Sefer HaChinuch ספר החינוך

The commandment of the lifting of the ashes: That the priest remove the ashes each and every day from on the altar — and this is what is called the lifting of the ashes (trumat hadeshen), which was done every day — as it is stated (Leviticus 6:3), “And the priest shall dress in linen, etc. and he shall lift the ashes.”

That which we wrote above (Sefer HaChinukh 95) to aggrandize the honor of the [Temple] and to glorify it with all of our ability — because of the reason that we said there — is from the roots of the commandment. And it is adorning the altar to remove the ashes in the place in which it is fitting to light the fire. And also that the fire burns nicely when there are no ashes underneath it.

From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 23b) that the lifting of the ashes is one of the services of the priesthood. But the priestly garments in which they would lift the ashes were lowlier than the vestments that he would use for the other services; as it is stated (Leviticus 6:4), “And he shall take off his clothes and wear other clothes.” And even though this verse was stated about the removal of the ashes to outside of the camp, nonetheless also with the lifting of the ashes — which is when he removes them from on the altar and puts them down on the floor next to the altar — we should learn that it also not fitting to do that service with those clothes in which he serves (otherwise). And it is said about this metaphorically (Shabbat 114a), “He should not mix the cup for his master [while wearing] the clothes [he wore while] he cooked the food for his master.”

And when would they lift the ashes every day? From the rising of the dawn. And on the festivals, from the (last) [middle] third of the night (see Yoma 20); and on Yom Kippur, from midnight. And how would they lift it? Whoever would win the lottery to remove it would immerse and wear the garments of lifting and sanctify (wash) his hands and feet. And his brothers, the priests, would say to him, “Be careful, lest you touch a (sanctified) vessel before you sanctify your hands and your feet.” And afterwards he would take the censer — and it was of silver, placed in the corners between the ramp and the altar, to the East of the ramp — pick up the censer, go up to the top of the altar, remove the coals hither and thither, collect the coals that have been consumed at the heart of the fire, go down to the ground, turn his head to the North, walk on the ground to the East of the ramp about ten ells towards the North and gather the coals that he collected on the floor three handbreadths away from the altar in the place of the crop of the birds and the ashes of the inner altar and the menorah. And this sweeping that he sweeps with the censer and brings down to the ground is the daily commandment. And after the one that lifted comes down, his brothers, the priests, run and quickly sanctify their hands and feet, take rakes and pitchforks, go up to the top of the altar, rake the ashes from all the sides of the altar and make from it a pile on top of the mound (tapuach) — and that is a place on the altar that is called like this. And when this mound was big, they would bring some [of the ashes] down from it into a large vessel holding a letech, called a psachther. And it would stay there until they would take it all out of the camp. And the rest of its details are in Tractate Tamid and Yoma.

And it is practiced at the time of the [Temple] by the males of the priesthood. And one who transgresses it and did not remove it according to its commandment, has violated a positive commandment.