
Removing Ashes with the Silver Shovel
Once the officiating kohen has sanctified himself, he takes the silver shovel from its spot and walks up the ramp, ascending to the top of the altar. There, he uses the shovel to stir the coals, and into it he collects a small amount from the ashes of the inner coals that have been thoroughly consumed by the fire. Most of the ashes remain atop the altar - the amount he is required to remove is minimum. But this action symbolically prepares the altar for a new day of Temple service.
Descending to the floor once again by way of the ramp, the kohen turns towards the north and walks towards the east side of the ramp for a distance of "about 10 amot." At that exact location he places the coals from his shovel in a small pile on the floor, as the verse states (Lev. 6:3): "And he shall place them near the altar." This spot is known as the Place of Ashes, on the eastern side of the ramp, about 3 hand-breadths from the ramp itself, and at a distance of 10 amot from the southern wall of the altar. The crops from burnt offerings of birds (see Lev. 1:16), the ashes from the inner (incense) altar, and the ashes from the menorah were also placed in this spot.
With that, the kohen has concluded the first sacred task of the day in the Holy Temple, the service of the removal of the ashes.

Other Kohanim Continue to Prepare the Altar
Once the first kohen has removed the small amount of ashes, the other kohanim can now attend to the more general preparation of the altar:
"When they see that their colleague has descended, they run to the laver and sanctify their hands and feet. Then they take the rakes and forks, and ascend to the top of the altar" (Tamid 2, 1).
These kohanim must now gather together any parts of the offerings which were not burned into ashes during the night; with the large forks (see I Sam. 2:14), they move these portions to the sides of the altar (since it is forbidden to remove any part of an offering from atop the altar).

The "Apple"
After this has been done, the kohanim rake all of the ashes into the very center of the altar. There, a large mound of ashes called the "apple" stood, called so because of its round, domed shape. This was a very large accumulation of ashes made by the various offerings which were burned on the altar. Whenever it grew too large, these ashes were removed and taken to a location outside the city where they were buried. Some say this was done every day. However, on the festivals, when an abundance of offerings were burned on the altar, this mound was not cleared away but was allowed to grow exceedingly large - because it was considered "becoming for the altar" that so many offerings were burned on it.
Additional Duties Awarded By the First Lottery: Adding Wood for the Fire
In discussing the altar, we learned that three arrangements of wood burn atop it. Following the raking of the ashes into the "apple," the next task is to bring new wood up to the altar for the large fire. The sages have established that the same kohen who figured in this first drawing and thus attended to the altar's ashes also received responsibility for several other tasks: He would fix the arrangement of wood on the altar, and bring up two smaller pieces of wood which were added to the first arrangement atop the altar. For it is a positive commandment to add two additional pieces of wood to the fire every morning, at the time the daily offering is made - as it is written (Lev. 6:5), "The kohen shall kindle wood on them each morning."
The Second Arrangement: Fire for the Incense Altar
The Rectification of Adam's Sin
The choicest branches of fig were singled out and used for the second arrangement on the altar, the one from which fire is taken off and brought to the golden altar, within the sanctuary. Upon this altar the incense will be burnt, and it is the incense service which was the most beloved part of the Temple service to G-d (Zohar I 130:A). Some have written (see Rashi's comments on BT Zevachim 58:A) that it was for this reason the fig branches were specifically chosen for the incense fire - for it was through the fig tree that Adam, the first man, began to make a rectification for his sin, as the Bible states (Gen. 3:7), "... and they sewed fig leaves, and made for themselves loincloths." Everything in the Holy Temple functioned on many levels; one level is the symbolic. As the incense offering was so special to the Holy One, and helped effect a righting of His relationship with man, it is fitting that such an act comes about through the very element which began that process.
After both the large arrangement and the smaller one for the incense have been lit, the priests descend from the altar and return to the Chamber of Hewn Stone for the second lottery. (Maimonides also maintains that this same kohen would bring a shovelful of burning coals from the outer altar to the golden altar located within the sanctuary, upon which the incense will be burned).
Background: The First Lottery Was Introduced Later As A Safety Precaution
The holy duty of removing ashes from the altar was not always determined by lottery. The Mishna records an incident which illustrates the great exuberance and enthusiasm with which the kohanim carried out the various aspects of the Temple service. But we shall see that as the sages of the Mishna record, their zeal and desire to perform the commandments was so great, that it could have even become a liability!
Originally, this first daily task was entrusted to a particular kohen. Rather, any priest from the particular family clan responsible for that day's service had the right to tend the service, if he so desired.
Why was this sacred role not designated by a lottery at first, as were all the other priestly assignments? The Talmud explains that it was not deemed necessary to conduct a lottery for this part of the service, since it is executed at dawn and those who wish to be eligible would have to rise especially early. Since the early hour meant that the kohanim would have to make due with far less sleep just in order to be present to participate at the drawing - which they may lose, in any event - instead, it was established that whoever wishes to officiate at this service may simply do so, with no prior arrangements. Thus the most zealous amongst them would make it their business to arrive.
Even so, at times more than one kohen arrived to take up the position for removing the ashes, so that several contenders would have to vie for the privilege of fulfilling the commandment. And since there was as yet no lottery, how was the winner determined?
They would engage in a sort of contest to run up the altar's ascent ramp. The length of this ramp was 32 amot; (an amah is app. 1/2 a meter) whoever was first to reach the top 4 amot of the ramp closest to the altar itself was deemed to be the winner. In the event that two kohanim tied and came into this area at the same time, neither was the winner; rather, a lottery of the same type we have already described was then conducted amongst all the kohanim who were present.
Thus the service of removing the ashes continued for some time, until an incident occurred which illustrated the great love which the kohanim have for fulfilling this commandment - but also, the potential danger of the present system, which may inadvertently lead to bodily harm:
"Once it happened (Yoma 2,2) that two priests were eagerly running up the altar to tend the ashes, ascending at exactly the same pace. One pushed the other, and the latter fell and broke his leg. When the court saw that the situation was becoming dangerous, they established that the removal of the ashes, too, must be determined only by a drawing."