150. An Asheira (Tree for Idolatry)

Avodas Kochavim 6:9

If a person plants a tree near the altar or anywhere in the Temple courtyard, he is liable for the penalty of lashes. It makes no difference if it is a fruit-bearing tree or not, as per Deuteronomy 16:21, “Do not plant an asheira of any kind of tree near the altar of Hashem, your God.” This law applies even if one’s intention is to beautify the Temple. This was an idolatrous practice; they planted trees near their altars so that people should gather around it.

Avodas Kochavim 6:10

It is forbidden to erect a portico of wood in the Temple as one might do in his own yard. This is so even though the wood is built into a structure and not being planted in the ground. It’s an extra stringency taken because the Torah specifies “any kind of tree.” For this reason, all the porticos and other structures that extended from the walls of the Temple were made of stone and not wood.