Zevachim 54B

דגייז ליה, ״אבנים שלמות״ כתיב!

that he cuts the base on the southern and western sides after he has poured the mixture for the altar and it has dried, it is written concerning the altar: “You should build the altar of YHWH your God of unhewn stones; and you should offer burnt offerings on it to YHWH your God” (Deuteronomy 27:6), so it cannot be cut.

דמחית מידי מתותיה, ושקיל ליה. דאי לא תימא הכי, הא דאמר רב כהנא: אבנים של קרנות חלולות היו ⁠– דכתיב: ״ומלאו כמזרק כזוית מזבח״; הכא נמי ״אבנים שלמות״ אמר רחמנא! אלא דמחית מידי מתותיה ושקיל ליה; הכא נמי, דמחית מידי מתותיה ושקיל ליה.

Rav could answer: This means that he places something under the frame, in the place where there is to be no base, and after the poured mixture has dried he removes it, leaving the space empty. As if you do not say so, how will you explain that which Rav Kahana says: The stone interiors of the corners were hollow, i.e., there were gaps between the stones, as it is written: “And they should be filled like the basins, like the corners of the altar” (Zechariah 9:15)? The verse compares the corners to hollow basins. Here too, doesn’t God state that the altar must be made of “unhewn stones”? If so, how could the corners be hollow? Rather, it must be that he places something, e.g., sticks and twigs, under the frame and pours the mixture for the corners over it, and when it has hardened, removes the sticks and twigs, leaving the corners somewhat hollow. Here too, he places something under the frame and later removes it.

דרש רבא, מאי דכתיב: ״וילך דוד ושמואל וישבו בנויות ברמה״? וכי מה ענין נויות אצל רמה? אלא שהיו יושבין ברמה ועוסקין בנויו של עולם.

§ Apropos the altar and the Temple, the Talmud relates that Rava taught: What is the meaning of that which is written concerning David: “And he and Samuel went and resided in Naioth. And it was told Saul, saying: Behold, David is at Naioth [beNayot] in Ramah” (I Samuel 19:18–19)? But what does Naioth have to do with Ramah? They are in two distinct places. Rather, this means that they were sitting in Ramah and were involved in discussing the beauty [benoyo] of the world, i.e., the Temple.