Tamid 29A

לא נתעצל הכהן מלהוציא את הדשן.

the priest tasked with removing the ashes from the circular heap was never indolent in removing the ashes.

החלו מעלין בגזירין לסדר את המערכה. וכי כל העצים כשרין למערכה הן? כל העצים כשרין למערכה חוץ משל גפן ושל זית. אבל באלו היו רגילין: במרביות של תאנה, של אגוז, ושל עץ שמן.

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.

סידר את המערכה גדולה מזרחה, וחזיתה מזרחה. וראשי גזירין הפנימים היו נוגעין בתפוח. וריוח היה בין הגזירים, שהיו מציתים את האליתא משם.

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.

בררו משם עצי תאנה יפים, סידר את המערכה שניה לקטורת כנגד מערבית דרומית, משוך מן הקרן כלפי צפון ארבע אמות.

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 4 cubits.