Q. When a minyan meets in a home such as in a shiva, is there a need to have a table in the room during tefilah, even in the days that the Torah is not read, since it represents the mizbeach and that was essential in the Bet Hamikdash? If there is a choice, should the minyan be in the dinning room (with a table) or in the living room?
A. Indeed, Chasam Sofer (Tesh. O.H. 28) and others maintain that the bima in the shul represents the mizbeach and should be positioned likewise in an equivalent place. Poskim debated widely whether the mizbeach, which is essential in offering korbanot, could be rebuild and if they could be sacrifices in our days.
Tebuos Shor (p. 265) quotes Chukei Chaim who maintains that one should add the parsha of the mizbeach to the recitation of the korbanot since it was essential, however he mentions that in practice we only recite pesukim about the inner ketores altar. It could be that the posuk describing the shechita of the tomid on the northern side of the mizbeach, was added for that purpose.
Horav Shkomo Miller's Shlit'a opinion is that although the bima is primary in a shul, it is not necessary in a temporary minyan, and one can daven on the room that serves best.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit’a
Important Numbers
