Grinding the Incense Fine and the Galbanum of Israel's Sinners

Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 389:1

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

Our Rabbis taught: They would return the incense to the mortar twice a year. In the summer he would scatter it loose so that it would not grow moldy; in the rainy season he would pile it up so that its fragrance would not fade. When one grinds it he says, "Grind it well, well grind it," because speech is good for spices. And there were three extra maneh, from which the High Priest brought in his two cupped hands on the Day of Atonement. He would put it into the mortar on the eve of the Day of Atonement and grind it well so that it should be the finest of the fine. As it was taught: Scripture says "finely" (Leviticus 16:12) — why does Scripture say this, since it already said "and you shall beat some of it very small"? What does "finely" come to teach? That it should be the finest of the fine. The Master said: When he grinds it he says, "Grind it well." This supports Rabbi Yochanan, who said: Just as speech is bad for wine, so speech is good for spices. Rabbi Yonatan said: Eleven spices were told to Moses at Sinai. Rav Huna said: What is the verse? As it is written, "Take to yourself spices" — that is two; "stacte, onycha, and galbanum" — that is five; "and spices" — another five like the first five — that is ten; "and pure frankincense" — that is eleven. Say: "spices" is a general term, "stacte, onycha, and galbanum" the particular, and "spices" again the general term; in a general-particular-general construction you derive only what is like the particular: just as the particular is something that produces smoke and rises and whose fragrance spreads, so all that produces smoke and rises and whose fragrance spreads. The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught the same. Resh Lakish said: It is derived from the word itself — the very term "incense" [ketoret] means something that produces smoke [koter] and rises. Rav Chanina bar Bizna said in the name of Rabbi Shimon the Pious: Any communal fast that does not include some of the transgressors of Israel is no fast, for behold, galbanum has a foul odor, yet Scripture counted it among the spices of the incense. Abaye said: We learn it from here — "and has founded His band upon the earth" (Amos 9:6).

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TempleCommandmentsWisdom

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