Tamid 2:3 - 2:4

מעלין בגזרין (heaping up pieces of wood) – two long and planed wood they would put into the length of the pile of wood in the altar, as it is written (Leviticus 6:5): “every morning the priest shall feed wood to it,” which teaches that it requires two pieces of wood (e.g., the word עצים – in the verse is in the plural).

וכי כל העצים כשרים למערכה – as it is taught (in this Mishnah): “they began heaping up pieces of wood” plainly/undefined, and it doesn’t explain from what species of tree were these pieces of wood. And it responds, affirmatively, meaning to say, that everything is valid except for olives and [grape] vines, which ae prohibited because of the cultivation of the land of Israel because they are laden with fruit/produce. But there are those who state the reason because they ae made into ashes immediately.

מורביות (boughs) – branches of fig-trees, and especially bad fig-trees, that don’t produce fruit.

עץ שמן – that makes the oil of the balsam tree. But I heard that it is a tree that they call PINO in the foreign language, and TZINUBOR in Arabic. But even though it is an eatable tree, there is no need like that of the vine and the olive, therefore, they did not forbid it because of the of the settlement of the land of Israel, in the manner that they forbade the vine and the olive.

מערכה גדולה – because there is another pile of wood on the altar in the Temple, they called this the large pile of wood. There were three piles of wood on the altar every day, the first was the large pile of wood where they would burn on it the daily [morning] offering/תמיד; and the second was a lesser pile than it which was called the pile of wood of the incense, that they take from it coals with a coal-pan for the incense which they offer in the morning and at twilight, and third is not used a all other than for the establishment of the fire, as it is written (Leviticus 6:5): “The fire on the altar shall be kept burning, [not to go out],” this is the pile for the establishment of the fire.

וחזיתה מזרחה – its appearance which is the opening and the window of he pile of wood on the altar, to the eastern side of the altar.

וראשי גזירין – the insides were long until they would touch the “apple”/place on the altar where the ashes were piled up.

את האליתא (wood of the fig tree, used as kindling wood on the altar) – they insert dried branches/twigs used for fuel and thin chips between the big pieces to kindle the fire. And the word אליתא is the language of tail/fat-tail, named for the tails of the fire-brands.