Exodus · Chapter 30

You shall make an altar for burning fragrant incense upon it; of acacia wood you shall make it.

מקטר קטרת FOR THE BURNING OF INCENSE — to raise smoke (קיטור) on it, viz., the smoke of incense.

AND THOU SHALT MAKE AN ALTAR TO BURN INCENSE UPON. Now the altar of incense being one of the articles in the inner part of the Sanctuary, it should have been mentioned with the table and the candelabrum together with which it was placed, as indeed they are mentioned at the actual construction in the section of Vayakheil. But the reason for mentioning it here after the Tabernacle and all its vessels and the sacrifices [for the seven days of consecration], is because of what He said at the completion of them all, and the Tent shall be sanctified by My Glory; and I will dwell among the children of Israel. Therefore He now said that they will yet be obliged to make an altar for the burning of incense — to burn it for the glory of G-d. This was a secret which was transmitted to Moses our Teacher, that the incense checks the plague. For the incense is of the attribute of justice, as it is said, they shall put incense ‘b’apecha’, which is of the root v’charah api (My wrath shall wax hot). It is for this reason that He said of strange incense, and before all the people I will be glorified, meaning that they will know My glory, for He will not pardon your transgression. For this reason too He said here [of the altar of incense], And thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the Testimony, before the ark-cover that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with thee. For why is it necessary to speak at length of all these matters, and why did He not say briefly, “and thou shalt put it before the ark of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting,” as He said in the section of Vayakheil? But the extended form of the verse here indicates the purport [of the altar of incense].

"And you shall make, a burner" — this is a gerundive noun (shem ha-mif'al), like "sending of portions" (Esther 9:19).

מזבח מקטר קטורת, he will put only a minimal amount of fire on that altar in order to burn the incense thereon. This altar did not have to be hollow, filled with earth, as was the copper altar which was filled with earth in order that the supply of fire be on the earth, literally. On this altar the fire was kept on the gold overlay. Seeing that there was only a minimal amount of fire kept going thereon this did not damage or burn wood underneath the gold overlay. The reason that this altar has not been mentioned together with the major altar standing outside the sanctuary, details of which the Torah described in Parshat Terumah, is that this altar was not intended to ensure that the Shechinah made its permanent home among the Jewish people. The purpose of all the other furnishings in the Tabernacle was just that. (compare how G’d defined this purpose in Exodus 25,8-9) Its purpose was also not to attract the glory of the Lord into the Tabernacle, as was the purpose of all the other communal sacrifices burnt-offering, gift offerings, etc. Concerning G’d’s response to those offerings we had read in Exodus 29,43 ונועדתי שמה לבני ישראל, “and there I will meet with the Children of Israel.” Moses himself had confirmed that this was the purpose of the furnishings, etc., in the Tabernacle when he said: (Leviticus 9,6) “and as a result the glory of the Lord will become manifest to you.” The sole purpose of the golden altar was to honour G’d after He had accepted our service with goodwill mornings and evenings. We used this as a means to welcome His presence by presenting the incense. We find that Chronicles I 16,29 expresses this thought, David saying:הבו לה' כבוד שמו ובאו לפניו, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name!”

ועשית מזבח מקטר קטורת, "You shall construct an altar for offering up incense, etc. I have already explained (Exodus 25,9) why the construction of this altar was mentioned last. The reason for the word תעשה (in addition to the directive "you shall make"), is to prevent something which Solomon did when he had no acacia wood and constructed the altar for incense completely out of gold.

ועשית מזבח מקטר קטורת, “you will make an altar for burning incense;”Up until now he had only heard about the altar on which burnt offerings, etc. were to be offered up. The reason was that G-d wished to tell Moses that on that altar unauthorized incense must not be offered, nor any libations or gift offerings. Moses had alluded to this altar after describing making of the candlestick (35,14) when prohibiting the offering of “alien” incense on it, and again in 35,14, when the construction of this altar is discussed. It is mentioned again in verse 8 of our chapter after the time for lighting the lamps on the candlestick has been given. This was necessary as the lamps on the candlestick were also permitted to be lit by an ordinary priest. This is clear from 27,21, which refers to both Aaron and his sons.

ועשית מזבח מקטר קטרת, “You are to construct an altar on which to bring incense up in smoke.” Nachmanides writes on this verse that the Altar for incense was one of the interior furnishings and as such it should have been mentioned earlier where the Table, and the Menorah and their respective measurements and the materials they were made of were described. They were mentioned together in Exodus 37,25 where the actual construction of these furnishings is reported. The reason that the Altar for incense is mentioned here only at the end of all the instructions and after G’d having said that He would dwell amongst the Jewish people, is that the Torah wanted to wait with this seeing it (the incense) was the instrument of arresting pestilence amongst the Jewish people. In essence, the Altar of incense represented the attribute of Justice. Moses referred to this aspect when he blessed the tribe of Levi (Deut. 33,10) referring to the time when ישימו קטורה באפיך, “they would place incense to counter Your anger.” We know that the word אף is a description of anger when it is used in connection with G’d, such as in Deut. 31,17 וחרה אפי, “and My anger will be kindled, etc.” When the sons of Aaron offered unauthorized incense they died on the spot (Leviticus 10,3). There are numerous verses alluding to the extreme caution to be used when offering incense. Seeing that Nachmanides has already touched on this difficult subject, it is in place to comment on something Maimonides has written in his Moreh Nevuchim section 3 chapter 45 in connection with the purpose of the incense. He explains that the many animals which were burned on the Altar left behind a very unpleasant odor and that the fragrance of the incense was designed to offset this bad odor. Seeing that Maimonides has made it his task to make Torah legislation and its reason more palatable to people who are far from tradition, he was forced to adopt this kind of explanation in presenting the reason for this legislation. This does not mean, however, G’d forbid, that the entire legislation of incense and its very strict rules had such incidental considerations as its purpose. Maimonides was well aware that the karet penalty would not be decreed against someone who copied the composition of the ingredients of the incense and its proportions if all such a person had been guilty of was to alleviate bad odors by doing so (compare 30,37-38). I will have more to say about the subject of incense when we shall discuss the sin of Nadav and Avihu.

And you shall make an altar for burning incense. It appears that these two altars were both arranged to atone for the sinful soul, because the copper altar was intended to atone for the material and physical parts, which are struck by the stone of sin, and on it are sacrificed animals that come as substitutes, because they have a similarity to the material nature of humans. The shape of the altar proves this, as its height resembles that of an average person — three cubits. Similarly, the animals that are sacrificed resemble the animal soul within a person — a soul in exchange for a soul. For this reason it says regarding the poor person’s meal offering, When a soul offers (Leviticus 2:1), because he cannot afford to sacrifice an animal’s soul in place of his own soul, so he brings a flour offering. Therefore the verse says a soul, [to indicate that] I consider it as if he had offered his own soul. However, nevertheless, the soul also needs atonement, since it has been defiled in this afflicted body and cannot be atoned for through the animal soul because there is no similarity between them, as the spirit of man ascends upward and the spirit of the animal descends downward (Ecclesiastes 3:21). How could the perishable and temporary animal soul be a substitute for the eternal human soul? Therefore, the living God commanded to make the incense altar, which raises smoke and a pleasing aroma to the Lord to atone for the spirit of human beings that ascends upward like the smoke of the incense, and it too is perfumed with myrrh and frankincense (Song of Songs 3:6) of good deeds. And to instruct, He placed in our hearts what is written (Exodus 30:36), You shall grind some of it fine, alluding to the soul that is the finest of the fine, which also needs atonement in order to elevate it to its source. The measurements of this altar prove this point, as it says one cubit in length and one cubit in width. Single cubits to atone for the soul which is called “unique” — just as the Holy One, blessed be He, is One, so is the soul unique. And two cubits its height — because the spirit of human beings is what rises upward to its place, beyond the place it has within the body. The time of its burning is in the morning and evening, because the soul enters in the morning during one’s youth, the time of the rising of one’s sun, and in the evening it returns to its Father as in the days of its youth. And may the exit be like the entrance — without sin. The incense comes when he cleans the lamps in the morning, and in the evening when he lights the lamps. The appearance of evening and morning is true, as it relates to the lamp of God, the soul of man. For the morning is the time for cleaning God’s lamp, the human soul, to improve its deeds and cleanse itself from all rust and ash. And the evening, the time of one’s sunset, is the time for the soul’s ascension to its source. This incense comes to atone for the soul so that its departure from the world may be without sin, just like its entrance. And the gold crown of the altar corresponds to the reward of the righteous in the World to Come, who enjoy the radiance of the Divine Presence, and their crowns are on their heads. It does not say “crowns” but “their crowns,” alluding to those crowns they acquired at Mount Sinai when they said we will do and we will hear, as is stated (in Shabbat 88a). And it concludes there: At Horeb they put them on, and at Horeb they removed them. And Rabbi Lakish said: In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will return them, etc. Therefore, our Sages said (Berakhot 17a): and their crowns on their heads refers to those crowns that were taken from them and will be returned to them in the future. For this reason, it says here: And you shall place it before the veil that is over the Ark of Testimony, before the cover that is over the Testimony — meaning aligned with the Ark from the outside. All this comes to teach that the crown of the incense altar alludes to “and their crowns on their heads,” namely the crown of Torah and the crown that was given to them at Horeb, which they removed and which will be returned to them in the future.

ועשית מזבח מקטר קטורת, You are to construct an altar for the burning up of incense.” Nachmanides writes that seeing that the golden altar was considered one of the pieces of furniture of the Sanctuary, it should have been mentioned in the same chapter as the Table, the Menorah, and the ark. In fact, in Parshat Vayakhel the golden altar has indeed been listed together with the other furnishings of the Tabernacle, (compare chapter 37). The reason why here the golden altar, primarily used for the burning of the incense, has been mentioned only after the details of the construction of the Tabernacle have all been recorded, as well as details of the sacrifices, is to inform the reader that after all said and done, the crucial element in securing the presence of the Shechinah in the Tabernacle, i.e. within the encampment of the Jewish people was that the presentation of the incense on that altar was of such importance to Hashem, as we know already from Moses’ own reference to this importance of the presentation of incense in order to defuse G’d’s anger at His people. *Deuteronomy” Presentation of the incense repre-sented not a prelude to something that the Israelites expected from G’d in return, but was meant solely as an expression of honour and reverence for G’d. It was an expression of appreciation for being allowed to house the Shechinah on earth. [I added a few words of my own in order to make the concept clear. Ed]

FOR BURNING INCENSE. But not for a burnt offering, well-being offerings, grain offerings, or libations.

A cubit its length and a cubit its width — it shall be square — and two cubits its height; its horns shall be of one piece with it.

"A cubit" — this altar is taller than the Table by half a cubit; perhaps it was likewise taller than the Menorah. And it stood opposite the Cherubim, who spread their wings upward.

You shall overlay it with pure gold — its top and its walls all around and its horns — and you shall make for it a gold molding all around.

את גגו THE ROOF THEREOF — This altar had a top but the altar of burnt-offering had no top, but they filled in the hollow space enclosed by its sides with earth wherever they encamped (cf. Mekhilta). זר זהב A CROWN OF GOLD — an emblem of the crown of priesthood (Yoma 72b).

"And you shall overlay" — Scripture mentions a roof for this altar but not for the copper altar. Because it is overlaid with gold it is called the golden altar; similarly, "the pure table" (Leviticus 24:6) and "the pure menorah" (ibid. 24:4).

זר זהב סביב, a golden crownlike rim all around it. This was meant to shield the thickness of the gold-covered roof on top of the altar in every direction.

Two gold rings you shall make for it below its molding, on its two corners; you shall make them on its two sides, and they shall serve as places for the poles, to carry it by them.

צלעתיו Here this word must signify “corners” (not “sides” as Rashi explains in Exodus 25:12), as it is translated in the Targum, since it is stated afterwards, על שני צדיו, “upon the two sides of it”, so that the phrases mean, “the two corners that are on its two sides”. והיה (lit., “and it shall be”, not “they shall be”) — i. e. the making of these rings (this ring-work) shall be (shall serve) — לבתים לבדים FOR PLACES FOR THE STAVES — i.e. the ring shall serve as a place for the stave (cf. Rashi on Exodus 25:27).

"On its two sides" — this is an addition by way of clarification. The he at the end of the word בָּהֵמָּה ("wherewith") is a superfluous letter, for that word has its accent on the penultimate syllable, as I have explained.

שתי צלעותיו, at the upper corners. שני צדיו, the side walls. [seeing that the altar was a cube, i.e. the sides were no longer than the length, I find this difficult. Ed.]

לשאת אותו בהמה, the Levites carrying these furnishings would walk one behind another to carry it on either side of it.

על שני צדיו, “on its two sides.” According to Rashi, what is meant here are the two corners of each side of the (golden) altar to which the rings had been fastened. Apparently, there were four rings which had been fastened to the four corners. This appears problematic. Seeing that the dimensions of the golden altar were only one cubit in length and one cubit in width, (60cm by 60cm), how could two men stand behind one another supporting the staves of this altar when carrying it? When explaining the position of the rings and the staves attached to the Holy Ark, it was understood that they were attached to the two long sides of the Ark, which were two and a half cubits long each. The reason they carried it in such a fashion was that the alternative, namely carrying it on the short sides which were one and a half cubits wide, (50% longer than the golden altar’s sides) was not considered long enough to enable two men to walk behind each other while carrying it, The only way we can understand Rashi, would be that only two men carried that altar, one on each side. They must have positioned themselves between the walls of the altar and the wooden staves supported by the rings through which they had been inserted.

You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

"And you shall make, the staves" — overlaid with gold, like the staves of the Ark.

You shall place it before the curtain that is over the Ark of the Testimony, before the Cover that is over the Testimony, where My Word has appointed to meet with you there.

לפני הכפרת BEFORE THE PARTITION VEIL — But this vail was drawn across the entire width of the Tabernacle, and you may perhaps say that the altar was not to be placed exactly before (exactly in a straight line with) the Ark but might be withdrawn from the straight line to the North or to the south since in that position, too, it would be before the partition vail; therefore it states further, “before the covering of the Ark”, i. e. exactly in front of the Ark but outside the veil.

"And you shall place it, before the Parokhet" — on the outside; "before the Kapporet" — it is to be set so as to face it.

לפני הפרכת, “in front of the curtain that covers the Ark.” In other words, in the middle of the Sanctuary.

ונתת אותו לפני הפרכת. in the sanctuary. אשר על ארון העדות, a reference to the curtain dividing the sanctuary from the Holy of Holies.

Aaron shall burn upon it fragrant incense; every morning, when he tends the lamps, he shall burn it.

בהטיבו WHEN HE TRIMMETH — This word is an expression for cleansing the bowls of the candelabrum from the ashes of the wicks which had burnt out during the night; and he used to clean them (the lamps) out every morning. הנרת THE LAMPS — luces in old French And this is the meaning of נרות whenever it is mentioned in connection with the candelabrum, except in any passage where the term העלאה “causing to ascend” (any verbal form which is the Hiphil of עלה), which denotes lighting is used, and there it signifies “lights”, (The translation here is therefore: “when he cleans out the lamps”, not “when he trims the lights”).

AND AARON SHALL BURN THEREON INCENSE. This commandment [of burning the incense] did not devolve upon the High Priest alone, but was also incumbent upon the common priests, as is the law of the lighting of the lamps mentioned right beside it, [every morning, when he dresseth the lamps], although of that too it says, And when Aaron lighteth the lamps, and yet it does not apply to the High Priest alone, as He said above, Aaron and his sons shall set in order. Therefore I do not know why He mentioned Aaron in both of them, and did not say “the priest” [which would signify any — even a common-priest]. Perhaps it is because of Scripture’s statement further, And Aaron shall make atonement upon the horns of it once in the year, which was done by Aaron only, [because the reference there is to the Service on the Day of Atonement which could be performed only by the High Priest — therefore He also mentioned the name of Aaron in the verse before us and in the following verse]. Or it may be that He hinted that it was to be Aaron who [at the first time] was to begin the burning of the incense and the lighting of the lamps. Similarly at the end of Seder Emor el hakohanim He said, Aaron shall set in order, and He did not mention his sons, because it was Aaron who performed it first. The phrase a statute forever mentioned there, refers to the commandment [of kindling the lamps, and does not mean that it is a statute forever that only the High Priest do it].

