Why Priests Climbed the Altar Ramp With Modest Steps

Midrash Aggadah, Exodus 20:26

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

"And you shall not go up by steps upon My altar." For the ramp resembles a kind of board. "That your nakedness be not uncovered upon it." For the priests would go up upon it heel beside big toe, for if they were to widen their steps, their nakedness would be seen. Another interpretation: "And you shall not go up by steps (ma'alot)." Do not read it "ma'alot" (steps) but "me'ilot" (acts of misappropriation), that is to say: if there is in your hand anything misappropriated, by which the priest committed trespass, he shall not go up. "Your nakedness shall not be uncovered upon it." And do not bring it near My altar to offer, for I will not accept it, and it will uncover your nakedness before all Israel who stand below and watch; for if the offering is not accepted, the smoke does not rise like a column. "You shall not go up." You shall not bring in, like "a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard" (Proverbs 26:9). And is it possible that it "goes up"? Rather, when he is drunk he stretches out his hand toward the thorns, and the thorn enters his hand and pains him.

Themes

SacrificeTemplePriesthoodHumorWit

Biblical References

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Ben SiraHigh Priest Before the AltarForget the sterile descriptions in history books. Ben Sira, in chapter 50 of his wisdom book, gives us a series of breathtaking images to help us do just that. Book of JubileesHow to Offer a Burnt Sacrifice on the Altar in JubileesThe altar is ready, the fire is burning, and the priests are preparing the offering. Jubilees says: "offer them all together on the altar of burnt-offering; it Letter of AristeasHoly Temple at the TempleLetter of Aristeas turns to Holy Temple at the Temple. This letter, a fascinating document from the Hellenistic period, purports to be written by a Greek officiMegillat AntiochusNicanor and the Holy SanctuaryThe story of Megillat Antiochus throws us right into that pressure cooker. It's a relatively short scroll, considered by some to be a minor megillah, telling thMekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelTells Us That a Thousand Burnt-offerings Did Solomon Sacrifice onIssi ben Akiva proposed a striking interpretation of the altar's construction: it was a copper altar filled with earth. This sounds like a simple engineering deTargum JonathanWhy Moses Was Afraid to Enter the TabernacleWhen Moses finished building the Tabernacle, he stood outside and refused to go in. His reasoning, according to the Targum Jonathan, was striking: Mount Sinai h