רָאוּהוּ אֶחָיו שֶׁיָּרַד, וְהֵם רָצוּ וּבָאוּ. מִהֲרוּ וְקִדְּשׁוּ יְדֵיהֶן וְרַגְלֵיהֶן מִן הַכִּיּוֹר, נָטְלוּ אֶת הַמַּגְרֵפוֹת וְאֶת הַצִּנּוֹרוֹת וְעָלוּ לְרֹאשׁ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ. הָאֵבָרִין וְהַפְּדָרִין שֶׁלֹּא נִתְאַכְּלוּ מִבָּעֶרֶב, סוֹנְקִין אוֹתָם לִצְדָדֵי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ. אִם אֵין הַצְּדָדִין מַחֲזִיקִין, סוֹדְרִין אוֹתָם בַּסּוֹבֵב עַל הַכָּבֶשׁ: The previous mishna described the performance of the removal of the ashes by the priest who was selected to perform this task. This mishna continues: The brethren of the priest who removed the ashes, i.e., the other members of the patrilineal family, saw that he had descended from the altar with the coal pan, and they would run and come to the Basin. They made haste and sanctified their hands and their feet with the water in the Basin, and then they took the shovels and the forks and ascended with them to the top of the altar. The shovels were for shoveling the ashes to the center of the altar, while the forks were required to remove from the altar those limbs that had not been consumed. With regard to the limbs of burnt offerings and the fats of other offerings that had not been consumed and burned to ashes during the time from the previous evening, the priests would clear them to the sides of the altar. If the remaining limbs and fats were so abundant that the sides of the altar were unable to hold them, the priests would arrange them on the ramp, opposite the surrounding ledge of the altar.
הֵחֵלּוּ מַעֲלִין בָּאֵפֶר עַל גַּבֵּי הַתַּפּוּחַ. וְתַפּוּחַ הָיָה בְאֶמְצַע הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, פְּעָמִים עָלָיו כִּשְׁלשׁ מֵאוֹת כּוֹר. וּבָרְגָלִים לֹא הָיוּ מְדַשְּׁנִין אוֹתוֹ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא נוֹי לַמִּזְבֵּחַ. מִיָּמָיו לֹא נִתְעַצֵּל הַכֹּהֵן מִלְּהוֹצִיא אֶת הַדָּשֶׁן: The priests then began raising the ashes onto the circular heap upon which the ashes were piled. The circular heap was in the middle of the altar. Sometimes there was as much as three hundred kor of ashes upon it. When the heap of ashes became excessively large, the priests would remove the ashes and pour them outside the city. But during the Festivals they would not remove the ashes from the altar, as the ashes were considered an adornment to the altar, since they were a sign of the great number of offerings that were sacrificed on it. In all the days of the altar, even when there was an abundance of ashes upon it, the priest tasked with removing the ashes from the circular heap was never indolent in removing the ashes.
הֵחֵלּוּ מַעֲלִין בְּגִזְרִין לְסַדֵּר אֵשׁ הַמַּעֲרָכָה. וְכִי כָל הָעֵצִים כְּשֵׁרִים לַמַּעֲרָכָה. הֵן, כָּל הָעֵצִים כְּשֵׁרִין לַמַּעֲרָכָה, חוּץ מִשֶּׁל זַיִת וְשֶׁל גֶּפֶן. אֲבָל בְּאֵלּוּ רְגִילִין, בְּמֻרְבִּיּוֹת שֶׁל תְּאֵנָה וְשֶׁל אֱגוֹז וְשֶׁל עֵץ שָׁמֶן: After the ashes were cleared to the middle of the altar, the priests began raising logs onto the altar in order to assemble the arrangement of wood on which the offerings were burned. The tanna asks: And is wood from all the trees fit for the arrangement? The tanna replies: Wood from all the trees is fit for the arrangement, except for wood from the vine and from the olive tree, but the priests were accustomed to assemble the arrangement with wood from these trees: With young branches of the fig tree, of the nut tree, and of pinewood.
סִדֵּר הַמַּעֲרָכָה גְדוֹלָה מִזְרָחָה, וַחֲזִיתָהּ מִזְרָחָה, וְרָאשֵׁי הַגִּזְרִין הַפְּנִימִיִּם הָיוּ נוֹגְעִים בַּתַּפּוּחַ. וְרֶוַח הָיָה בֵין הַגִּזְרִין, שֶׁהָיוּ מַצִּיתִין אֶת הָאֲלִיתָא מִשָּׁם: The priest who removed the ashes then assembled the large arrangement of wood upon which the daily offering and the sacrificial portions of the other offerings are burned. It was assembled on the eastern side of the altar, and its opening was on the eastern side of the altar, and the inner end of the logs would touch the circular heap of ashes. And there was space between the logs, in which the priests placed twigs, as they would ignite the kindling [ha’alita] from there, so that the fire would spread to the logs.
בֵּרְרוּ מִשָּׁם עֲצֵי תְאֵנָה יָפִין, לְסַדֵּר הַמַּעֲרָכָה שְׁנִיָּה לַקְּטֹרֶת, מִכְּנֶגֶד קֶרֶן מַעֲרָבִית דְּרוֹמִית, מָשׁוּךְ מִן הַקֶּרֶן כְּלַפֵּי צָפוֹן אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת, בְּעֹמֶד חָמֵשׁ סְאִים גֶּחָלִים, וּבְשַׁבָּת בְּעֹמֶד שְׁמוֹנַת סְאִין גֶּחָלִים, שֶׁשָּׁם הָיוּ נוֹתְנִין שְׁנֵי בְזִיכֵי לְבוֹנָה שֶׁל לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים. הָאֵבָרִים וְהַפְּדָרִים שֶׁלֹּא נִתְאַכְּלוּ מִבָּעֶרֶב, מַחֲזִירִין אוֹתָן לַמַּעֲרָכָה. הִצִּיתוּ שְׁתֵּי הַמַּעֲרָכוֹת בָּאֵשׁ, וְיָרְדוּ וּבָאוּ לָהֶם לְלִשְׁכַּת הַגָּזִית: The priests selected from among the logs that were there fine logs from fig trees, as when this type of wood was burned it would become coals rather than ashes. The priest who removed the ashes then assembled the second arrangement of wood, from which the coals were taken to the golden altar in the Sanctuary for the burning of the incense. The second arrangement was assembled next to the southwestern corner of the altar and was removed from the corner toward the north side of the altar by a distance of four cubits. The second arrangement was assembled of an amount of wood estimated to produce five se’a of coals. And on Shabbat, it was assembled of an amount of wood estimated to produce eight se’a of coals, as there the priests would place the two bowls of frankincense that accompanied the shewbread and that were burned on the altar on Shabbat. With regard to the limbs and the fats that were not consumed during the time from the previous evening, the priests would return them to the large arrangement to be burned. And the priests kindled those two arrangements with fire and descended from the altar. And they then came to the Chamber of Hewn Stone, where they would conduct the second lottery in order to determine who would perform the subsequent rites.