"And he shall burn, fragrant incense" — together with spices. Perhaps the spices are the primary element, or the phrase serves to distinguish between two blended preparations, one of which consists of aromatic substances without spices. The meaning of "when he tends" is: when he sets the wick and the oil.

והקטיר עליו אהרן, “and Aaron would burn incense on it;” here Aaron, i.e. the High Priest is meant in his capacity as High Priest. Other priests were also allowed to burn incense on the golden altar; [in fact the honour was highly prized, and was distributed by means of a lottery. Ed.]

בבקר בבקר, “morning after morning.” in connection with the daily communal offering known as תמיד, the Torah uses the word “morning” only once. We read in Numbers 28,4 את הכבש אחד תעשה בבקר. The reason was that the incense would be offered before the תמיד sacrifice of the morning, so that it was not the first offering of the day.

והקטיר עליו אהרן קטורת סמים, “Aaron is to burn up on it the incense comprised of a variety of spices.” Nachmanides writes that contrary to first impressions, the command to offer the incense was not addressed to Aaron in his capacity as the High Priest, exclusively, but in his capacity as representative of the priesthood. The same holds true for the lighting of the menorah, which is mentioned immediately after this verse, and where the Torah also mentions Aaron by name, although he was not the only one authorized to perform this service. In that instance, the Torah adds that Aaron’s sons were charged with performing this task. (compare 27,21) I do not know why the High Priest Aaron has been mentioned twice, both with the incense and the lighting of the lamps on the menorah, nor does the Torah refer to him with the definitive article, i.e. הכהן. Perhaps, seeing that in verse 10, where the Torah describes Aaron as bringing atonement by way of the animals’ horns, once a year, only Aaron (i.e. the High Priest) is meant, we might have concluded that the same applies to the burning of incense on the golden altar, seeing the Torah also at the legislation about the kindling of the lamps refers to Aaron without mentioning his sons (Leviticus 24,2). We might have been misled, therefore at the end of that legislation, when the Torah speaks of חוקת עולם, an enduring statute, these words refer to the legislation itself, not to who is to kindle the lamps. Aaron was singled out because he was the first one to ever kindle that menorah, but other priests were allowed to do it subsequently.

והקטיר עליו אהרן קטורת, “and Aaron shall burn on it the incense;” the word “Aaron” cannot be understood literally, as he would not live forever. Even during his lifetime, his sons, i.e. ordinary priests, were permitted to offer incense on this altar. The reason he has been mentioned by name is that according to the Talmud in tractate Yuma, folio 26, whenever the High Priest demanded to offer the incense he took precedence over ordinary priests. The Talmud there describes the procedure used to determine which priest would be chosen each day for that task. One of the most important factors in choosing such a priest was if he had never had the opportunity to perform that duty he was given preference over his colleagues. There was a tradition according to which priests who had performed this duty would become wealthy. Normally, lots were drawn between the priests on duty on that particular day. Lighting the menorah, also described as being performed by Aaron in Exodus 27,21, was also permitted to be performed by ordinary priests, seeing that both Aaron and his sons are mentioned in that context.

And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it — fragrant incense, continually before Hashem, throughout your generations.

ובהעלת means when he kindles them by making their flame ascend (cf. Rashi on Exodus 27:20 and on Numbers 8:2). יקטירנה HE SHALL BURN IT [A CONTINUAL INCENSE] — תמיד, “continual”, means every day regularly: a half he burnt in the morning and a half he burnt in the evening (Keritot 6b).

"And when he raises up" — it is called by this term because of the lifting of the flame of the wick; thus "when he raises up" is a transitive verb. "A perpetual incense" — when they offer up the burnt offerings; therefore it says "throughout your generations."

קטרת תמיד, “a regular incense offering, at the time when other offerings were also being presented. This is why the Torah adds the words: לדורותיכם, “throughout your generations.”

בין הערבים יקטירנה, “he shall bring it up in smoke in the afternoon.” It is a well known fact that the fragrance of incense burned in the late afternoon lingers longer than its counterpart burned in the morning. This is already referred to in Psalms 141,2: “take my prayer as an offering of incense, my upraised hands as an evening sacrifice.” David emphasizes that which is offered in the afternoon/evening. When referring to his offering he did not mention such offerings as sin-offerings or guilt-offerings or even burnt-offerings, but asked G’d to look kindly on his offering of incense. All the other offerings are in expiation of some sin, even sins committed only in one’s thoughts and never carried out which are atoned for by the עולה, the burnt-offering. The incense offering has no connotation of sin associated with it at all. David asked that his prayer be accepted by G’d as if it had been incense. This is also why he said in the verse following שיתה ה' שמרה לפי, “O Lord set a guard over my mouth.” I believe that the word שיתה belongs together with the word לפי, as if David had said: שיתה ה' לפי, שמרה לפי, he meant that G’d should put suitable words in his mouth. David thereby alluded to what G’d had said to Moses in Exodus 4,11 מי שם פה לאדם, “who has provided man with a mouth?” David requested that G’d help him not to utter words which are not appropriate. This is the meaning of the latter half of the verse in Psalms 141,3 נצרה על-דל שפתי, “set a watch at the door of my lips.” The word דל is short for דלת שפתי. The idea of a mouth having a door is already described in Micah 7,5 where the prophet says שמר פתחי פיך, “be guarded in your speech.” He used the word פתח to describe the mouth which opens and closes just like a door. G’d uses similar language in Job 41,6 saying of Leviathan: דלתי פניו מי פתח, “who can pry open his face?” The word נצרה in Psalms 141,3 is in an imperative form just like מכרה in Genesis 25,31, or in Genesis 43,8 when Yehudah told his father Yaakov שלחה הנער אתי, “send the lad (Binyamin) with me!” The dagesh in the letter צ of the word נצרה is merely for aesthetical purposes to make the reading of the word more pleasant-sounding. It is similar to the dagesh in Exodus 15,17 in the letter ק of the word מקדש of the line מקדש ה' כוננו ידיך. It results in doubling the sound. The psalmist could have written נצור just as easily as he wrote נצרה. Concerning the words משאת כפי מנחת ערב, “my upraised hands as a gift of the evening,” David requests here that his prayer at this time be even more welcome to G’d than an offering of incense in the morning. The reason he describes his prayer as “his outstretched palms,” is to compare it to the incense which is born on one’s hands, having in mind Leviticus 16,12: “and his cupped handfuls of finely ground incense.” Another thought David may have had in mind when he referred to מנחת ערב may have been related to the meaning of the word ערבות, “pleasing,” as in Maleachi 3,4, וערבה לה' מנחת יהודה וירושלים, “then the offerings of Yehudah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, etc.” Seeing that of all the sacrifices none is as welcome to G’d as the incense, its smoke begins to rise heavenwards immediately it is placed on the altar. This is why at the beginning of this hymn David describes it as קראתיך חושה לי, “when I call You hasten to me.”

You shall not offer upon it foreign incense, nor a burnt offering, nor a meal offering; and a libation you shall not pour upon it.

לא תעלו עליו YE SHALL NOT OFFER ON IT — on it, i. e. on this altar, but you may offer on the copper altar (cf. Menachot 50b), קטרת זרה STRANGE INCENSE — any incense brought as a freewill offering; all of them (all offerings of incense) are “strange” to it (to the altar) except this prescribed here. ועלה ומנחה means, nor burnt offering nor meal-offering. The עולה is an offering of an animal or bird; מנחה is one of bread.

YE SHALL NOT BRING UP ‘KTORETH ZARAH’ (STRANGE INCENSE) THEREON — “any incense brought as a freewill offering; for all [offerings of incense] are ‘strange’ to [this altar] except this one [prescribed here].” This is Rashi’s language. But Onkelos rendered ktoreth zarah: ktoreth busmin nuchra’in (“the burning of aromatics which are of strange components,”) and he did not translate it nuchritha “strange incense” [as Rashi interpreted it]. By this translation Onkelos wanted to explain that the sense of the verse is that he should not offer an incense of any other components except those prescribed as He commanded. Similarly, if one were to add to the prescribed composition any other components one would transgress this negative commandment. Ki Thisa.

"No, alien incense" — meaning incense not compounded according to its formula.

קטרת זרה, “alien incense;” any incense which is not paid for by the congregation as a whole, even if paid for out of the High Priest’s personal funds, was prohibited. This was one of the sins committed by Nadav and Avihu, Aaron’s sons, each of whom had taken his own personal pan and offered incense paid for out of their own pockets. This is (one of the reasons) why they were so harshly punished. An alternate explanation: “alien incense,” is any incense that does not exactly correspond to the instructions given in the Torah concerning of which spices and how much of each it was to consist.

לא תעלו עליו קטרת זרה, “You must not offer on it alien incense, etc.” There is a warning contained in this verse not to offer any other sacrifice on the altar before the incense has been offered. Not even other incense offerings by individuals or groups must be offered before the daily incense offerings prescribed by the Torah to be offered on behalf of the whole people by the High Priest. Most certainly no other sacrifices of any kind are to precede the incense offering. Anyone who contravenes this instruction is guilty of violating one of the 365 negative commandments of the Torah [although such offerings are offered on a different altar, the one in the courtyard. Ed.]. ועולה, “or a burnt-offering.” Even merely a libation of water as an offering is prohibited before the incense is offered. The precise time frame legislated by the Torah as the correct one for offering the incense is the time when the oil (of the Menorah) starts cooling. We know this from the words in verse 7 בבקר בבקר בהיטיבו את הנרות יקטירנו, “every morning when he cleans out the lamps he shall bring it up in smoke.” This verse is followed by similar instructions concerning the evening portion of the incense offering. This may be the reason that Solomon characterized the oil and the incense as things which cause the heart to rejoice (Proverbs 27,9). A Midrashic approach (based on Tanchuma Tetzaveh 15): The meaning of the words in that verse of Proverbs, i.e. שמן וקטרת ישמח הלב, that “oil and incense gladden the heart,” is that the anointing oil is used to anoint the High Priest at which time all of Israel rejoice that they have evidence that G’d has forgiven their sins and that the service by the High Priest has been accepted by G’d on behalf of the people. You will find that no one’s offerings have been praised as much as those of the princes. The reason is that the first thing they offered was the incense, as we read in Numbers 7,14: “one spoonful of incense.” Only afterwards does the Torah report that the princes also each offered a bull, etc., etc. This is the reason G’d Himself praised their offerings by mentioning the name of each prince separately together with the details of his offering although all twelve princes brought exactly the same offering and the Torah could have saved itself at least 60 verses in summarizing these offerings. You will find that King Achaz (father of the famous good King Chizkiyah) was guilty of annulling large parts of the Torah and Temple service as described in Chronicles II 29,7-8. When Ezra describes how Achaz’ son Chiskiyah restored the Temple service, repaired the building, etc., special mention is made of the restoration of the daily incense offering. (Compare Isaiah 8,16: צור תעוד, חתום תורה בלמודי, “Bind up the message, seal the instructions with My disciples.”) The prophet refers to the evil doings of Achaz. He did not only serve idols because he believed in them but only in order to anger the Lord G’d of Israel. Whereas G’d was prepared to forgive him for all his various sins, the unforgivable sin was the cancellation of the incense offering. This is why Ezra had added the words: ”they also shut the doors of the porch and put out the lights; they did not offer incense and did not make burnt-offerings, etc.” This is followed by: “The wrath of the Lord was on Judah and Jerusalem. He made them into an object of horror, amazement, etc.” Proof of how beloved the incense offering was to G’d is supplied further by the fact that in spite of all the contributions, the building of the Tabernacle, the offerings of animals, the Shechinah did not manifest itself until after the incense had been offered as we know from an allusion in Song of Songs 4,16: “Awake from the north, (location where burnt-offerings were slaughtered) and come from the south (where peace-offerings were slaughtered) ....let their fragrant goodness flow in Jerusalem!”

קטורת זרה,”alien incense.” Rashi understands this to mean that even similar incense offered as a free-willed donation, is considered “alien,” and as such carries a severe penalty. Onkelos translates the verse as referring to spices not listed in Parshat Ki Tissa that begins forthwith. The prohibition of changes in the composition of the spices includes even adding an additional spice to the ones the Torah authorized and whose proportions the Torah specified. (30,22-38)

And Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year; from the blood of the atonement sin-offering once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations — it is most holy before Hashem.

וכפר אהרן AND AARON SHALL MAKE EXPIATION — This refers to the placing of the blood upon the horns of the altar. אחת בשנה ONCE IN THE YEAR — On the Day of Atonement. This is what is said in the section אחרי מות, which describes the sacrificial service on that day, (Leviticus 16:18) “And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord and make an expiation upon it”. חטאת הכפרים SIN-OFFERING OF EXPIATION — These are the bullock and goat of the Day of Atonement which atone for the uncleanness of the Sanctuary and its holy offerings (Shevuot 2b; cf. Rashi on Leviticus 16:11). קדש קדשים [IT IS] MOST HOLY — the altar is sanctified for offering on it these things alone and not for any other sacrificial service.

"And he shall make atonement on it once in the year" — on the tenth of the seventh month. The term "atonements" refers to the blood of the bull and the blood of the goat. This is an annual obligation, and there is no need to mention the blood of the anointed priest's bull or the community's bull offered for inadvertent sin, since those are not perpetual but occur only at infrequent times.

וכפר אהרן על קרנותיו אחת בשנה, “and Aaron is to perform atonement rites once a year on its horns (corners); this does not mean that no blood is to be sprinkled on the horns of this altar except once a year; after all the Torah wrote (Leviticus 4,7) that if the High priest has committed an inadvertent sin that he must atone for this by means of the blood of a bull, by sprinkling some of it on the horns of this altar, and the same procedure is also decreed to be performed in another instance mentioned in Leviticus 4,18,; but in our verse the Torah refers to the Day of Atonement when the High Priest performs all the rites pertaining to atonement for the entire nation, after having first made sure that his own sins and those of his family had been atoned for. This ritual had to be performed every year on the same day, whereas the other two rituals we cited may not have been called for many years.

And Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year. To atone for what is said Do not raise your horn on high (Psalms 75:6), as explained above regarding the copper altar, once a year, etc. For on that very day, a person becomes clean from sin like the ministering angels, and the soul returns to its purity as in the days of old and as in former years, and the wise will listen and increase in knowledge.

אחת בשנה, on the Day of Atonement. This was confirmed in Leviticus 16,18 ויצא אל המזבח אשר לפני ה', “he shall go out to the altar that is before Hashem, etc.” On all the other days of the year the golden altar was used only for incense burning.

And Hashem spoke with Moses, saying:

“And God spoke, etc., when you take the head count [literally: lift the head] of the children of Israel.” Everywhere where a head count [literally: lifting of the head] is mentioned in relation to counting, it is because through counting, Israel is elevated above all other nations, for every count indicates the particular virtue that each and every person has. For anything that is not important, like straw and chaff, has no count. But Israel is compared to wheat, as it is said Your belly is like a heap of wheat (Song of Songs 7:3). For each pile by itself is something valuable that the field owner counts, saying, “I have such and such number of piles.” Similarly, every individual’s belly is something valuable. And it specifically mentions the belly so you would not think that only from the perspective of the head is there a difference between Israel and other nations — because God’s name is called specifically upon the head of Israel — but from the perspective of the belly they are all equal, since everyone uses bodily needs equally. Rather, even in their bellies there is an aspect of holiness, because they only eat according to the Torah, as it is written For it is pleasant if you keep them in Your belly (Proverbs 22:18). And it is written And Your Torah is within my innards (Psalms 40:9). This was so that people would not say that Israel has an advantage only from the perspective of the head, in which wisdom resides, for “this nation is truly a wise and understanding people.” But from the perspective of using bodily matters, which go through the belly, they are like all other nations. Instead, even their belly is like a heap of wheat because it is enclosed with lilies — meaning that one eats according to the safeguards and boundaries established by the early sages who were compared to lilies [shoshanim], for they study [sheshonim] the laws, the ways of the world. Therefore, the text specifically mentions the belly in addition to the head that it mentions here. In this way, Israel is compared to the stars, as it says about them Who brings out their host by number (Isaiah 40:26). For that counting is certainly because of their importance, as without doubt the Holy One, blessed be He, knows their number. Similarly, the counting of the children of Israel after the incident of the Golden Calf is comparable to what was said after Reuben’s sin The sons of Jacob were twelve (Genesis 35:23). So here He informs us that they were not rejected because of the deed of the Golden Calf, but all of them remained at the level worthy of being counted, which indicates that each person of Israel is watched over with individual providence. However, the counting mentioned in Numbers was because He came to rest His Divine Presence within each and every tribe, and this requires a count, because the Holy One, blessed be He, does not rest His Divine Presence on fewer than 22,000 (Yevamot 64a), as will be explained in its place, God willing. And the counting at the plains of Moab was for the purpose of dividing the land, as it says, To the larger group you shall give a larger inheritance, etc.

