ירמיהו, פרק נ״ב, פסוק י״ז

The destruction of God's House involved a systematic dismantling of its largest and most magnificent copper structures. The invading forces targeted these grand items specifically to loot their highly valuable raw materials. Among these structures were the famous copper pillars, originally set up by King Solomon to decorate the Temple, known as Yachin and Boaz [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The looters also dismantled the bases, which served as the stands for the washbasins [רש״י, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ], as well as the great copper sea, a massive water tank designed for washing [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Rather than carrying these grand items away intact, the Babylonians chose to shatter them. This decision was driven by practical concerns. The invaders had no actual use for the items in their original forms and placed no value on their specific designs. Furthermore, transporting such enormous, heavy structures all the way to Babylon would have been an incredibly difficult task. To solve this, the Chaldeans simply smashed the structures into smaller, manageable pieces, allowing them to easily carry the vast amounts of precious copper back to their land [ביאור שטיינזלץ].