יחזקאל, פרק מ״ג, פסוק כ״ו

Preparing the altar in the future Temple requires a unique seven-day dedication process. This specific order of service does not appear in the Torah. Instead, it was given to Ezekiel as a temporary instruction designed to prepare the altar for its role in offering sacrifices [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The first step in this process is a deep cleansing. The altar must undergo an act of wiping and cleaning to transition it from an ordinary, secular state into a state of holiness [מצודת דוד]. This purification is essential because the physical site was previously defiled by the nations of the land [רד״ק]. Over the course of the seven days, this purification and atonement is achieved by applying the blood of a male goat sacrificed on the site [מלבי״ם], an act that brings about the forgiveness of sins and fully sanctifies the altar [צאינה וראינה].

The final step of the process is a formal dedication, traditionally described as filling the hands. The core purpose of any dedication is to begin using an object in the exact manner it will function permanently [מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד]. For the altar, this initiation is specifically achieved by bringing the burnt offering. The bull offered on the first day could not fulfill this role because it was burned entirely outside the camp [מלבי״ם]. Commentators offer two perspectives on whose hands are actually being filled during this ceremony. The primary approach among commentators is that the concept refers to the altar itself, meaning its capacity is fulfilled when sacrifices are brought to it. Alternatively, it refers to the hands of the officiating priest, who physically fills his hands with the portions of the sacrifice as he performs the service [רד״ק].