[THE LORD] SPOKE, etc. When Moshe gathered Israel to separate out the offerings for the Mishkan, he counted them, and this silver was given for the service of the Mishkan, as it is written in [Parashat] Eleh P'kudei (Ex. 38:25), "The silver of the enumeration of the congregation was 100 etc."

When you take the count of the children of Israel according to their numbers, each man shall give a ransom for his soul before Hashem when you count them, so that there will be no plague among them when you count them.

כי תשא This has the meaning of obtaining: WHEN THOU TAKEST [THE SUM], (not of “lifting up” as in Genesis 40:13); as the Targum has it, תקבל. The sense is: when you wish to obtain the sum total of their number — to know how many they are — do not take their census by their polls but each of them shall give half a shekel, and you shall count these, and so ascertain their number. ולא יהיה בהם נגף THAT THERE BE NO CALAMITY AMONG THEM — for numbers (i. e. things that have been numbered) are subject to the influence of the “evil eye”, and therefore if you count them by their polls pestilence may befall them, as we find happened, in the days of David (II Samuel 24:10 and 15).

The Holy One, blessed be He, commanded Moses that when he takes a census of the children of Israel, they should each give a soul’s ransom — half a shekel; and He further told him, And thou shalt take the atonement-money mentioned, and shalt give it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. From this Moses would understand that he was to count them now. And so indeed he did, as Scripture says, And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents etc. It was thus not necessary to state at length, “and now you should take their census and give the silver for the service of the Tent of Meeting,” for it is self-understood that he should count them now. The reason that He generalized the commandment — saying “when you will take their census you should do it in the prescribed way” — is in order to include in this general principle any time when a census was decided upon. It appears to me that now [at this census, Moses] did not have to come to the people’s tents and count them, as he did in the census spoken of in the Book of Numbers, but he did it as our Rabbis have said through the [half] shekels they brought for the sacrifices; for he commanded them that all who know themselves to be from twenty years old and upward should give that sum, and they brought him the ransom as a voluntary offering together with all the other voluntary offerings every morning. That is why He said only, And thou shalt take the atonement-money, that is to say, “Behold, I have commanded you that when you count them they shall give their ransom, and now they will voluntarily give it and you should appoint it for the service of the Tent of Meeting.” This is the reason why it was not necessary now that Aaron and the princes [of the tribes] be present with Moses [at the taking of the half-shekels, as was required in the census spoken of in the Book of Numbers]. Do not object on account of the verse, This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered [from which you might think that here too, Moses actually counted the people], for the meaning thereof is “those that are eligible to pass.”Now because it has not been explained here whether this is a commandment binding for all time or only for that particular period of when Moses was in the wilderness, David erred and counted the people without shekels, and on account of this a plague broke out amongst them. He confessed about this [sin], as it is said, And David said unto G-d, I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing. Our Rabbis have derived from the many expressions [of “offering”] mentioned here, [an indication] that there were three [separate] offerings. And so it appears from what Scripture says, [And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him:] ‘Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tax of Moses the servant of the Eternal, and of the congregation of Israel, for the Tent of Testimony?’ From th...

Blessed forever be the exalted name of God, who has done all good for Israel and revealed a hidden wonder to His messenger in the midst of this portion: for it is in Ki Tissa that he begins to expound the atonement money, which is an obligation upon every individual and is not a free-will offering. He mentions this because of what is written above, that once a year atonement is made, and the atonement money shall likewise be given once a year, as I shall explain. After this he mentions the laver and its base, which are not made from the communal donation but solely from the mirrors of the women who served. He also mentions the anointing oil and the incense of spices, which the princes alone brought. In mentioning the anointing oil he mentions the vessels that are anointed. He also mentions the master craftsman, who is the apothecary and through whose counsel all the Tabernacle was made — he is Bezalel and Oholiab. Then he mentions the Sabbath, to warn Israel at the outset not to perform the labor of Hashem on the Sabbath. After this he mentions Moses's prayer before he descended from the mountain, and it was necessary to mention the episode of the calf first, in order to understand why he prayed. After that he mentions his descent, the burning of the calf, and his return to the mountain to pray again on Israel's behalf. He mentions Moses's anger, which caused him to move his tent outside the Israelite camp. Some say that this passage narrates what already occurred. He then mentions Moses's glory — that he beheld the Divine Presence — and afterward the command to descend and hew new tablets, upon which Hashem wrote a second time, and mentions the terms of the covenant He made with Israel, namely those written in the portion of "These are the ordinances." Finally he relates that the skin of his face radiated light when he descended from the mountain with the tablets of the covenant in his hand. — The Gaon said that the atonement money is an annual obligation upon Israel whether their king counts them or does not take their census, and his proof is Moses's count in the wilderness. He said that from it were brought the communal offerings, the repair of the laver, the making of the anointing oil, and the incense of spices, and that it was also allocated to the Sanhedrin — and this is alluded to by Bezalel and Oholiab, for it is the practice of reckoners, who are masters of the art of accounting, to write in their documents the particulars at the head and the aggregate composed from those particulars below. Some say that the plague in David's time came about because they had not given the ransom for their lives; if this is true it is a refutation of the Gaon. The meaning of "when you count them" is: if they do not give their ransom at the very moment of the census, then the plague will come. Yefet said: if they do not give their ransom when they go out to war and are counted, they will be struck down before the enemy.

כי תשא..ונתנו איש כפר נפשו, the need to count human beings stems from the fact that human beings are not the same each time, i.e. ever since death was decreed upon mankind this reflects sin. Prior to sin man, who was meant to live indefinitely, would be the same at each count. The sages have said that no one dies unless he had committed a sin (Shabbat 55). It follows that mention of a head count of people is an oblique reminder of man’s sin, his guilt. This being so, it is most appropriate that at the time of such count he should pay some ransom on behalf of his soul, his life, so that he will qualify for atonement. This also explains why the poor must not give less nor the rich more, as a soul’s ransom is not calculated in terms of the amount of money offered to G’d.

כי תשא את ראש, "When you count the sum, etc." Why did the Torah choose the expression תשא to describe counting instead of the customary תפקד as we find in Numbers 3,15? Why did the Torah mention ראש and did not content itself with writing כי תשא את בני ישראל, seeing that the Israelites were not to be counted by means of a head count? Besides, what did the Torah have in mind with the word לפקדיהם? Our sages comment that a sinner causes his head to be bowed as a result of his sins. Evil is defined as something which causes man to look only at what is below him, at the ground, whereas קדושה, sanctity, results in raising up one's head and elevating a person spiritually. We note that the Torah describes even the cave of Machpelah as undergoing an elevation after Abraham purchased it (Genesis 23,17). Our sages in Bereshit Rabbah 58,8 describe the cave as undergoing an elevation. Inasmuch as the Torah commands this count after the sin of the golden calf as Rashi concluded based on the words ונתת אותו על עבודת אהל מועד "and you will appoint it for the service of the Tent of Meeting" in verse 16, we can understand why the expression כי תשא, "when you will raise," is appropriate. We encounter a similar use of the word תשא in Genesis 40,13 when the Torah refers to Pharaoh "raising" the head of the chief of the butlers who would be reinstated into his position. In our case, the Israelites will be enabled to hold their heads high again as a result of this count which served as atonement for the sin of the golden calf. Up until this time they had not felt able to raise their heads due to the shame of having had a part in that sin. לפקדיהם, "according to their number;" this is to be understood as parallel to Numbers 31,49 where the Torah states that not a single one of the 12,000 men whom Moses had sent on the punitive expedition against the Midianites had become a casualty during that war. There too the words נשאו את ראש meant that "they counted the sum." Shabbat 64 explains that the words ולא נפקד ממנו איש, meant that not a single one of those soldiers was guilty of a sin. ונתנו איש כפר נפשו, "each one will give (this) as ransom for his soul to G'd." This is a reference to the Israelites each having forfeited their lives through participation in the sin of the golden calf. בפקד אותם, "when numbering them." The meaning is literal. The reason the Torah added the conjunctive letter ו before the word נתנו, is that in order to be effective as ransom each Israelite first had to acknowledge his guilt; only after he had done so could he contribute the half-shekel as ransom for his life. Another meaning of the word לפקדיהס is that the only reason a count was justified at all was the fact that their number had diminished (due to the people who had either died or been executed during that episode). The count was meant to establish how many of the people had survived. The count in Numbers 31,49 we mentioned was also undertaken only to determine if and how many soldie...

כי תשא, “when you count,” in the second year; this has been spelled out in Numbers 1,1, i.e. בשנה השנית; it says there: שאו את ראש כל עדת בני ישראל, “count the sum total of the entire community of the Children of Israel; The expression of כי תשא, i.e. “when you count,” clearly refers to a point in the future. On the other hand, the command שאו, clearly is a command to be carried out forthwith. This portion was told to Moses on the first day of the month of Adar, i.e. the last month of the first year of the Exodus, in order to inform the people that the money, (shekalim) for the communal offerings in the Tabernacle had become due at that time. The service in the Tabernacle began on the first day of Nissan of the second year, i.e. a month after this command had been issued. It is clear that the work of building the Tabernacle must have been completed already by that time. ונתנו איש כופר נפשו, “they are each to give his personal ransom for his soul;” the communal offerings were meant as atonement for the people, as Rashi has explained on verse 15. The words ונתת אותו על עבודת אהל מועד, “you shall assign it (the proceeds) for the service in the Tent of Meeting,” is clear evidence of what these shekalim were to be used for. ולא יהיה בהם נגף בפקוד אותם, “so that there will not occur a plague among them due to the manner in which they are being counted in the second year.” They had already paid the ransom for their souls. This assurance has been given here, seeing that when David took a census of the Jewish people a plague broke out and 70000 of them died as a result of that plague as punishment for an unauthorized census. (Compare Samuel II 116) Furthermore, our sages (Baba Metzia folio 42), state that blessings never accompany matters which are subject to counting, measuring or weighing. In light of this, the Torah here assures us that this census will not have any negative fallout, seeing that the atonement which accompanies this census neutralises any negative fallout accompanied with taking a census. You will not become victimized before your enemies, בפקוד אותם “when you count them prior to going into battle.”

יראת ה' תוסיף ימים ושנות רשעים תקצרנה, “The fear of the Lord prolongs one’s days; but the years of the wicked will be shortened” (Proverbs 10,27). In this verse Solomon teaches that a person’s life span is extended or shortened in accordance with his merits or the punishment for which he has qualified. Such results are due to נס נסתר, intervention by G’d in a person’s fate by miraculous ways which are not visible to us. The various types of miracles are divided into two groups. 1) There are clearly manifest miracles; 2) there are miracles which are totally concealed from man as the onlooker. The miracles which are recognized as such are the extraordinary occurrences which have befallen people or which have occurred for the benefit of people such as the producing of water from a rock, the descent of bread from heaven, i.e. the manna; even the sudden appearance of the quails in large numbers after their appearance had been predicted was a clearly manifest miracle. When Avraham overcame the four mightiest kings and their armies in battle having with him only 318 men, this too was a clear miracle. Even though no specific supernatural event occurred at that time the victory was a נס נסתר, a “hidden” miracle, i.e. it became clear to everyone who knew what happened that G’d must have intervened in the outcome of that military encounter. Lengthening someone’s life span or shortening it is also a hidden miracle. This is what Solomon said here. Although constant worries are by definition factors which weaken a person and undermine his health, and such people could be expected to die after less than a normal life span, Solomon says that if the worry was due to their being righteous people this will contribute to their normal life span being extended rather than shortened. The reverse is true of the wicked. Although their carefree and worry-free mode of life could be expected to result in their living longer than their righteous counterparts, the facts are the reverse. Such wicked people will enjoy fewer years than the righteous who constantly worry about their sins and the retribution they will have to face eventually. The essence of Solomon’s teaching here is that the only true yardstick for who enjoys long life and who dies (apparently) prematurely, are considerations of merit and lack of merit. Our sages illustrated the truth of Solomon’s statement by pointing out that during the entire 410 years that the Temple of Solomon stood there were only 18 High Priests, whereas during the 420 years of the second Temple there were a total of 300 High Priests. The reason was that the high Priests during the first Temple were all righteous individuals whereas most of the High Priests during the second Temple were not righteous. This is why there were so many of them. One must not understand the verse we quoted from Proverbs as meaning that the wicked will absolutely always live short lives, and that the righteous will always live to a ripe old age. After all, we witness every day that certain wicked people live extraordinarily long lives, whereas very saintly people sometimes die very young. One of the best examples was king Chizkiyah who was about to die at the age of 39 and even after G’d had listened to his plea and added 15 years to his life he still died at a much younger age than the average (compare Kings II 20,6). Just as G’d does not lengthen the life span of every righteous person, He does not cut short the life span of every wicked person. Perhaps we may conclude from the death at a relatively young age of a person who appears to have been a great צדיק, that he was not totally righteous, and that if a wicked person lived for many long years that he was not totally wicked but had merits which enabled him to enjoy extra years. The fact is that the addition of extra years or the cutting short of one’s life span is in the category of a נס נסתר, a “hidden miracle.” It proves G’d’s intervention in nature without giving us details as to what precisely caused the intervention and to what degree G’d intervened. In fact it is axiomatic to remember that a person is not a true believer, i.e. does not really have a share in Moses’ Torah unless he is absolutely convinced of the fact that G’d performs such hidden miracles all the time, that there is no accident and no coincidence in the universe. G’d is aware of all that occurs and has had a hand in it (See Nachmanides at the end of Parshat Bo.) The second part of this absolute faith that is required of each Jew is that he must be convinced that every one of his good deeds will qualify for reward and every one of his sins will be subject to punishment. The whole matter of blessings and curses which was already spelled out in Deut. 27,15-26 and some of which has been debated in Niddah 31, i.e. that the person who is subject to a miracle being performed for him is unaware of that at the time, is the reason our sages said in Baba Metzia 42 that when one enters one’s grain storage chamber in order to measure the size of one’s crop, one should pronounce a benediction asking G’d to bless one’s store. If one first measured the size of the stored grain and pronounced this benediction only subsequent to having measured it, such a prayer is considered as using the name of G’d in vain as G’d had already decreed either blessing or curse on that grain. We have a principle that blessings are not bestowed on matters which have been measured, weighed, or counted. Only matters which have escaped our eye and its ability to measure it are subject to blessings. This is another way of saying that the principle we have called נס נסתר, the “hidden miracle,” is constantly at work. If such blessings could be applied to matters we have weighed or measured such a miracle would no longer be “hidden.” This was one of the major reasons the Torah forbade head-counts of people to ensure they would not be exposed to the “evil eye,” As long as the blessings apply to people in a manner which cannot be checked, the עין הרע, the evil eye, the negative influence brought to bear, does not have a precise target on which to focus. The evil eye can influence only matters which have been measured, weighed or counted. Having appreciated this you will understand why the count of the males over 20 years of age which is the subject of the early part of our Parshah had to be conducted by means of a coin, i.e. the half-shekel. כי תשא את ראש בני ישראל לפקודיהם ונתנו איש כופר נפשו לה' בפקוד אותם ולא יהיה בהם נגף בפקוד אותם. “When you take a census of the Children of Israel according to their numbers, every man shall give Hashem an atonement of his soul when counting them so that there will not be a plague amongst them when counting them.” According to the plain meaning of the text, the words כי תשא which do not contain a command are phrased in such a manner that it can be considered applicable for all future times as well as for immediate application. The words כי תשא certainly imply that at this time a census would take place. However, they also implied that a future census if and when it would occur would be performed in a similar manner. The Israelites were not to be counted by counting their heads. The reason that David erred when he ordered a head count as reported in Samuel II 24,2 was precisely because the wording of the Torah at this point sounds ambiguous. He ordered Yoav at the time to count the people without resorting to shekalim or similar devices when he said: שוט נא בכל שבטי ישראל מדן ועד באר שבע ופקדו את העם וידעתי את מספר העם, “Make the rounds of all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer-Sheba and take a census of the people, so that I may know the size of the population.” It is written further (verses 3,4, and 10) Yoav answered the king: “May the Lord your G’d increase the number of the people a hundredfold, while your own eyes see it! But why should my lord king want this? However, the king king’s command to Yoav and to the officers of the army remained firm; and Yoav and the officers of the army set out, at the instance of the king, to take a census of the people of Israel. But afterward David reproached himself for having numbered the people, and David said to the Lord: ‘I have sinned grievously in what I have done. Please, O Lord, remit the guilt of Your servant, for I have acted foolishly.’” A Midrashic approach to the words כי תשא, based on Pessikta Zutrata on our verse. G’d said to Moses: “how are you going to raise the stature of the Jewish people? By the words כי תשא, seeing that it is written (Proverbs 14,34) ‘charity exalts a nation, the kindness of a nation is a form of sin.’” Rabbi Yehoshua interpreted this verse to mean that the nation mentioned first are the Jewish people who are elevated spiritually by giving charity. They are described in Samuel II 7,23 as “who else is like Your nation Israel unique on earth?” The second half of the verse contrasts the behaviour of the Gentile nations with that of the Jewish people, saying that whatever apparent kindness they perform is only a form of hidden sin. They do not perform good deeds for altruistic reasons but only in order to promote their own image. This perception is confirmed by Daniel 4,24 advising Nebuchadnezzar after explaining his dream to him: “redeem your sins by beneficence and your iniquities by generosity to the poor; then your serenity may be extended.” ונתנו איש כופר נפשו בפקוד אותם, “every man shall give an atonement for his soul when counting them.” This refers to the census in the desert. ולא יהיה בהם נגף בפקוד אותם, these words refer to counting the people in future generations. This is why the words בפקוד אותם were necessary a second time. It is also possible that the first time the expression בפקוד אותם was mentioned it means actual counting, whereas the second time the meaning of the word is: “supervising the fate,” just as in Jeremiah 10,15 בעת פקדתם יאבדו, “in their hour of doom they shall perish.” In that event the translation of the verse would be: “they shall each give an atonement for his soul to G’d when they are being counted so that there will be no plague affecting them when G’d exercises His supervision over their fates.” The most important revelation of our verse is that all the people that were counted each enjoy individual supervision of their fates by the Lord G’d. All the deeds performed by any individual are recorded. This is why these people become potential victims of a plague. As long as they had only been part of a whole, and not individuals in their own right, the evil eye had not been able to focus on them, seeing they were not a number in themselves. The whole idea of enjoying individual supervision of one’s fate by G’d carries with it also the awesome responsibility of ensuring one does not become a candidate for punishment by G’d. When the woman of Shunem for whom the prophet Elisha had offered to intercede with the king (Kings II 4,3) declined his offer by saying: “I live amongst my people,” (I do not need to be singled out), she had exactly this thought in mind. Once she would have become a known quantity at the king’s court, she was also liable to draw unwelcome attention to herself if she committed a mistake. As long as she was more or less anonymous, no trespass would be accounted as her personal fault specifically. The day on which all our actions are reviewed by G’d is Rosh Hashanah, New year’s Day. On that day each one of us is treated as an individual and this is why it is such an awesome day. On that day our deeds are isolated from the fact that all of us are also members of the community at large (compare Jeremiah 32,19). We also find this thought in Ruth 1,1 where the prophet Samuel begins the Book by stressing the individuality of Elimelech and how by trying to be different from the community and suffering their collective fate he set himself up for punitive action by G’d involving both him and his sons. The Book stresses his name both when his emigration is reported and when he died (one verse later). [It would have sufficed to write “this man died,” without his name being mentioned again as there had not been a change of subject after his name had been mentioned first in verse 2.]

