For the source text click/tap here: Zevachim 63
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According to the Torah, the kohanim cannot climb up to the altar using steps, since that would allow the possibility of “uncovered nakedness,” given the way the uniforms are worn by the kohanim (see Shemot 20:22). To avoid this problem, the kohanim climbed to the altar by means of a kevesh – a ramp that led to the top of the mizbe’aḥ.
The Gemara on our daf offers some details regarding the kevesh. Rami bar Ḥama taught that all kivshei kevashim were three amot in length for every amah in height, while the main kevesh was a little more than three-and-a-half amot for every amah in height.
We explore the new Mishnah with The Bird Sacrifices: Ritual, Symbolism, and Difference in Halakhic Logic.