Komentarz do Wyjścia 27:1

ועשית את המזבח וגו׳ ושלש אמות קמתו AND THOU SHALT MAKE AN ALTAR etc. AND THE HEIGHT THEREOF SHALL BE THREE CUBITS — These words should be understood as they are written (i. e. to mean exactly what they say — that its height was three cubits); this is the opinion of R. Jehudah. R. José, however, says: it is stated here, “[the altar shall be] square” and it is stated with reference to the inner (the golden) altar, (Exodus 30:2) “square [shall it be].” How was it there (in the case of the latter)? Its height was twice its length (“a cubit the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, . . . and two cubits the height thereof”)! So, also, here: the height shall be twice its length, i. e. ten cubits. And if you ask, how, then, do I explain the words and three cubits the height thereof?” I reply that this gives the measurement from the edge of the surround (סובב) upwards (whilst 10 cubits was the actual height from the ground to the top of the altar) (cf. Zevachim 60a; Rashi on v. 5).

ועשית את המזבח, "You shall make the altar, etc." The Torah speaks of המזבח, instead of saying merely מזבח. Perhaps this is because the Torah refers here to what has already been mentioned in 25,9 when the Torah described that G'd had shown Moses a blueprint of both the Tabernacle and its furnishings including the altar. When adding that the altar was to be made of acacia wood, the Torah elaborated that whereas G'd had shown Moses a picture of the completed altar, i.e. a structure covered with copper, He now revealed that the altar was not to be of solid copper but of acacia wood which would be overlaid with copper.

ועשית את המזבח, the copper altar located in the courtyard in front of the Tabernacle.