When you take a census [lit: lift the head]. It should have said “heads” [plural], and what is the meaning of and they shall give, each man, atonement for his soul — the word man is superfluous, as it should have said “and they shall give atonement for their souls.” It is [regardless] understood from this that each one individually will give, for it is said afterwards everyone who passes among those who are counted, etc. And further, according to the sages who said (Jerusalem Talmud Shekalim 2:3) that this atonement was to atone for the sin of the Golden Calf, if so, why would they give the atonement specifically at the time of counting? And furthermore, weren’t all of Israel equally involved in the sin of the Golden Calf, both elders and youths, yet the atonement was only given by those who were 20 years old and above. It seems appropriate to resolve all this, through what is said and on the day that I visit, I will visit their sin upon them (Exodus 32:34). What does on the day that I visit mean? It indicates that the sin of the Golden Calf was not forgiven except because the sinners were many, and mercy is abundant for many, because the Holy One, blessed be He, has special compassion for the multitude, as it is written Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise, mighty (Job 36:5) [here understood as He does not despise the mighty community] and as it is written Should I not have pity on Nineveh, which has more than 12 myriads (Jonah 4:11), etc. And so it is concluded in the Gemara (Avodah Zarah 4b): Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, “David was not fit for that deed [with Bathsheba], nor were Israel fit for that deed [of the Golden Calf]. Why then did they do it? To teach repentance to the penitent.” And this was necessary, for if we had only been told about the many [Israel], I would say it was because mercy is abundant, etc. According to this, this atonement only serves in a time when each person is sitting among their people, as the Shunammite woman said I dwell among my people (Second Kings 4:13). But in a time when they are counted one by one, there is concern that the counting will cause each individual to be remembered above on his own, and his record will be examined for all his merits and debts. Perhaps his merits will not outweigh his debts, and for this reason the sin of the Golden Calf, which had already been forgiven, will be remembered against him, for it was only forgiven to the many, not to individuals, and counting causes each individual to be remembered separately. Therefore it says, on the day that I visit [pokdi], which is an expression of counting, meaning when they are counted for some purpose, then the memory of each individual person will rise before Me, and then I will visit their sin upon them, for the sin returns and awakens. Therefore, He commanded here about this ransom for his soul to atone for the deed of the Golden Calf at the time of counting, because each and every one’s place will be visited [examined]. For this reason our Sages said (Avot 2:8), “Do not separate yourself from the community.”Therefore, those younger than 20 years old, who were not included in this count, were always dwelling among their people. That is why it says, When you lift up the head, because when the memory of each head comes before the Holy One, blessed be He, individually, therefore each man shall give, each particular man for whom there is concern that his record will be examined and it will be found that he had a part in that disgraceful act; therefore, at that time, he shall give a ransom for his soul. And it also makes sense according to those who say, that this atonement was to protect from the evil eye that has power during counting, because at that time there is an opportunity for the heavenly ministers of the nations to prosecute and say, “What special honor and greatness do the Israelites have through this counting over all the nations, for these worship idols and these worship idols?” Therefore, at that time they need an atonement for their souls to quiet the attribute of justice. And with this, the question that is raised here is resolved: Don’t many nations count by head count and are not harmed? Because it is not just any counting that causes [harm], but rather this counting that comes to elevate them and lift them up with when you lift up the head. Therefore, there is concern because of the zealots who attack them. And regarding what is questioned: why did Saul and David transgress and count them without half-shekels, it seems we can answer that the [evil] eye only affects a number that represents something novel. For example, if people see a poor man with 100 gold coins, he needs to be more careful of the evil eye than a rich man seen with several thousand. Similarly, when Israel left Egypt, they were considered few in number because the oppression in Egypt had diminished them, and suddenly their number rose to 600,000. At that time, there was certainly reason to be concerned about the evil eye. However, afterward, when they came to the settled land, and Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand of the sea, there was nothing novel about the large population being counted when necessary. And each man shall give a ransom for his soul. In Parashat Terumah, three contributions are mentioned, and in all of them the term “taking” is used. In this section, the term “giving” is used for all of them. And what is the meaning of what our Sages said (Menachot 29, Tosafot s.v. “three”) that Moses had difficulty with these shekels — what was the difficulty? It seems to me that the term “taking” implies that he would take from each one against his will, and Moses was finding it difficult to force each person to give, because “they are a stiff-necked people.” And in order to fix this, it is written in Numbers (1:3-4): You shall count them by their legions, you and Aaron. And with you shall be one man from each tribe, each one a leader of his father’s household. And one should consider why He commanded to take the head of each tribe for the counting. Rather, certainly it was so they would not have suspicions about Moses, thinking that he was taking a bekah per head for his own needs. For when each one would see that the head of his tribe was standing there and agreeing to this, then they would give willingly, because each would think that the head of his tribe would not allow any injustice to be done to him. And this is what it means by when you take a census [lit. ‘lift the head’] of the Children of Israel — meaning, when you elevate the head of each and every tribe to the counting, this is the meaning of “to their numbers”; then “each man shall give a ransom for his soul” — presumably they will give willingly, and you will not need to force them. And this entire verse was an answer to what Moses had found difficult, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, answered him, When you take [or ‘lift’]… — meaning, when you do this, then they will give of their own accord. Therefore, head is stated in the singular, because it refers to the head of each and every tribe. And what Rashi explains that there are three offerings mentioned here, one of them being a voluntary donation, I do not know which of them refers to the one that is a voluntary donation. For if you examine the language of the text carefully, you will find that all of them speak of the half-shekel per person. Furthermore, it is difficult because in the portion of Terumah (Exodus 25), two of the first offerings are attributed to God, as in the first it says and they shall take for Me — for My Name, and in the second it says you shall take My offering. But regarding the third, it says and this is the offering that you shall take from them — because it depends on the donor’s generosity. Yet here all three are called the offering of God. Therefore, it seems more correct to me to say, that all three [collections] speak of the half-shekel per person, because we find that Moses counted them three times: first here, second in the book of Numbers, third in the plains of Moab. And all of them were through half-shekels, which were obligatory and as atonement for the soul. Therefore, he attributed all three to the Holy One, blessed be He, for two reasons:First, because the Holy One, blessed be He, has possession over them, for all souls belong to the Holy One, blessed be He, and in His compassion for His creatures, He takes half a shekel in exchange for the soul. Therefore, all three were called a contribution to the Lord. Second, because in every place where there is a hint of arrogance, where the rich have a place to boast over the poor, saying, “My donation is greater than yours,” there the Holy One, blessed be He, does not attach His blessed name to it. Therefore, He did not attribute the third donation to the Holy One, blessed be He, in the section of Terumah. But here, where all three were the half-shekel, where rich and poor were equal, and there was no place for one to boast over another, therefore all three were called a contribution to the Lord. And as for why He mentioned only two in the section of Terumah that were half a shekel per person — it was because He mentioned there only the things that were necessary for that time. The first contribution was needed at that time to make the sockets [of the Tabernacle], and from the second [were purchased] communal offerings, and the third was a donation for the needs of the Tabernacle and its vessels. But here, the commandment came to Moses that whenever he counts them, he should count them through shekels. He needed to mention all three to inform that these half-shekels were only needed for the three countings by Moses, but not for future generations. And Saul and David prove this, as they did not count them through shekels. Therefore, it does not say here “lift up the head” but rather says when you take — to tell you specifically in the time when you take — you, and not [when they take in] future generations. Another explanation is that regarding the three contributions [terumot] mentioned in Parashat Terumah, the term “taking” [kichah] is mentioned in all of them, which indicates that they would take from them against their will. Therefore, God’s special name is not mentioned in any of them because this is called “commandments of men” and not “commandments of the Lord.” For when a person is compelled to give, the contribution is named after the one who compels him, as it is written Because this people draw near (Isaiah 29:13), meaning they are compelled and forced regarding every commandment. About this it says, their fear of Me is a commandment of men, for it seems as if they were commanded by the people who force them. However, here [in our verse] it says and they shall give three times, speaking of a time when they give willingly without any compulsion. Therefore, these three contributions are called contributions of the Lord, because such giving is certainly for the sake of Heaven. And even though God’s name is not mentioned in Parashat Terumah in all of them, nevertheless He mentioned in the first one to Me and in the second one My contribution, because the Lord has a right to them in any case. And this is a precious interpretation.

כי תשא, “when you take a census, etc.” Nachmanides writes that the words כי תשא את ראש mean: ”when you take a census of the people, etc.,” they shall each give a half shekel as atonement for having legally forfeited their claim to life. Moses is to take the sum total of these half shekels and make use of them in connection with the sacrificial service in the Sanctuary. From these words in the Torah, Moses concluded that he was meant to conduct such a census at that time. Moses acted upon this, and this is why we read in 38,25 that the money from the census was used to provide the silver sockets of the beams in the Tabernacle. The fact that the Torah does not record Moses as being told to collect these monies from the people concerned shows that they had brought them along at the same time they brought the diverse donations for the construction of the Tabernacle. This is why there was no need for Aaron and the tribal princes to accompany Moses when he would go to the individual tents in order to collect the half shekel needed for each person’s contribution to the daily communal offerings as Moses was required to do during the census related in the Book of Numbers. (compare Numbers 1,4) Rashi raised the problem of how it was possible that two censuses seven months apart could produce the identical number of males between the ages of 20 and sixty, and his answer is that actually these censuses were taken in the same calendar year, one being the Jewish year which commences on the first of Nissan, the other the calendar used by the gentiles, which is based on the years since the creation begins on the first day of Tishrey, and that the first census took place immediately after Moses had returned from his last ascent to Mount Sinai, the day after the Day of Atonement, whereas the second census, as pointed out in Numbers 1,1-2, took place on the first day of Iyar of the year following. The reason why the numbers appear to match is that as far as the ages of the people counted were concerned, they celebrated their respective birthdays according to the day and month in which they had been born, whereas for the purpose of army service a single day during the year (presumably the first of Nissan) was the day on which all those who had attained the age of 20 during the preceding 12 months were now considered as 20 years of age. Personally, (Nachmanides speaking) I do not believe that there was a problem to begin with. The first count was made during the first year of the Israelites’ wanderings, when the tribe of Levi had not yet been counted separately. In other words, the remarkable thing is not that the counts show the same total both times, but the remarkable thing is that in a period of 7 months the number of Israelites of the ages of 20 and up had increased to such an extent that the absence of any Levites during the second count was not even noticed in the final tally. The very fact that before the second census the Levites were specifically excluded from the total for the 12 tribes, is clear proof that during the first census the tribe of Levi was counted on exactly the same basis [not from 30 days and up, instead of from 20 years and up Ed.] as per the directives in the Book of Numbers. Seeing that we are entitled to assume that numerous people died between the Exodus and that time, at which time the Israelites were described as approx. 600000 strong, the natural increase was quite remarkable. I believe further, that the donations (money) mentioned in our paragraph here and the one mentioned in Numbers chapter 1, the purpose of which was to raise equally sized donations for financing the mandatory daily communal offerings, could not have been raised as part of that census either, as suggested by Rashi. If Rashi were correct, why should the members of the tribe of Levi not also have been required to contribute their half shekels for the communal offerings that were offered on their behalf? Furthermore, the people who were required to contribute half shekels for the communal mandatory offerings were all those who had demonstrated signs of puberty, by having at least 2 pubic hairs. It is clear therefore that the purpose of the census in our chapter, i.e. the three donations hinted at, were 1) for atonement, i.e. ½ shekel by each male above the age of 20, 2), contributions for the building of the Tabernacle, and 3) the emphasis on everyone passing the turnstile not contributing either more or less than ½ a shekel were people above the age of 13 (with two pubic hairs) whose contribution to the purchase of mandatory communal offerings, would enable them to benefit from the atonement provided by the offering of these communal sacrifice if and when due. ונתנו איש כופר נפשו, “they are each to hand over a ransom for their souls.” This had to be done at this point in time, seeing that they had participated in some manner in the sin of the golden calf. This was the reason why, in this instance, the shekel was used as the symbol of their atonement. Normally, whenever a census is taken, coins are not required, the only restriction is that it must not be a head count. This is why we find that King Sha-ul, prior to the campaign against the Amalekites, counted the soldiers by means of sheep and broken shards of clay.

