortens [life] should be lifted against that which prolongs [life]." (Mekhilta Yitro)

 

3. CONCERN ABOUT IDOLARTY

 

            Some Rishonim understood the prohibition in a different manner. After citing the reason brought in the Mekhilta, according to which it is not right that something which shortens life should be lifted against that which prolongs it, the Rambam writes:

 

This is excellent in the manner of the midrashim… However, the reason for this is manifest, for the idolaters used to build altars with hewn stones. Accordingly, assimilation to them was prohibited, and in order to avoid this assimilation to them it was commanded that the altar be earth. It says: "An altar of earth you shall make unto Me." If, however, it was indispensible to make it with stones, the latter must have their natural form and not be hewn. (Guide of the Perplexed III:43)

 

According to the Rambam, the reason for the prohibition to build an altar with hewn stones and the commandment to build an altar of earth stems from the prohibition to act in a manner similar to that of the idolaters, who used to build their altars with hewn stones.

 

            The Rashbam writes in similar fashion:

 

For when an altar is built with hewn stones and with iron implements, the stone-dressers often decorate them with pictures and images, as it is written in Yeshayahu with respect to idols: "The ironsmith makes an axe, and works in the coals, and fashions it with hammers… he marks it out with a pencil; he fits it with chisels, and he marks it out with a compass" (Yeshayahu 44:12-13). (Rashbam, Shemot 20:20)

 

The Rashbam mentions the similarity to idolatrous practices as the principal reason for the prohibition.

 

            The Ibn Ezra, in his long commentary (ad loc.), writes:

 

Logically speaking, perhaps it is similar to piggul; since an offering was made on the altar, it is not fitting that the remainder should be piggul, for it would profane the holy that had been consecrated if something remained from it until it became piggul. So too here, if stones would be cut to build an altar, perhaps that which was cut from the stones would become profaned and used for idolatry, and this is not a sign of respect. And we saw that the priest must atone for the altar.

 

The Ibn Ezra also explans this prohibition in the context of idolatry; the Torah is concerned that that which was cut off from the stones would be used for idolatry, which is disrespectful.

 

STONE – YAAKOV; SWORD - ESAV

 

            The Ramban explains at length the connection between iron and the sword, on the one hand, and the power of Esav, on the other:

 

And I say that the reason for this commandment [which prohibits lifting an iron tool over the stones of the altar] is the fact that iron is [used to fashion] a sword (cherev), which destroys (machriv) the world, and therefore it is called by that name. Now Esav, whom God hates, inherited the sword, as he was told: "And by your sword you shall live" (Bereishit 27:40). And the sword is his power in heaven and on earth… And this is the reason that it is stated explicitly: "You shall not build it of hewn stone." For when you lift up an iron tool to fashion them, you have lifted up your sword that kills and increases the number of the dead, and you have profaned it." (Shemot 20:21)

 

            R. Odes explains the contrast between Yaakov and Esav and between stone and a sword.[3] He cites the words of the Maharal, who defines the connection between Israel and stone and between the gentile nations (including Esav) and the sword (for example, in the war fought against Amalek and in David's victory over Golyat).

 

            R. Odes argues that there is nothing essentially negative about iron. Accordingly, the vessels in the Mikdash were fashioned with iron implements, symbolizing the resting of God's Shekhina in this world. In contrast, the altar symbolizes man's rising up to God. There, there is no room for iron, which symbolizes the mundane world, and there iron is something negative.

 

            In this context, R. Odes cites the words of the midrash, which says that the metals used in the Mishkan correspond to the various world kingdoms:[4]

 

Gold – corresponding to the kingdom of Babylonia; silver – corresponding to the kingdom of Media; brass – corresponding to the kingdom of Greece; and rams' skins dyed red – corresponding to the kingdom of Edom (red). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Even though you see four kingdoms rising up and coming upon you, I will cause deliverance to grow from the servitude. What is written afterwards: "Oil for light" – this is the Messianic king, as it is stated: "There will I make the horn of David to shoot up; I have set up a lamp for My anointed." (Tanchuma 7, Parashat Teruma)

 

The Maharal (Ner Mitzva) says that it is possible that the kingdoms appeared like metals because they wished to replace the kingdom of God in this world.

 

            R. Odes adds that each of the four kingdoms, being deficient, can only express a particular aspect of the perfect Divine appearance. Accordingly, it is only all the metals together in a harmonious union that can fully and faithfully express the Divine appearance in the Mishkan.

 

IN WHAT WAY IS THE ALTAR DIFFERENT FROM THE REST OF THE MIKDASH?

 

            In what way is the altar different from the rest of the Mikdash and its vessels, so that regarding the latter the use of iron is permitted, but regarding the altar, the use of iron is forbidden?

 

            On the simple level it may be suggested that the altar symbolizes man's service of God, in contrast to the rest of the Mikdash, which first and foremost symbolizes the resting of God's Shekhina in His house.[5]

 

            R. Odes formulates this principle as follows: While the vessels of the Mikdash constitute the foundation for the revelation of the Shekhina in this world, the altar expresses the rising up of the world towards God. The people of Israel do not wish to replace God's appearance in the world, as do the other four kingdoms; rather, they wish to efface themselves before God's appearance and follow after Him.

 

There is an interesting distinction between iron implements, which are susceptible to ritual impurity, and stone implements, which are not. Stone is a direct part of God's creation, and thus it is not a human product. Iron, in contrast, is processed by man, and all ritual impurity is directly and essentially connected to human activity.

 

R. Odes notes that in the priestly garment,s there is a distinction between the shoham stones and milu'im stones, upon which the names of the tribes of Israel are written, and the golden tzitz, upon which the name of God is written.

 

It is possible, according to this understanding, to explain why there is metal in the garments of the High Priest, whereas there is no metal in the garments of the ordinary priests, which are made of linen.[6]

 

This point touches upon the more general question of whether the priests are regarded as our agents or as agents of God. It may be suggested that the High Priest gives clearer expression to the fact that priests are agents of God, whereas the ordinary priest expresses more clearly the fact that priests are our agents. This explanation accords with the distinction that we made between the structure of the Mishkan and the garments of the High Priest, in which metals are found, representing the Shekhina's presence in the world, and the altar in the courtyard and the garments of the ordinary priest, which express man's service, the use of iron being forbidden in connection with the altar.

 

MATERIALS THAT WERE NOT USED IN THE MISHKAN

 

            In conclusion, it should be noted that in addition to the prohibition to build the altar with hewn stones, there are certain materials that were not used in the construction of the Mishkan. We will mention one example here.

 

            At the beginning of the command regarding the Mishkan, the Torah brings a long and detailed list of the materials to be used in the building of the Mishkan, its vessels and the priestly garments:

 

And this is the offering which you shall take of them: gold, and silver, and brass, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and rams' skins dyed red, and tachash skins, and shittim wood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, shoham stones and stones to be set in the efod and in the breastplate. (Shemot 25:2-7)

 

            On this, Rabbeinu Bachayei makes the following comment:

 

We do not find silk in the contributions to the Mishkan, for it issues from the body of the seraf, which is a worm, and only something clean is fit for the work of heaven, as we said regarding the tachash. (Shemot 25:3)

 

            Rabbeinu Bachayei interestingly notes that the Torah is particular about the materials used in the Mishkan; even when materials derived from the animal kingdom are needed, they should only be taken from clean animals.

 

(Translated by David Strauss)

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