שמות, פרק ל״ח, פסוק ד׳

Building the copper altar for the Tabernacle required careful planning and unique engineering to handle burning coals safely and efficiently, especially given its small size. Central to this design was a perforated copper surface resembling a sieve or a net. This netting surrounded the altar, sitting just beneath a protruding ledge and extending from the ground up to the altar's halfway mark [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Presenting a different understanding of the altar's engineering, [העמק דבר] explains that the craftsman Bezalel did not fashion this net as a separate piece to be attached later. Instead, he constructed it as an integral, built-in copper protrusion from the very beginning. Furthermore, rather than wrapping around the vertical sides of the altar, this netting was positioned horizontally across the top to catch the coals. The structure utilized two types of holes descending from top to bottom. The upper section contained large, net-like openings designed to hold the coals securely, while the lower section featured smaller, sieve-like holes that allowed only fine sparks of fire to fall to the ground. This complex design was absolutely necessary to manage the fire on such a small surface area, a requirement that no longer existed when King Solomon later built a much wider, vast altar.