כי תשא, when Moses would assemble the Jewish people in order for them to set aside the donations for the building of the Tabernacle he was to use this opportunity to count them. The silver would be given for the work in connection with the Tabernacle that required use of this metal. In Exodus 38,25 we are told that a total of 100 talents of silver were used in the construction of the Tabernacle.

This shall they give — everyone who passes over the counting: half a shekel, by the shekel of the sanctuary, twenty gerahs to a shekel; half a shekel as a separation-offering before Hashem.

זה יתנו THIS SHALL THEY GIVE — He (God) showed him (Moses) a kind of fiery coin the weight of which was half a shekel and said to him, “Like this shall they give” (Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Tisa 9). העבר על הפקדים [EVERY ONE] THAT PASSETH AMONG THEM THAT ARE MUSTERED — Scripture uses the expression כל העבר על הפקדים instead of merely saying כל הפקדים because it is the practice of those who count animate beings to make these pass before them one after the other, counting them as they pass. Similar are: (Leviticus 27:32) “whatever passeth (יעבר) under the rod”; (Jeremiah 33:13) “the flock shall pass again (תעברנה) under the hands of him that counteth them”. מחצית השקל בשקל הקדש THE HALF OF A SHEKEL AFTER THE SHEKEL OF HOLINESS – i. e. after the weight of the shekel which I have appointed for you as the standard by which to weigh the shekels used for sacred purposes, as, for instance, those shekels mentioned in the section dealing with estimating things dedicated to the Sanctuary and with “fields of possession” so dedicated (Leviticus ch. 27). עשרים גרה השקל A SHEKEL IS TWENTY GERAHS — Having stated that it must be a holy shekel it now tells you exactly how much it is. גרה in Hebrew denotes what is called a מעה, a coin of small value, in Aramaic. And in this sense we find it in the book of Samuel (I Samuel 2:36) “[every one that is left] shall come and crouch to him for a piece of (אגורת) silver and a morsel of bread” which the Targum renders by למעה דכסף. עשרים גרה השקל A SHEKEL IS TWENTY GERAHS — For a full shekel is four zuz and a zuz was originally five meahs (consequently a shekel was twenty meahs or gerahs); only that they increased it (the zuz) by one sixth and so raised its value to six meahs of silver. Now THE HALF OF THIS (the original) SHEKEL of which I have spoken to you SHALL THEY GIVE AS A HEAVE OFFERING TO THE LORD.

HALF OF A SHEKEL AFTER THE SHEKEL OF HOLINESS. Moses our Teacher instituted a silver coin in Israel, for he was a great king. He called it “shekel” [literally: “weight”] because that whole coin was a perfect weight, it had nothing defective in it and the silver contained no dross. And since the standard shekel of Valuations and the redemption of the firstborn, which are holy matters, were given in that coin, as also all shekels mentioned in connection with the Tabernacle, and all moneys the amount of which is exactly specified in the Torah, therefore Scripture calls it the shekel of holiness. I hold that this is the same reason why our Rabbis call the language of the Torah “the Sacred Language,” because the words of the Torah, and the prophecies, and all words of holiness were all expressed in that language. It is thus the language in which the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke with His prophets, and with His congregation [when He said], — I am the Eternal thy G-d, etc. and Thou shalt have no other gods before Me, and the other communications of the Torah and prophecy — and in that tongue He is called by His sacred names: E-il, Elokim, Tze-baoth, Sha-dai, Ya-h, and the Great Proper Name [i.e., the Tetragrammaton]. In that tongue He created His world, and called the names shamayim (heavens), eretz (earth) and all that is in them, His angels and all His hosts — He called them all by name. The names of Michael and Gabriel are in this Sacred Language. In that language He called the names of the holy ones that are in the earth: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Solomon, and others. Now the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] has written in the Moreh Nebuchim: “Do not think that our language is called the Sacred Language just as a matter of our pride, or it be an error on our part, but it is perfectly justified; for this holy language has no special names for the organs of generation in male or female, nor for semen, nor for urination or excretion, excepting in indirect language. Be not misled by the word sheigal [to take it to mean the act of intercourse; this is not the case,] but it rather denotes a female ready for intercourse. It says yishgalenah in accordance with what has been written on it, and it means that ‘he will take the woman as a concubine.’” Now there is no need for this reason [why Hebrew is called the Sacred Language], for it is clear that the Hebrew language is most holy, as I have explained. And the reason [Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon] mentioned is in my opinion not correct. The mere fact that [the masters of the Masorah] have circumscribed the word yishgalenah [to be read as] yishk’venah (he will lie with her), shows that the word mishgal is the term for sexual intercourse itself. Similarly the fact that they circumscribed the expression, to eat ‘et choreihem’ [to be read eth tzo’atam — “their dung”] shows that choreihem is an indecent term. And if the reason were indeed as the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] has said, they should have called [the Hebrew language n...

"This" — indicating a measure, like "And this is how you shall make it" (Genesis 6:15). The meaning of "all who pass over" — those who have passed the age of twenty, roughly three weeks of years; at that point a man is fully matured in understanding and his stature no longer increases. — These are the gerahs: carob seeds.

זה יתנו, "This is what they shall give, etc." We are told in Tanchuma on this verse that G'd showed Moses a coin of fire situated beneath His throne. It appears strange that G'd did not rather inform Moses of the weight of the coin in question. This would have been easier to comprehend than a coin made of fire. Any image such as that described by the Midrash could at best have given Moses an approximation of the size of that coin. Moreover, why was G'd interested in a half-shekel? He should have at least asked for a full shekel! Why did G'd forbid the wealthy to contribute more and the poor to contribute less than the half-shekel? There are mystical elements involved in this legislation which are not evident to the average person. The Midrash alluded to this when it described the manner in which G'd explained the appearance, i.e. significance, of the coin in question. The very expression זה יתנו of which our verse speaks begs the question. G'd told Moses that the visible element in the legislation is secondary to the invisible element. This is why the coin described as being shown to Moses is presented as only an image, not as the real thing. We have mentioned several times that the Presence of G'd is usually referred to by our sages as the Throne of G'd's Glory. This "Throne" and its location are determined in large measure by the conduct of the Jewish people. The prophet Isaiah refers to this in Isaiah 50,1 when he describes G'd telling the Jewish people that not He had divorced them, but their iniquities had resulted in the alienation between them. Solomon uses a similar hyperbole in Proverbs 16,28 when he describes quarrel-someness as alienating one's friends. The alienation between Israel and its G'd resulted from the episode of the golden calf which affected the roots of all the Jewish souls. G'd therefore commanded that the people give a "half-shekel" to symbolise that their previous action had resulted in something whole having become divided. The contribution of this half-shekel was to repair the damage done to the whole through the people's participation in the sin of the golden calf. When G'd showed Moses the coin of fire as being immediately beneath the throne of G'd, He drew his attention to the mystical dimension of this legislation. Payment of a ransom is not merely a transaction in this material world, but has far-reaching effects in a spiritual domain. Performance of G'd's commandments is predicated on the participation of the heart of the performer in his deed, i.e. רחמנא לבא בעי. Every מצוה is meant to close a gap that may exist between man and G'd. This is why the Torah added the words את תרומת השם, the contribution restores one's closeness with G'd. We can now understand that if the wealthy person were allowed to contribute more, the whole purpose of the half-shekel would be denied. The same applies to the prohibition for the poor to contribute less than the half-shekel. The symbolic meaning of the "half" was paramount in ...

כל העובר על הפקודים, “everyone that passes as recorded in the census, etc.;” at the time when the census took place, the individuals being counted had to pass through a door leading outside. (Bechor shor) מחצית השקל, the “half” shekel provided atonement for the sin they committed by dancing around the golden calf at midday. (Daat Zekeynim)

מחצית השקל בשקל הקדש, “one half shekel of the sacred shekel.” According to the plain meaning of the text we have to consider that Moses’ position amongst the people was equal to that of crowned heads of government in other nations as it states in Deut. 33,5: “he was king in Yeshurun.” This is why a silver coin had been minted in his honor. This coin was of a certain weight and the silver it was cast from was free from impurities. The reason this coin was called קדש, “sacred,” was because all the commandments are “sacred,” and for the performance of some of the commandments it is necessary to pay out such a coin or multiples of it. In other words, the coin basically served a sacred purpose. One example of the need for such coins was the redemption of firstborn male babies of the average Israelite who had to be redeemed by a priest in exchange for 5 such coins (or its equivalent weight in silver). Most of chapter 27 at the end of the Book of Leviticus is devoted to the ערכין legislation which stipulates that people having made vows involving the evaluation of their own persons or others have to discharge these vows by paying varying amounts of multiples of such a coin as described here. When we call our Torah the “sacred Torah,” we are motivated by similar considerations. Even the Hebrew language is called לשון הקדש, “the sacred tongue,” as it is the foremost language in which sacred matters are written about and are discussed by the scholars. Even the names of the angels have the adjective “sacred” attached to them. Names of angels such as Gavriel, Rafael, etc., all reflect their association with the sacred name of G’d, hence the letters א-ל at the end of their respective names. This is also reflected in Psalms 68,18 רכב אלו-הים רבותים אלפי שנאן ה' בהם, “G’d’s chariots are myriads upon myriads, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them.” [The idea of calling chariots owned by man “G’d’s chariots” is justifiable only when such chariots are placed in the service of sacred duties. Ed.] Hebrew is also the tongue in which the universe was created. [The directives were issued in Hebrew. Ed.] Our sages (Bereshit Rabbah 18,6) are on record saying that the world was created with לשון הקדש, the sacred tongue. They base this on Genesis 2,23 לזאת יקרא אשה כי מאיש לוקחה זאת “this (woman) shall be called אשה, as it has been taken (derived) from איש.” The various names Adam gave to his wife and sons such as חוה, קין, הבל all indicate that their meanings are based on the Hebrew language which therefore must have been the original language spoken after Adam was created. All the other names mentioned in the Book of Genesis (at least prior to the building of the Tower) were based on meanings in the Hebrew language. Eventually, all the other nations will revert to the use of Hebrew as all peoples had done prior to G’d confusing man’s languages at the time of the building of the Tower (Genesis 11,7). We know this on the authority of Tzefaniah 3,9: “for then I will make all the peoples pure of speech, so that they will all invoke the Lord by name, etc.” The reason the Torah legislates that the males to be counted contribute “half” a shekel (instead of a whole one), is because when the Israelites served the golden calf they had violated the Ten Commandments, and the coin called “half shekel” weighs ten geyrah. This is why every male Israelite who had reached the age of accountability vis-a-vis the celestial court, i.e. the age of 20, had to pay the ten geyrah as a symbol of the sin of which he had been guilty. Remarkably, this half shekel amounted in value to only one tenth of the value of the five shekalim needed to redeem a firstborn son of an Israelite as the Torah wrote: “and the amount he is to be redeemed by is the value of five shekalim which is twenty geyrah each, ” (Numbers 18,16). A Midrashic approach (Tanchuma Ki Tissa 10): Seeing the sin of the golden calf took place at noon or immediately thereafter (seeing the people had been prepared up to that hour for Moses to return from the mountain), the sum fixed for the symbolic atonement was a half-shekel corresponding to the half-day. When the Torah writes in 32,1 וירא העם כי בשש משה לרדת מן ההר, “When the people saw that Moses was tardy in descending from the mountain,” etc., the word בשש may be read as ב-שש, “at six (hours)” i.e. at noon. A rational approach: The reason the Torah stipulated a half-shekel when the Torah could just as easily have demanded a whole shekel of ten geyrah weight, was to hint to every intelligent person that he must weigh his actions in life so as to give due weight to his spiritual needs as well as to his physical needs. Ideally, he should be able to give full weight to both these requirements each, i.e. a full shekel to each. In fact, he ought to be able to use his body exclusively in the service of the Lord. However, on the other hand, sometimes attention to the physical needs such as eating, drinking, sleeping, provision of clothing, etc., is essential for the continued ability to serve the Lord. Keeping these factors in mind, the Torah, by speaking of a half shekel, hinted that it is aware that we suffer from this dichotomy of demands made upon us. We have numerous sayings of our sages in which they interpret verses in the Torah as reflecting this dual-duty of the Jew to look after both his body and his soul. Examples are Pessachim 68 where the verse in Deut. 16,8: וביום השביעי עצרת תהיה לה’ אלו-היך, “and on the seventh day there shall be a an assembly for the Lord your G’d,” is contrasted with Numbers 29,35 עצרת תהיה לכם, “it shall be an assembly for you.” Rabbi Yehoshua is quoted as saying that the Torah means that on these festivals we are to divide our time equally between religious activities and mundane activities such as eating and drinking. It goes without saying that even when indulging in mundane activities one should strive to perform this with a view to benefiting one’s soul, one’s spiritual level as a personality. This very donating of the coin, i.e. using money, must be לה', devoted to divinely inspired purposes. When this is the case then one has achieved the degree of sanctity described by the Torah when it calls the coin “sacred.” A kabbalistic approach: The mystical dimension of the atonement by means of a “half” shekel was to parallel the attempt to divide between what the people had seen (i.e. the fire), and what they had heard (the thunder and G’d’s voice) at Mount Sinai. The sin of the golden calf was that they related incorrectly to the two phenomena they had seen at Mount Sinai. [Remember the Torah spoke of the people having “seen” sounds, Ed.] The root of the sin at the golden calf episode was doubting or undermining the Unity of G’d, His indivisible nature, in spite of the manifold ways in which He manifested Himself. Seeing that the sin involved one of the TEN commandments it was appropriate that the act of atonement would be performed by a coin worth TEN geyrah, by a half-shekel and not by a whole shekel even if it had the same weight as this half-shekel. The reason that the silver for the shekel was also described as בקע, “valley,” was that they had made a bottom of the head and a head out of a bottom when they became guilty of idolatry. [According to Torat Chayim, quoted by Rabbi Chavell, the words “making a head of the end and an end of the head,” refer to reversing the meaning of the letters of the attributes of G’d in His tetragrammaton. By committing idolatry the final letter ה in the tetragrammaton had been treated as separate, treated entirely out of context in which it had been when spelled correctly. Ed.] As a result of such considerations, the silver given for this census was used to construct the sockets (bottom) of the walls (upright beams) of the Tabernacle in order to serve as an ongoing warning how the people had committed a theological reversal in worshipping the golden calf, or considering it as a symbol of the attribute of G’d which had taken them out of Egypt (compare what we have written on Exodus 38,28). Seeing that the Israelites were “weighed” in terms of the “sacred shekel,” they were found wanting. This is perhaps best illustrated by a verse in Daniel 5,27: תקל תקלתא במאזניא והשתכחת חסיר, “you were weighed in the scales and found wanting.” (the meaning of the writing on the wall in Belshazzar’s palace). Seeing the sin committed by the Israelites at the golden calf episode had been so grievous an error, they were required to give this sacred half-shekel to G’d in atonement for their souls. תרומה לה', “an offering for G’d.” The expression תרומה, gift, heave-offering, occurs three times in this paragraph. The Torah wanted to remind us that there were in fact three distinct such gifts. The first gift was the contribution of the materials for building the Tabernacle. The second contribution was the half-shekel mentioned here; the third תרומה, contribution, was the money (shekel) for the public offerings on the altar in the Tabernacle. I have already mentioned the details of this in connection with 25,2. The half-shekel mandatory contributions mentioned here were the ones from which the silver sockets containing the beams of the Tabernacle were constructed. Each socket was made of a whole talent of silver (38,27) so that between the 100 talents of silver contributed by 600,000 men over the age of 20 almost all of it was used up for these sockets, seeing each beam had two sockets and there were a total of 48 such beams. The pillars supporting the dividing curtain, four in number, also had one such socket each. Any overage, i.e. the shekels of the 3000 plus people over the number 600,000 was used to support the hangings of the curtains around the courtyard of the Tabernacle.

