Midrash sobre II Crónicas 4:26

MENACHOTH (Fol. 28b) Samuel said: "The height of the candle-stick was eighteen hand-breadths; the stem with the ornaments extended up to three hand-breadths; two hand-breadths were plain [without ornament], etc." (Fol. 29) (II Chr. 4, 21) And the flowers and the lamps of gold, of gold, and that perfect gold; why is the word Kaloth used here for 'perfect'? Said Rab: "Because they consumed all the closed gold of Solomon"; for R. Juda said in the name of Rab: "Solomon made ten candlesticks, and each one consumed one thousand gold talents. They applied it a thousand times into the smelting-furnace until it was refined and reduced to the weight of one talent." Is it then possible that the smelting-furnace should reduce such a quantity? Behold we are taught that R. Jose b. R. Juda says: "It happened that the candlestick of the Temple was heavier than that of Moses with one golden dinar; it was applied eighty times into the smelting-furnace until it was reduced to the weight of a talent." [Hence the smelting-furnace does not reduce to a quantity as stated above.] After it had been reduced [by Solomon] it was indeed hard to reduce it much more. R. Samuel b. Nachmeni said in the name of R. Jonathan: "What is the meaning of the passage (Lev. 24, 4) Upon the pure candlestick? This means that the manner of its workmanship came down directly from heaven. (Ib.) Upon the pure table, i.e., infer from this that the priests would lift up the show-bread and show them to those who came to Jerusalem during the holidays, saying to them: "See how beloved ye are before the Holy One, praised be He!" In what was such love visible? As R. Joshua b. Levi said, for R. Joshua b. Levi said: "A great miracle happened in connection with the show-bread that at the time of their removal they were [just as fresh and warm] as when they were placed upon the table, for it is said (I Sam. 21, 7) So as to put down hot bread on the day it was taken away."

You find that the altar erected by Moses was more precious to the Holy One, blessed be He, than the altar for the burnt offering made by Solomon. Proof of this is that when Solomon built the Temple, he built an altar for the burnt offering, as is said: A thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar (I Kings 3:4). but because he knew that the altar of brass that Moses had erected was more precious to the Holy One, blessed be He, he brought out the brass altar (which Moses had made), as it is said: Moreover, he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof (II Chron. 4:1).