כל הכלים שבמקדש יש להם שניים כו': מזבח הנחושת דכתיב (שמות כ, כד) מזבח אדמה תעשה לי מזבח הזהב דכתיב (במדבר ג, לא) המנורה והמזבחות איתקוש מזבחות זה לזה:
(Mishnah:) All of the vessels that were in the Temple had second sets, etc. (and third sets, so that if the first vessels were rendered impure, they would bring the second in their place. All the vessels in the Temple required immersion, except for the golden altar and the bronze altar, because they were like [i.e., affixed to] the ground [and thus not susceptible to impurity]; the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer). (Gemara:) The copper altar, as it is written, "Make for me an altar of earth (and the copper altar, being the main one, is thus compared to earth) (Exodus 20:24)." The golden altar, as it is written, "The Menorah and the altars (Numbers 3:31)-" the altars are compared to each other.
Shemirat HaLashon
And in Avoth 3:6 we find: "If one takes upon himself the yoke of Torah, there are removed from him … and the yoke of [earning] a livelihood." Their speaking of "taking upon himself the yoke of Torah" rather than of "learning Torah" implies that this is so only if he takes upon himself the yoke of Torah, not to grow lax in it by any means — like an ox under the yoke, as they have said (Avodah Zarah 5b): "It was taught in the school of Eliyahu: 'Let one always make himself as an ox for the yoke and as an ass for the burden for [the sake of] words of Torah.'" And then, even if the burden of the yoke of earning a livelihood were upon him already it is removed from him. How much more so will the L-rd "arrange" things so that it not be put upon him [in the first place]. And the Torah also protects a man to rescue him from the din of Gehinnom even though he sinned — a fortiori, from the instance of Elisha Acher. For they said (Chagigah 15b): "When Acher died, they said: 'Let him not be judged [(to descend to Gehinnom)], for he occupied himself with Torah, and let him not come to the world to come because he sinned [(in heresy)].'" And we find in Aggadath Mishlei: "There is no charity that saves from the din of Gehinnom, but only Torah alone." [And we learned:] "The fathers of the world answered: 'Since you have been caught in the net of judgment, there is nothing you can do but sit and occupy yourselves with Torah, for it [alone] atones for sin.'" They have also said (Chagigah 27a): "The fire of Gehinnom does not prevail over Torah scholars — a fortiori from [the instance of] a salamander, which, since it is generated by fire, one who anoints himself with it, is not affected by fire. How much more so, Torah scholars, whose entire body is fire, viz. (Jeremiah 23:29): "'Is not My word thus like fire?' says the L-rd?"
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Shenei Luchot HaBerit
The objective of those prayers is to ask G–d that one may be influenced by the "Heavenly Table." Chagigah 27a teaches us that as long as the Temple was standing the altar, i.e. the sacrifices offered on the altar, were the instruments of atonement for the Jewish people. Nowadays, when we do not have a Temple and an altar, it is our table which has to serve as the instrument for our atonement. The author of Emek Ha-Berachah also states that a heavenly sanctity rests on foods which are pure and permitted.