“This they shall give, everyone who passes through the count, half a shekel, etc.” Rashi explained that the way of counting is to pass those being counted one after the other, etc. Nevertheless, the phrase through [over] the count does not seem to imply this. It is possible to explain according to our Sages’ opinion (Jerusalem Talmud, Shekalim 2:3) that this was an atonement for the sin of the Golden Calf, because there the Israelites transgressed [avru] the righteous commandments of God which He had commanded to Moses. Therefore it says everyone who passes through the count — these are the transgressors [ovrei] who needed this atonement. The reason for the half-shekel: Several different approaches are found in the midrashim, and I will add three more reasons to them. The first is that because through the act of the [Golden] Calf, they caused the breaking of the tablets into two, therefore they should give a “beka,” which is a shekel split into two. The second reason is that this was a ransom for one’s soul, and it is known that from the perspective of the soul, no person has an advantage over another, since the vital soul is equal in everyone; therefore, the rich and poor are equal in this ransom. And since every person is a complete shekel, and each half is included in the number 10 — for so our Sages of blessed memory counted (Niddah 31a) in the statement about the three partners in a person: 10 things that come from the father and mother, and 10 things that come from the Holy One, blessed be He — therefore the complete person is 20 gerahs, and half of it is a contribution to God to atone for the portion of the soul. The third reason is the most clear of all, and it is, that we find in the Midrash (Tanchuma Ki Tisa 11) and the Yalkut brings it in this parasha, saying: Each man shall give a ransom for his soul. When Moses heard this, he became afraid and said, Skin for skin, and all that a man has he will give for his life (Job 2:4). Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai says: Moses said, “We find that the redemption of a man’s soul is a talent of silver, as it is said (1 Kings 20:39), And your life shall be for his life, or you shall weigh out a talent of silver.” Rabbi Yosi says: “You can learn from the case of one who spreads slander, as it is said (Deuteronomy 22:19), And they shall fine him a hundred pieces of silver. And we spread slander by saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel.’ Each and every one of us needs to give a hundred pieces of silver.” Reish Lakish said: “You can learn from the case of rape, as it is written (ibid 22:29), And the man who lay with her shall give… etc. And we violated the commandment You shall have no other gods, and committed idolatry. Each one of us needs to give fifty pieces of silver.” Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: “You can learn from the case of the goring ox, as it is said (Exodus 21:32), If the ox gores a slave, etc. And we exchanged His glory for an ox, as it is said (Psalms 106:20), They exchanged their glory for the image of an ox that eats grass. Each one of us needs to give thirty shekels.” The Holy One, blessed be He, knew what was in Moses’s heart and said to him: “By your life, it is not a talent of silver, nor a hundred pieces of silver, nor fifty shekels, nor thirty shekels, but this they shall give: half a shekel.” End quote. And apparently, there are many things in this Midrash that are not understood — why would Moses be considering the incident that happened in the days of Israel with the king of Aram? Also, the statement “and we violated the commandment” lacks explanation, and the matter of the goring ox is difficult to understand. And I say that because we found in the incident of the Golden Calf that Israel transgressed four major sins, which are idolatry, sexual immorality, bloodshed, and evil speech, which corresponds to them all, as Rashi explained on the verse And they rose up to play. The evil speech is what is referred to in I hear the sound of shouting — meaning insults and blasphemies, and this is what is meant by them saying to one another, These are your gods, O Israel. For typically, idolatry depends on the thought of the one who believes in it, which is why it is said in order to catch the house of Israel by their heart (Ezekiel 14:5). But this was not enough for them; they also spoke it with their mouths, like one who spreads slander about his Creator, saying, These are your gods and It was not the Lord who has done all this — referring to the exodus from Egypt. And when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, Each shall give a ransom for his soul, Moses was uncertain about which of these four sins the soul-ransom would atone for — whether for idolatry, or for bloodshed, or for sexual immorality, or for evil speech. This is the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai, that Moses presumably thought this atonement would be for idolatry, and then it would certainly be a full talent of silver. He understood this from what was said, When you take a census of the Children of Israel, and as explained in the Yalkut on this portion, that the initials of all the tribes add up to 597,000. Where are the additional 3,000 to complete the 600,000? They are those who fell [died] because of the [Golden] Calf. Moses thought, “What is the significance of God hinting to Me to count the total number of all the tribes of Israel and to know from it that 3,000 fell because of the Calf? This must be because God wanted Me to understand from this that just as these 3,000 were an atonement for all the bodies of Israel, so too the atonement for souls would also be in this number” — meaning a talent of silver, which equals 3,000 shekels, as Rashi explains in Parshat Eleh Pekudei (38:24). And if you ask, how do we know that this atonement would specifically be for idolatry and not for any other of the four transgressions? Therefore, he brings proof from the verse, Your life shall be for his life, or you shall weigh out a talent of silver — which was an atonement for sending away a man who [God] doomed, namely the king of Aram who said, The Lord is a God of the mountains, but not a God of the valleys (First Kings 20:28). He denied God and said that He does not supervise the lowly at all, but His presence is in the heights of heaven. This was also the belief of those who made the [Golden] Calf. And since we find there that the redemption of a life was a talent of silver, then certainly here too, what Moses thought — that perhaps God wanted a full talent from each person — was because of the sin of idolatry. However, the opinion of Rabbi Yossi is that Moses thought that this atonement was for the evil speech and the sounds of blasphemy through which they defamed the Holy One, Blessed be He, saying These are your gods, in the manner explained above. And the opinion of Reish Lakish is, that Moses thought that this atonement was for sexual immorality, therefore he said “you learn from rape,” and the meaning of “and we violated the commandment You shall have no other gods” is because the Sages of blessed memory said (Mechilta Yitro chapter 8) that the commandments were five opposite five, with You shall have no other gods corresponding to You shall not commit adultery, etc., as will be explained later in the verse Please, this people has sinned a great sin. According to this, one depends on the other, because since they violated I am the Lord your God, they also violated You shall not murder, and since they violated You shall have no other gods, they also violated You shall not commit adultery, for these commandments were given one corresponding to the other. And the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon is that Moses thought that perhaps this atonement money was for the bloodshed when they killed Hur, like a goring ox that killed a slave. For when Israel fulfills the will of God, they are called “children of the living God,” but when they do not fulfill His will, they are called “slaves.” Therefore, Hur was given the value of a slave, and Israel was compared to a goring ox, as it is said, Those who make them [idols] will become like them (Psalms 115:8), etc. Thus, just as the essence of the idol was an ox eating grass, so too they descended from the level of human beings to the level of an ox. And the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Not a talent [of silver],” etc., because it is known that in removing any evil thing, one must remove the cause, and the effect will automatically be nullified. As our Sages said (Tanchuma Chukat 8) regarding the atonement for the [Golden] Calf, “Let the mother come and clean up her child’s filth,” for the red heifer is the mother that gave birth to the calf. By nullifying the root, the branches will fall by themselves, but if you cut off the branches, there is concern that the root bearing gall and wormwood may return to grow branches. Similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, said that the main atonement is for the root cause, that is, for the thing that was the cause of all these transgressions, which is the abundance of gold and the desire for wealth that brought them to this deed. As our Sages said (Yoma 86b), They made for themselves gods of gold: Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He, “You caused this for them because of the abundance of gold that You bestowed upon them,” etc. The explanation of the matter is as follows: Because He bestowed upon them an abundance of gold, they became greedy, and their eyes were never satisfied. They sought [a god] in the form of an ox because the face of the ox is on the left side of the [Divine] Chariot, and it is written, Gold comes from the north (Job 37:22) [which is on the left]. They thought that the constellation of the ox brings wealth and would bestow upon them even more gold, as it is written, Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but much increase comes by the strength of the ox (Proverbs 14:4). Similarly, Joseph, who provided for the entire land, was called firstborn of his ox. Therefore, He commanded them to give half a shekel to atone for the one who covets money, for he will never have more than half [of what he desires], as our Sages said (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 1:13), “If one has 100, he desires 200; if he has 200, he desires 400.” Thus, one never has more than half a shekel [of what he wants]. And it could be that because this abundance came from the spoils of Egypt and the spoils of the sea, about which Solomon said, We will make you golden ornaments with studs of silver (Song of Songs 1:11). Rashi explains that studs of silver refers to the spoils of Egypt, and golden ornaments refers to the spoils of the sea. Therefore, these two types of atonement came: the red heifer comes to atone for the consequence, namely the golden calf made from this red gold, and these half-shekels of silver come to atone for the sin that resulted from the studs of silver, because when an abundance of silver is available to its owner, it increases desire upon desire, and he is always poor in his mind. This is hinted at by the fact that the letters of the word “poor” [ani] are adjacent to the letters of “silver” [kesef] in the Hebrew alphabet. This matter will be further explained in the verse for it is unbridled [ki faru’a hu], see there.

מחצית השקל, “half of the coin known as ‘shekel.’” Nachmanides writes that in common with other important Kings, Moses designed a coin called “shekel” [from the word משקל, weight] to symbolize that it was of pure silver, without any dross. Seeing that this coin became the standard for the redeeming of the firstborn, all of whom were redeemed in terms of whole shekalim, the coin itself was called שקל הקודש, i.e. a silver coin used to redeem something holy. In Leviticus 27 we have a whole chapter dealing with the use of this coin in redeeming various kinds of vows made by man. Whenever the Torah speaks of definitive amounts of silver, the quantity referred to is expressed in terms of multiples of that coin. This also explains why the language in which the Torah has been written is called לשון הקודש, “the Holy Tongue,” seeing that so many subjects dealing with holiness and sanctity have been recorded in the Torah. This is also the language in which G’d communicated with the Jewish nation through His prophets. It is also the language in which His holy nation, when praying to Him utter His Holy name, the tetragram, the language He used when He created the universe and issued directives to His creatures. All the phenomena He created both in heaven and on earth were named in that language.

TWENTY GEIRAH. It is a kind of coin.

מחצית השקל, “a coin worth half a shekel.” This was to atone for the half day they had been guilty of not doing something to destroy the golden calf, as explained in the Talmud, tractate Shabbat folio 89. According to Rabbi Akiva there the word boshesh in Exodus 32,1 usually translated as “tarried,” can be read as בשש, “at six hours,” i.e. at midday Moses came down from the mountain. The coin known as shekel (a silver coin) is valued as twenty geyrah, (copper coins). They had been guilty of transgressing all of the Ten Commandments, as transgressing the prohibition of idolatry is equivalent to transgressing all of the commandments of the Torah. The Talmud in tractate Z’vachim, quotes the oldest kabbalistic text, Pirke de rabbi Eliezer, chapter 48, where Rabbi Yishmael describes the five “fingers” on G–d’s right hand, as all involved in the process of redemption. His smallest finger was used for that purpose when He said to Noach (Genesis 6,15) וזה אשר תעשה אותה, “and this is how you are to construct it” (the ark), which would save him and his family from the deluge. The second smallest finger was used by G–d at the redemption of the Jewish people from Egypt (Exodus 8,15) as the sorcerers of Pharaoh recognised when they described the third plague, the vermin, as אצבע אלוהים, “a finger of G–d.” G–d’s middle finger, known as amah, אמה, was used when G–d inscribed the text of the Ten Commandments on the Tablets (Exodus 31,1) i.e. והלוחות כתובים באצבע אלוהים, “and the Tablets had been inscribed by the finger of Gd.” G–d’s fourth finger, known as bohen, בהן, next to the thumb, was used when He showed Moses the new moon (Exodus 12,2) also using the word: זה, “this”; and the fifth finger of G–d’s right hand, known as gudal, גודל, was used by Him when showing Moses the half shekel coin of which our portion speaks here. Finally, G–d will use His entire hand when in the future He will wipe out the descendants of Ishmael and Edom, as prophesied by the prophet Micah 5,8: תרום ידך על צריך וכל אויביך יכרתו, “Your hand will prevail over all Your foes, and all Your enemies will be cut down.”

Everyone who passes over the counting, from twenty years old and upward, shall give a separation-offering before Hashem.

מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה FROM TWENTY YEARS OLD AND ABOVE — Scripture teaches you here that anyone less than twenty years of age does not go forth to the army nor is he to be counted among the “men” (of whom v. 12 speaks).

"All, those who are counted" — the word is in the active form.

מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה, “from twenty years and up;” anyone under that ages is not subject to punishment at the hands of heaven, though on earth he is punishable from the age of 13, or 12 in the case of girls. Therefore the people younger than twenty did not need to obtain their forgiveness by means of this ransom payment. The total amount raised by this census amounted to one talent of silver. How do we arrive at that amount? Most people do not live for more than seventy years. The first twenty years they do not need atonement as their sins have not been registered in the celestial ledger. This leaves 50 years during which they may need atonement by means of the holy half shekel which is equivalent to a secular shekel. When you multiply this by 600000, the number of able bodied soldiers amongst the Israelites you get 300000 holy shekels per year, or 100 talents of silver per year. (1 talent is equal to 3000 holy shekels. Seeing that the wicked Haman was familiar with this, he offered the king ten thousand talents of silver to compensate for the king’s loss of taxes from the Jews. 600000 Jews giving 1/2 holy shekels for 50 years would amount to 100000 talents of silver.)

כל העובר,”everyone that passes, etc.;” the verb עבר in this verse is used as in Jeremiah 33,13: “תעבורנה הצאן על המונה” “the sheep shall pass under the hands of the one who counts them;” Sheep are counted by their shepherds when being led to their pens.

The wealthy shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than half a shekel — to give the separation-offering before Hashem to make atonement for your souls.

לכפר על נפשתיכם TO MAKE AN EXPIATION FOR YOUR SOULS — in order that you may not be liable to the plague in consequence of the census. Another explanation of לכפר על נפשתיכם is that it was really an atonement for their sins: because Scripture alludes here to three different heave offerings since it uses the expression תרומת ה׳ three times (twice in vv. 14 and 15, ‘תרומת ה, and once in vers 13, ‘תרומה לה). One mention is an allusion to the heave offering that was to be used for the making of the sockets, for he (Moses) counted them when they began to contribute towards the building of the Tabernacle, when each gave half a shekel, the total amounting to a hundred talents, as it is said, (Exodus 38:25) “and the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents”, and of these the sockets were made, as it is stated, (Exodus 38:27) “And of the hundred talents of silver [were cast the sockets of the Sanctuary etc.]”. The second heave offering was also levied by way of census, for he numbered them again after the Tabernacle was erected; that is the census referred to in the beginning of the Book of Numbers: (Numbers 1:1) “[And the Lord spake unto Moses] … on the first day of the second month in the second year … [Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel]”, and on that occasion, too, each of them gave half a shekel. These were employed in purchasing the communal sacrifices for each year. Rich and poor were made alike in regard to these half shekels; and it is with reference to this heave offering that Scripture uses here the expression לכפר על נפשתיכם, “to make expiation for your souls”, for sacrifices were brought in order to make atonement. The third heave offering was that offered for the building of the Tabernacle, as it is said, (Exodus 35:24) “Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass…”. In this heave offering, however, they did not all participate alike, but each one brought whatever his heart prompted him to give (Talmud Yerushalmi Shekalim 1:1; cf. Rashi on Exodus 25:1).

THE RICH SHALL NOT GIVE MORE, AND THE POOR SHALL NOT GIVE LESS. The meaning of this is that they should all bring the specified amount of money in equality. It would appear from this verse that if the poor man gave as his shekel-dues less than the half-shekel [prescribed by the Torah], he transgresses this negative commandment, since this verse constitutes a prohibition. For even if we were to say that the phrase the rich shall not give more constitutes a mere negation, meaning that it is enough for him to give the half-shekel, we could not so interpret and the poor shall not give less. If so, they must both be prohibitions: thus if the individual rich man gave more, or the poor man gave less, he transgressed this negative commandment. Perhaps the reason why the Temple — officers used to take up the shekel-dues in baskets [out of the shekel-chamber], with the intention also to cover the shekels lost and those still to be collected, was to rectify this matter, for if the poor gave less, the balance was destined to be collected from him, but as for the rich who gave more, the Temple-officers would not “take up” his surplus, for they would not take possession of these surpluses [on anyone’s behalf]. However, I have noticed that neither the author of the Hilchoth Gedoloth nor all other scholars who counted the commandments [including the Rambam in his Sefer Hamitzvoth], have mentioned this as one of the negative commandments.

"The wealthy one" — Scripture gives the rationale for "shall not give more and shall not give less": because it is a ransom for the soul.

