Prior to the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem, many homes and other locations had altars, or bamot, that allowed for sacrifices and other offerings. After the Temple was built, however, these altars — both private and public — were prohibited as ritual was centralized.
Notable Sources
All Sources
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The Copper Altar
TANAKH
The ancient Israelites would offer their animal sacrifices on a large altar made of copper. The book of Exodus provides a detailed blueprint for the construction of this altar in the mishkan, the Israelites’ portable temple in the desert.
A Pleasant Aroma
TANAKH
Located in an inner room of the Temple, where only priests were allowed to enter and the ritual objects were made of gold, there was a gold altar for burning incense. The book of Exodus describes this altar, along with instructions for the daily burning of incense.
Rough Edges
TANAKH
The design and material used to make an altar have symbolic significance, so biblical Israelites were given specific rules about how to build — and not to build — their altars. In the book of Exodus, the Israelites receive these instructions about altar design immediately after they receive the Ten Commandments.
The Temple Altar
TANAKH
After the centuries during which ancient Israelites brought their sacrifices to the mishkan — the Israelites’ traveling Temple in the desert and then in Shiloh — King Solomon built a permanent Temple in Jerusalem. The book of Kings describes the Temple’s lavish design and its gold-plated altar.
Location, Location, Location
TANAKH
Each altar — the copper altar for animal sacrifices and the gold altar for incense — had a designated location inside the mishkan. The book of Exodus describes the placement of each altar in relation to the other items in the Tabernacle.
The Altar’s Holiday
SECOND TEMPLE
After the Maccabean Revolt, the Jewish victors purified the Temple and rededicated the altar. The book of Maccabees recounts that in honor of the victory and the restoration, the Maccabees established the new holiday of Chanukkah.
Not Just Anywhere
TANAKH
When slaughtering animals for meat, the Israelites are instructed not to sacrifice anywhere they like. The book of Deuteronomy maintains that sacrifice should only be performed in one particular place — the place that God will choose.
Around and Around the Altar
MISHNAH
The altar in the Temple was the site not only of sacrifice but also of another religious ritual as well. The Mishnah, the first codification of Jewish law, from the early-third century land of Israel, in tractate Sukkah describes the practice of circling the altar while holding willow branches on the holiday of Sukkot.
A Mobile Home for God
MIDRASH
The mishkan — the Israelites’ portable Temple in the desert — was designed so that the Israelites would be able to collapse, carry, and rebuild it with ease. The midrash in Bamidbar Rabbah, an eleventh-century midrashic collection, describes the order in which the Israelites would take apart and put together the structure.
 The Altar of Incense, Altar of Burnt-Offering, and Laver from the Biblical Tabernacle; illustration from the 1890 Holman Bible
The Altar of Incense, Altar of Burnt-Offering, and Laver from the Biblical Tabernacle; illustration from the 1890 Holman Bible
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