When he built the Beit Hamikdash, the Holy Temple, in Jerusalem, he constructed a brand new altar for offerings. But Solomon, in his wisdom, retained the original name for his new altar—acknowledging the profound significance of the original.
But did God appreciate this gesture? According to one telling, it seems God felt a little bittersweet about it. The text implies, almost with a sigh, that God prized Moses's original altar so much that he declared: "To reward Israel for having had 'a fire kept burning upon the altar continually,' I shall punish 'the kingdom laden with crime' by fire 'that shall not be quenched night or day; the smoke thereof shall go up forever.'" (Legends of the Jews). A powerful statement, isn't it? A potent reminder of the consequences when that sacred fire is extinguished through wrongdoing.
Now, the story doesn’t end there. Interestingly, there were actually two altars: the brazen altar and the golden altar. And these two altars, according to tradition, represent something incredibly profound about us as human beings.
The brazen altar? That corresponds to the body. Think of the sacrifices offered there, the offerings of animals. Just as our bodies need sustenance, so too did this altar require offerings.
The golden altar, on the other hand? That represents the soul. Think about the spices, the sweet incense that were burned. The soul, you see, finds delight in fragrance, in the ephemeral and spiritual.
Ginzberg, in Legends of the Jews, explains that just as gold is more valuable than brass, the soul is greater than the body. But here’s the key: both altars were used daily!
Why? Because we, as human beings, must serve our Creator with both body and soul. We can’t neglect one for the other. We need to nourish both, to tend to both. The sacrifices offered on the brazen altar mirror the food that nourishes our bodies, while the sweet incense on the golden altar symbolize the perfumes that delight the soul.
What a powerful image, right? It's a reminder to be present, to be embodied, and to engage in physical acts of service. But, at the same time, it's an urging to nurture our inner life. To seek out that which elevates and inspires us. Perhaps, in attending to both our "altars," we can find a little bit more of that eternal flame within ourselves.