העשיר לא ירבה, “a wealthy person must not contribute in excess of this,” for if the Torah were to allow the wealthy to contribute more and the poor to contribute less than a half holy shekel each, how would the total number of those counted in the census be known and furthermore how could each of them attain the same level of atonement? לכפר על נפשותיכם, “to obtain atonement for yours sins.” The sin being that they had made it necessary for G-d to take a census of them as a result of the sin of the golden calf, [and in order to count the victims as absentees. Moreover, how would we know the total number of shekels that had been raised by these contributions, and how could we have been sure there were enough to construct the sockets of the Tabernacle from them? Ed.] From the wording of the Torah it is clear that atonement was even more important than the actual census.

העשיר לא ירבה והדל לא ימעיט, “the wealthy must not contribute more, nor the poor less, etc.” According to Nachmanides this is one of the 365 negative commandments in the Torah, i.e. anyone violating this directive has become guilty of a transgression of a Biblical prohibition. He feels that a wealthy man who contributed more than one shekel,-contrary to the Torah’s instructions,- could compensate by contributing less the next time, and the poor man who contributed less than a half shekel could make up for it at a future occasion, is reminded by the wording of the Torah precludes such a תיקון, adjustment, but having failed to do it as directed, the person is guilty of a transgression which cannot be made good. It is not as if someone who had sent the correct amount by means of a messenger, and for some reason this shekel never reached the proper destination, he can compensate by replacing the lost shekel with a replacement. According to the Talmud Ketuvot 108, in the latter case the person whose shekel did not arrive in time (before the end of that year) did not violate the commandment but merely did not get credit for fulfilling it, whereas according to Nachmanides the incorrect contribution constitutes a transgression. None of the other authorities lists this directive as a negative commandment in their count of the 613 commandments. [in Ramban’s commentary on Maimonides’ ספר המצות, we do not find it mentioned either. Ed.]

העשיר לא ירבה, “the wealthy person must not contribute more;” (in order to help make up the required total). No one was allowed to be able to claim that he had made a greater contribution to the Tabernacle than his neighbour.

You shall take the atonement silver from the children of Israel and give it toward the service of the Tent of Meeting; and it shall be for the children of Israel as a remembrance before Hashem, to make atonement for your souls.

ונתת אתו על עבדת אהל מועד AND THOU SHALT GIVE IT FOR THE SERVICE OF THE APPOINTED TENT — From this statement you may learn that he (Moses) was commanded to take their census when they began to contribute towards the building of the Tabernacle, after the incident of the golden calf, because the pestilence had befallen them, as it is said, (Exodus 32:35) “and the Lord plagued the people”. A parable: To what may this be compared? To a flock that is dear to its owner upon which there fell pestilence. As soon as it ceased he said to the shepherd, “I beg of you, count my sheep and ascertain how many of them are left”. He did this to show that it (the flock) was dear to him (Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Tisa 9). — It is, however, impossible to say that the census mentioned here is identical with that spoken of in the Book of Numbers (1:1), for there (in Numbers 1:1) Scripture states, “[And God spake to Moses …] on the first day of the second month … [Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel etc.]”, whilst the Tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month as it is said, (Exodus 40:2) “On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up [the Tabernacle etc.]”, and from this census (that mentioned in this paragraph) — from the shekels obtained by it — the sockets used for its boards were made, for it is said, (Exodus 38:27) and of the hundred talents of silver were cast [the sockets of the sanctuary]”. Consequently you learn from this that two censuses were taken, viz., one at the beginning of their contributing towards the Tabernacle, after the Day of Atonement (when Moses first commanded the people to engage in the construction of the Tabernacle; see Rashi on Exodus 33:11, last sentence), in the first year, and the other in the second year, in Iyar, after the Tabernacle had already been set up. If you ask, however: is it at all possible that on both of these occasions the number of the Israelites was exactly the same, viz., 603,550, for in the account of how the silver of those that were numbered of the congregation was used (Exodus 38:27) it is so stated, and in the Book of Numbers (1:46) exactly the same is stated, “Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty”; were not these censuses taken in two different years, and surely it is impossible that there were not at the time of the first census people nineteen years old who accordingly were not counted and who became twenty years old in the second year when the second census was taken and this must have added to the total?! The reply to this question is: As far as the years of men’s ages are concerned they were counted in the same year, but reckoning from the time of the exodus from Egypt they were two different years in which the censuses were held. For when we speak of a period beginning with the exodus from Egypt, which took place in Nisan, we calculate from Nisan, as we have learned in Treatise Rosh Hashana...

"And you shall take" — this is explained in the portion of "These are the accountings." For the Tabernacle stands only upon the atonement silver — as a remembrance for the children of Israel.

את כסף הכפירים, “the money for the atonement;” it is now called “money of atonement,” as the Torah had introduced it as becoming such in verses 12 and 15. The reason why the paragraph of the census appears here is because the Torah had spoken of the once a year atonement in connection with Aaron’s offering blood for atonement once a year on the horns of the golden altar. (30,10) This money for atonement is only collected once a year. The Torah now continues with the instructions for the laver and its supporting stand, from which the priests and Levites will have to wash their hands and feet as required on different occasions, as well as the paragraphs about the ingredients making up the oil for anointing and the spices for the daily incense offering. The chief architect supervising a team of skilled people was Betzalel, and his second in command, Oholiov. The Torah repeats that the work prohibitions of the Sabbath override the need to complete the Tabernacle as soon as possible. This is followed by Moses’ prayer on behalf of the people when informed by G-d that they had become guilty of idolatry during his absence. The Torah had to briefly relate to us what had occurred during Moses stay on the Mountain, else how did Moses know what to pray for and why? Moses experienced glory when G-d spoke to him “face to face,” although this is not to be understood literally, of course, seeing that G-d went out of His way to explain to him that mortal beings cannot experience a visual revelation. He was given an opportunity to supply G-d with a second set of Tablets upon which to engrave the Ten Commandments which G-d had engraved on the first set of Tablets which consisted of celestial raw material. Moses’ return to the people was crowned by the fact that his face radiated so much holiness that he had to cover his forehead with a cloth so as not to frighten the people away. לבני ישראל לזכרון, “as a reminder for the Children of Israel.” Seeing that every Israelite has contributed to the making of the Tabernacle, it follows that every time I remember the Tabernacle, I will remember them. לכפר על נפשותיכם, “to atone for your souls.” Some commentators claim that as long as the silver from this contribution remained in existence, there was no need to make another such contribution when a census would be taken. This is why no mention is made of a further contribution when the Israelites were counted once more in the 40th year after the debacle at Shittim, and Pinchas’ slaying the prince of Shimon, Zimri. (Numbers 25,13) By the time another census was taken some 400 years later in the time of David, this silver even if it still existed, could no longer be identified and therefore the soldiers who had been counted in that census were punished by a plague.

ונתת אותו על עבודת אהל מועד, “you are to give it for the work of the Tent of Meeting, etc.” I have already explained in detail how the use of these silver shekalim symbolized the sin committed during the episode of the golden calf. There had to be a visible reminder of this sin to ensure it would never be repeated. Only by being reminded of a sin, especially in such an oblique way would one continue to be full of remorse about it. This concept has been spelled out in Psalms 51,5 where David describes his sin involving Bat Sheva as one he would remain conscious of forever. At the same time, the very words לפני ה' are the reassurance by G’d to these people that they were again in His good graces. When the people are out of favour they are not לפני ה', “before, or in the presence of, the Lord.” All of this is why this silver (money) was called כסף הכפורים, “the silver (money) of atonement.” The reason the paragraph dealing with the construction of the copper basin from the waters of which the priests were to wash their hands and feet is mentioned immediately after the paragraph dealing with the census, etc., is that we have a tradition that the waters in that basin were instrumental in attracting sufficient quantities of rain water for the land of Israel. Seeing that the contributions of the shekalim were in the nature of charity, and charity is instrumental in increasing the amount of beneficial rainfall, whereas withholding promised charity results in G’d withholding rainfall, there is a conceptual linkage between these two subjects [although on this occasion only the donations of the shekalim was mandatory and had an additional function, i.e. to secure atonement. Ed.]. Proverbs 25,14 is a source for the claim that unfulfilled charity vows result in suspension of beneficial rainfall. Solomon said: “He who boasts falsely of giving, is like clouds and wind that do not bring rain.”

כסף הכפורים, silver intended to atone for the sin of forfeiting one’s life. על עבודת אהל מועד, as spelled out later in 38,27 where we read מאת אדנים למאת הככר ככר לאדן, “100 sockets totaling 100 talents, 1 talent per socket.

ונתת אותו, “you will give it (to be used).” Rashi explains here that the respective ages of the people being counted now were based on their birthdays according to the calendar year commencing with the month of Tishrey (Rosh Hashanah), not according to the new calendar year for the kings [political rather than religious purposes, Ed] as introduced in Exodus chapter 12. The Talmud, (Rosh hashanah, folio 11) is of two opinions as to when the universe as we know it was created, whether in the fall, on Rosh Hashanah, or in the spring, the month in which we celebrate Passover. [Since none of us was around at the time neither scholar could prove his point. Ed.] According to the opinion that the universe was created in Tishrey, we have no problem reconciling the figures given here and the ones given seven months later in the Book of Numbers. According to the second opinion, the report in the Torah is difficult to reconcile, seeing that the totals of the two censuses which clearly took place at an interval of seven moths, i.e. the first one immediately after the golden calf and the second one in the second month (Iyar) after the erection of the Tabernacle, which had been erected in the first month (Nissan) of the second year and produced the same result. This question is reinforced as supposedly the ages of the people were based on the ages on the history of mankind having been based on the years that the first human being, Adam, had lived. According to that opinion only a single census could have taken place. If so, it is possible that seeing that the total was based on the census in that year, the Torah considered the people counted retroactively as having been 20 years of age already in Tishrey of the previous year. Seeing that from the count reported here the sockets for the Tabernacle which had been erected in the sockets of the Tabernacle had been made it must have taken place before the Tabernacle had been erected. According to the calendar used by the men counted, they had been counted in the first year of the Exodus, whereas according to the calendar in use since the month of Nissan after the golden calf episode, this was now considered the second year.

And Hashem spoke with Moses, saying:

"And Hashem spoke" — this is the beginning of a new section.

You shall make a laver of bronze and its base of bronze, for sanctification; and you shall place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and you shall put water there.

כיור A LAVER — like a large pot with teats which discharged water by the way of their openings. וכנו — Understand this as the Targum renders it: בסיסה ITS BASE, i. e. a stand specially made for the laver. לרחצה TO LAVE WITHAL — This, of course, refers to the laver and not to the base. ובין המזבח BETWEEN [THE APPOINTED TENT AND] THE ALTAR — the altar of burnt offering of which it is written, (Exodus 40:6) that is was to be set “before the entrance of the dwelling of the appointed tent”. The laver was drawn a little to the side and stood facing the open space which was between the altar and the Tabernacle, and it did not stand between them at all because it is stated (Exodus 40:29) “and he put the altar of burnt offering by the entrance of the dwelling of the appointed tent” which implies that the altar was in front of the entrance of the appointed tent, but that the laver was not in front of the entrance of the appointed tent. How was it arranged? It was drawn a little towards the south. Thus is it stated in Treatise Zevachim 59a.

"And you shall make, its base" — like its stand (mekhonato), as evidenced by the stands of Solomon (I Kings 7:27). Now, because it is written as standing between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, this is a sign that the altar is not right beside the entrance of the Tent but only near it, with the burnt-offering altar in the middle facing the incense altar. The laver stood between the Tent and the burnt-offering altar, positioned to one side. Scripture does not specify which side, for by reason there is no sense in placing the laver directly facing the incense altar, which faces the Kapporet.

ועשית כיור, this is another vessel which has not been mentioned before with the other vessels that were part of the Tabernacle. The reason is that the basin was not instrumental in attracting the presence of the Shechinah to the Tabernacle. Its function was merely preparatory to the priests’ service in the Tabernacle.

ונתת שמה מים. "you will put water into it." Apparently it did not have to be Moses who had to fill the basin with water. Any non-priest was qualified to perform that chore.

ועשית כיור, “you are to make a laver;” the reason why this vessel has not been mentioned earlier when the furnishings of the Tabernacle have been listed, is that the function of the laver was only as something preparatory for the performance of a commandment, not a commandment itself. The copper laver and its stand were not equipped with staves by means of which to carry them, but they were transported on the wagons as were the planks of the Tabernacle. בין אהל מועד ובין המזבח, “between the Tent of Meeting and between the altar, outside the Sanctuary, so that the priests could enter after having purified themselves.

ובין המזבח, “and between the altar.” Rashi writes that the altar mentioned in this verse is the copper altar outside the Sanctuary. Accordingly, this basin was positioned slightly to the left of the entrance to the Sanctuary so as not to block it but at the same time between the west side of the altar and the Sanctuary. There was nothing blocking the view from the altar to the entrance of the Sanctuary. This is made plainer in 40,6. The whole subject is discussed in Zevachim 59. The basin itself had 12 spouts (like the teats on the udder of a cow) so that the 12 priests who were on duty when performing the daily communal offering could wash their hands from it simultaneously (Yuma 37). [These details referred to the Temple, not the Tabernacle in the desert when there were not yet 12 priests altogether. Ed.] Actually, there were a total of 13 priests involved in the daily communal offering as the Mishnah lists 13 different tasks being performed by these priests (Yuma 25). However, seeing that from a ritual point of view the actual slaughtering of the sheep could be performed by a non-priest, only 12 priests were actually required for the service under discussion. Even a priest did not need to wash his hands and feet prior to slaughtering the sacrificial animal.

Aaron and his sons shall sanctify their hands and their feet from it.

את ידיהם ואת רגליהם THEIR HANDS AND THEIR FEET The priest washed his hands and his feet simultaneously. Thus we learn in Zevachim 19b: How was the procedure in washing hands and feet? He placed his right hand upon his right foot (knee) and his left hand upon his left foot (knee) and thus washed both simultaneously.

AND AARON AND HIS SONS SHALL WASH THEIR HANDS AND THEIR FEET THEREAT. This washing was out of reverence for Him Who is on high, for whoever approaches the King’s table to serve, or to touch the portion of the king’s food, and of the wine which he drinks, washes his hands, because “hands are busy” [touching unclean things automatically]. In addition He prescribed here the washing of feet because the priests performed the Service barefooted, and there are some people who have impurities and dirt on their feet. By way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], these parts of the body had to be washed because the extremities of the person’s body are his hands and feet, for when the hands are upraised they are higher than the rest of the body, and the feet are the lowest point. They allude in the human form to the Ten Emanations, with the whole body between them, just as the Rabbis have said in Sefer Yetzirah: “He made a covenant with him [i.e., Abraham] between the ten fingers of his hands and the ten fingers of his feet, with the protrusive part of the tongue and with the protrusive part of the nakedness.” Therefore the ministers of the One on High were commanded to wash their hands and feet, this washing being for the sake of holiness, as Onkelos translated here, l’rochtzah (to wash): l’kidush (to sanctify). It is on the basis of the idea of this commandment that our Rabbis have instituted the washing of hands before prayer, in order that one should direct one’s thoughts to this matter, just as in the uplifting of hands by the priests when blessing the people. It is the washing which is the essence of the commandment, but He commanded [the making of] the laver only in order that the water should be ready in it. Thus the absence of the laver does not invalidate the washing, neither is there any duty [to do the washing specifically from the laver]; thus on the Day of Atonement the High Priest washed his hands and feet from a golden jug which they made in his honor. However, what we do learn from the laver [that the Torah mentions], is that the washing [of the hands and feet by the priests] must be performed from a vessel.

"And they shall wash" — Scripture specifies the need for the laver on account of those who serve, namely Aaron and his sons and their descendants. It does not mention Moses here, for he alone would do so as long as he lived, but it is mentioned in context when the act was performed.

את ידיהם ואת רגליהם. "their hands and their feet." The two words את were not really necessary. The reason the Torah wrote the word את each time is to tell us that washing of the hands without washing of the feet at the same time, or washing of the feet without washing of the hands at the same time did not accomplish its purpose. In other words the word את really means עם. The source for our explanation can be found in Zevachim 19 where we are told that the priest had to sanctify hands and feet simultaneously.

ורחצו ממנו, they are to wash themselves from its waters, while standing at the outside of the laver, not within it (like in a mikveh).

