מלכים ב, פרק כ״א, פסוק ד׳

The act of building altars inside the Temple is a direct and blatant rebellion, defiling the holiest of places. A sharp contrast exists between the extreme holiness of the location and its severe disrespect. It highlights a shocking boldness: precisely in the space God chose to dwell, foreign altars were built. The choice of Jerusalem was deeply significant, as it was the city where God promised His Divine Presence would rest within the Temple [מצודת דוד]. Reminding us of this divine choice amplifies the severity of the sin. Manasseh specifically targeted Jerusalem because it was the chosen center of God's leadership, deliberately seeking to establish false partners for Him in the exact location dedicated to His absolute rule [מלבי״ם].

The primary approach among commentators is that these altars were built for idol worship, dedicated to pagan symbols and the stars, and brought into God's house with the explicit goal of angering the Creator. However, a unique perspective offers a different view. According to this approach, the altars inside the Temple were initially built for God, but they were rooted in a false belief that divided His worship into separate parts, damaging the belief in His absolute unity. This false belief served as a gateway for later placing altars dedicated to the stars in the Temple courtyards. This stemmed from a twisted idea that God governs the inner, spiritual realm, while the stars control the external, physical world, effectively creating a false partnership between them and God [מלבי״ם].

To show the depth of this offense and the intense desire to anger God, a tradition reveals the physical extent of this rebellion. Manasseh did not merely build new altars; he personally removed the miraculous, heavenly fire that had burned continuously on the main altar since the days of King Solomon [אברבנאל].