ורחצו אהרן ובניו ממנו את ידיהם ואת רגליהם, “and Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from this basin and the water therein.” The priest would wash his hands and feet at the same time, as has been explained in Zevachim 19. He would place his right hand on top of his right foot and his left hand on top of his left foot and would wash them. According to the plain meaning of our text, the need for performing this washing (assuming the priests had not entered the holy precincts with dirty hands or feet) was that it was an accepted ceremony before facing Royalty. Any of the king’s attendants who served food at his table had to wash his hands immediately prior to serving the food, seeing that hands are by nature busy with many activities of which the owner is often even unaware. The reason the priests also had to wash their feet immediately before performing sacrificial service was because they were barefoot (Jerusalem Talmud Shekalim 5,1). A Kabbalistic approach: the washing of the ten fingers and ten toes was an allusion to the ten emanations which enabled the physical universe to be created out of a totally abstract domain. When man raises his hands above his head he raises ten fingers, i.e. alludes to these ten emanations. By standing on the ground with his ten toes he demonstrates that his beginning and end (in our parlance “top to bottom”) is all a reminder of these ten emanations. This is also the reason that the sages decreed that prior to praying one ought to wash one’s hands (Berachot 15). The expression נטילת ידים for “washing one’s hands,” [as opposed to רחיצת ידים] is an allusion to Psalms 134,2 שאו ידיכם קדש, “elevate, raise your hands (before) performing something sacred and proceed to bless the Lord.” A similar expression to the word שאו is found Psalms 119,48 where the psalmist says: “I raise my hands (elevate) towards Your commandments.” This is why Onkelos translates the word ורחצו, “they shall wash,” as ויקדשון, “they shall sanctify.” Elsewhere Onkelos translates the word ורחצו as: ויסחון such as in Genesis 18,4 where Avraham asks his guests to wash their feet. The Torah hints that the priest who performs service in the Tabernacle/Temple “clothes” himself in the sanctity of the ten emanations by the act of washing his hands and feet from the basin. Nachmanides views the covenant with G’d which was both oral (mouth) and on man’s flesh (circumcision), as symbolically interposed between the ten fingers of the two hands and the ten toes of the two feet respectively.

ורחצו אהרן ובניו ממנו את ידיהם ואת רגליהם, “Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and their feet with the water from this basin.” This was a standard procedure, observed by people who ventured into the presence of their king’s table in order to perform valet services there. They would wash their hands and feet immediately before commencing their duties. The procedure was not a ritual, but was purely hygienic in nature. Hands and feet are by definition more likely than any other part of the body to touch matters which contaminate them. This is why the Rabbis insisted on our washing our hands before prayer. [nowadays, when the feet are encased in shoes, the feet are less likely to become contaminated so that this part of the regulation has been relaxed. Ed.]

When they enter the Tent of Meeting they shall sanctify with water, so that they do not die; or when they draw near to the altar to minister, to bring up an offering before Hashem.

בבאם אל אהל מועד WHEN THEY COME INTO THE APPOINTED TENT to burn incense in the morning and at evening, or to sprinkle of the blood of the bullock offered by the anointed High-Priest (Leviticus 4:5, 7) and of the he-goats offered as atonement for the sin of idolatry (all of which services were performed in the interior of the Sanctuary) (Zevachim 19b). ולא ימתו THAT THEY DIE NOT — thus it follows that if they do not wash they will die: You may rightly draw this conclusion for in the Torah laws are sometimes stated only by implication: consequently from what is said here in the negative (that they die not) you may derive the positive (that they will die if they do not observe the law here laid down). אל המזבח [OR WHEN THEY STEP] NEAR THE ALTAR — i. e. the outer altar, in which case there is no entering into the appointed tent but the service is performed in the court.

"When they enter, they shall wash with water" — the intent is a washing with water, for it is their hands and feet that do the work; and there are many similar expressions.

ירחצו מים, “they shall wash with water;” this has been repeated as they had to wash themselves both before going in or even when approaching the golden altar to offer incense.

They shall sanctify their hands and their feet so that they do not die; and it shall be for them a perpetual statute, for him and for his sons throughout their generations.

ולא ימתו THAT THEY DIE NOT — This statement is intended to declare subject to the death penalty anyone who ministers at the outer altar without having washed his hands and his feet, because from the first mention of “death” (v. 20) we can only infer that one is subject to death for entering the Sanctuary under these circumstances.

"And they shall wash" — mentioned again so they shall always do so; or it is repeated because if they do not do so they are liable to death.

חק עולם, an eternal law. Even though the priest may have just emerged from immersing himself in a ritual bath in order to purify himself from a more severe category of impurity, this does not relieve him of the need to wash his hands and feet from the water of the כיור. The Torah warns the priest for the fifth time not to risk the death penalty to warn him that the ritual immersion did not replace the commandment to wash their hands and feet before either entering the Sanctuary or approaching the copper altar in the courtyard to perform service therein.

ורחצו ידיהם, ‘they are to wash their hands;” this has also been repeated to stress that this was a law for all future generations.

And Hashem spoke with Moses, saying:

"And Hashem spoke" — this is a section unto itself.

And you, take for yourself the finest spices: pure myrrh, five hundred in weight; fragrant cinnamon, half of it — two hundred and fifty in weight; and fragrant cane, two hundred and fifty in weight;

בשמים ראש PRINCIPAL SPICES — i. e. excellent ones. וקנמן בשם AND OF CINNAMON SPICE — Because cinnamon is the bark of a tree there is some of good quality, having fragrance and a pleasant taste and there is some which is merely like wood; Scripture therefore felt itself compelled to state, “Cinnamon בשם — with sweet scent”: of the good species. מחציתו חמשים ומאתים [AND OF CINNAMON SPICE] HALF SO MUCH, EVEN TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY [SHEKELS] — The half of what is to be brought shall be 250 shekels; consequently the whole weight of this species was 500 shekels exactly the same as that of the myrrh. But if this be so, why is it (the quantity to be brought) expressed in halves? It is the ordinance of Scripture that it should be brought in halves only, so that the quantity may be increased by two overweights, for there was no exact balancing of the scales in weighing the spices, but a little was always added. Thus it is stated in Keritot 5a. וקנה בשם AND CALAMUS SPICE — i. e. cane of sweet spices. Because there are canes which do not bear sweet spices Scripture had to state (add the word) בֹשֶׂם חמשים ומאתים TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY was the amount of its entire weight (not of the half of it as in the case of the preceding ingredient).

MOR DROR’ (FLOWING MYRRH) FIVE HUNDRED SHEKELS. The commentators — including Harav Rabbi Moshe [ben Maimon] — have agreed that mor is that perfume which is called musk [an animal perfume]. But Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra objected to this interpretation, since [musk] is not a spice [as are the sweet cinnamon and the sweet calamus mentioned here in the same verse], even though it has a pleasing odor. Perhaps this is why Scripture separated it from the spices.” And then [Ibn Ezra] asked: “But is it not written, I have gathered ‘mori’ (my myrrh), which shows that mor is something gathered [like spices], while those who bring musk say that it is a substance gathered in a glandular sac under the skin of the neck of the deer? Moreover, the verse states, and my hands dropped with myrrh, [and musk does not drop]. But perhaps it does do so, due to its moistness.” [Thus far are Ibn Ezra’s words].It is possible that we say that Scripture states I have gathered ‘mori’ because mor is the blood gathered up in the abdomen of an animal of the hind species known in the land of India; when it walks between the shrubs on very hot days it scratches against the sac and the blood comes out in thickened mass, which is then gathered from the reed-grass. It states and my hands dropped ‘mor,’ because Scripture imagines its odor to be such that one’s hands drop globules of water because of it. Others have argued: how could there be included in the incense and the sacred oil the blood of an unclean animal? This too is no question, for that moisture gathered up in the animal because of its abundant blood, which drops from [the animal] whilst still alive, is not susceptible to uncleanness, nor is it repulsive. The word dror they have explained to be of the expression, and ye shall proclaim ‘dror’ (liberty), here meaning that it should be free from any imitation or adulteration. Perhaps we might say that Scripture requires it to be gathered when free, meaning that it should be taken from that deer whilst it is free, wandering between the beds of spices and enjoying itself at will, because once it is captured and held in the possession of man, it produces but little mor (musk) and it does not have such a pleasant odor. This is clear. Yet despite all this [that we have written to justify the opinion of Rabbeinu Saadia Gaon and Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, that mor mentioned here is musk], it appears to me from the words of our Rabbis that mor is not musk, for they have said in Midrash Chazita: “Mor means inmirinon” [an unguent scented with Arabian myrtle], while musk is so called even in the language of the Sages, just as it is said in Tractate Berachoth: [“Over all spices put on coals one recites the Benediction: ‘Blessed… Who createst diverse kinds of spices’], except over musk, because it is derived from an animal.” In the Yerushalmi there they likewise say, [with respect to this Benediction]: “excepting muskin,” and the author of the Aruch wrote that it is also so called in Greek. I...

"And you, take for yourself" — as in "Go for yourself" (Genesis 12:1), and "take for yourselves sheep" (above, 12:21); according to the plain sense it is like "make for yourself a serpent" (Numbers 21:8) and "hew for yourself" (below, 34:1), for such is the idiom of the language. The word "mor" is difficult. The Gaon translates it as musk (mōshk). Now musk does not come from trees, even though it has a pleasing fragrance; perhaps it is for this reason that Scripture set it apart from the other spices, as it is written: "I have plucked my myrrh (mori) with my spice" (Song of Songs 5:1), indicating it is gathered; and those who bring it say that it is formed in the throat of a deer. It is written: "my hands dripped with myrrh" (ibid. 5:5) — perhaps this is the case when it is liquid. The meaning of "chief spices" — that the choicest of each spice is to be taken, for that is the most valuable and remains last. And after saying "fragrant cinnamon," why mention it again? Perhaps so that the calamus also be of the finest. Our Sages of blessed memory said that the weight of all of them is equal, and so we receive it. Yet I do not understand the reason why half-weight is mentioned for one of them; the matter of the halved measure I cannot understand, for it is not the custom throughout the Muslim lands to add so much as a mustard-seed's weight to anything that is weighed, and certainly not in any apothecary's work.

ואתה קח לך, "And as for you, take for yourself, etc." The plain meaning of the verse is that Moses was to pay for the anointing oil out of his own pocket. This is why the Torah prefaced the directive with the word ואתה. Moses was to perform this particular commandment personally, as opposed to the other commandments concerning which G'd had also addressed him in direct speech, commanding him to perform the respective directive. Even though the Torah included the oil and the various spices in the list of items to be donated by the general public (25,3), the Torah here revealed its intention that these items be contributed by Moses personally. We have a Baraitha in Keritut 5 according to which Moses boiled the oil he took to anoint the priests with during the seven-day inaugural service of the Tabernacle. The remnants of the oil were preserved for future occasions. We have been taught that no such oil was ever again prepared at any time as the oil Moses had prepared was used again and again and it did not diminish in quantity. Maimonides rules in chapter in chapter 1 of his treatise Kley Hamishkan that apart from the quantity of anointing oil prepared by Moses, none was ever made again. This is the additional dimension of the words ואתה קח לך, indicating to Moses that only he would have the privilege to prepare this oil for anointing. Yalkut Shimoni item 764 sees in these words an allusion to the fact that in Messianic times it will be the resurrected Moses who will personally perform the Temple service. While it is true that the Torah also uses the expression: קח לך in connection with the fragrances for the frankincense in verse 34, the word ואתה does not appear in connection with that directive. וקנמן בשם מחציתו, "and half as much sweet cinnamon, etc." According to the Talmud in Keritut 5 this means that Moses was to bring five hundred units of sweet cinnamon but was to use only half of it in preparing the oil for anointing. The Talmud wonders if perhaps the directive in the Torah meant that Moses was only to bring two hundred and fifty units, i.e. "half," just like the amount of Kneh bossem mentioned immediately afterwards. The answer given is that if this had been the Torah's intention the directive should have read: קנמן בשם וקנה בשם מחצה, ומחצה חמישים ומתאים. Thus far the Talmud on the subject. Perhaps we can suggest an additional answer to the question raised by the Talmud. If the Torah had meant for Moses to contribute only a total of 250 units of sweet cinammon, the word "half of it," would have been totally superfluous; who does not know that 250 is half of 500? The Torah intended for two quantities of 250 units to be weighed [on opposite sides of the scale but that only one half was to be mixed in as an ingredient at that time. Ed.] I have seen a comment by Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra who writes that it is not the custom of the Arabs to add even as much as the weight of a single grain of mustard to the recipe according to which they prepar...

בשמים ראש, “choice spices;” the expression ראש, usually translated as “head,” is linguistically related to חשבון, an account, itself related to חשוב, important, significant. It has been used at the beginning of our portion i.e. כי תשא את ראש בני ישראל, “when you count, i.e. elevate the sum total of the Children of Israel.” Each person counted individually, attains a higher social rank merely by his name being recorded. Seeing that previously the Torah had only summarised the oil for anointing in chapters 28 and 29 without informing us of the ingredients making up this oil, it now gives us the relevant details including the quantities to be used of each in the mixture. בשמים, “spices,” these are fragrances growing on trees, or roots, as we know from Song of Songs 4,16: הפיחי גני יזלו בשמיו, “that its perfume may spread throughout my garden.” סמים, by contrast, are a kind of resin, as opposed to roots, which drip from the trunks of the trees.

ואתה קח לך בשמים ראש מר דרור, “and you take for yourself choice spices, pure myrrh 500 shekel-weights.” In this paragraph G’d commanded how to prepare the anointing oil out of five different components. They were: myrrh, cinnamon, fragrant cane, cassia, and olive oil. Moses was commanded to use the mixture of these ingredients to anoint Aaron, his sons, the Tabernacle, and its furnishings. It was forbidden to reproduce this mixture for other purposes. They called this mixture קדש, “sacred.” This is the reason the Torah speaks of שמן משחת קדש, “oil of anointment of sacred things.” The various commentators and Maimonides are agreed that the spice called מר דרור is identical with Almoshk (congealed blood of a certain free roaming musk deer in India). Rabbi Saadyah Gaon also identified בשמים ראש as this musk. This is blood congealed near the throat of this free-roaming beast resembling a deer and in the summer when it is very hot and that beast walks amongst trees and its coat rubs involuntarily against the bark of the trees, some of this congealed blood leaves its body and is collected by people for the sake of its fragrance. People find it amongst the herbs. This is why in Song of Songs 5,1 Solomon describes G’d’s response to Israel as “I have already come to My garden, etc.” אריתי מורי, “I gathered My מור.” The reason the Torah describes it as דרור, “free,” is to indicate that it was to be pure and unadulterated. Nachmanides understands the word דרור as not referring to the spice called מר, but as describing the free uninhibited nature of the deer-like animal from which it is derived. Accordingly, the substance would have to be removed from the animal directly, while it is in its original undiluted form at a time when the animal continues to enjoy its unfettered lifestyle. If it were to be taken from the animal after same had been captured and domesticated, there would not only be very little of it available quantity-wise, but it also would already have lost its distinctive fragrance. All of the foregoing is based on the opinion of those experts who identify myrrh as an animalistic substance. [Continuation of Nachmanides:] I believe that this interpretation is completely untenable seeing that the Midrash Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1,13 (on the words צרור המור), has described the words in Song of Songs 5,1 which we quoted earlier as applying to our patriarch Avraham who was the ראש, the head, i.e. the first of all the righteous people. Just as myrrh was considered the head (best) of all the spices, so Avraham was the best of all the righteous people. [His deeds were as fragrant in the eyes of the Lord as is the perfume made of מור in the nostrils of people inhaling it. Just as myrrh does not exude its fragrance except when exposed to light, so did Avraham’s name as a person of religious integrity not become known until after he had been thrown into a furnace of white-hot fire. Just as anyone who collects myrrh with his hands experiences that the skin of his hands becomes rough and bitter, so Avraham subjected himself to a variety of self-flagellations. This Midrash is proof that מור and musk cannot be identical as musk exudes its fragrance also when there is no light. The author quotes Nachmanides as believing that the word מור refers to a herb called myrrh in Latin, and armanon (or similar) in Persian. Most languages know the herb producing this fragrance by the name myrrh. When the Midrash claimed that the hands of anyone collecting this herb become rough and bitter tasting, it referred to a taste similar to לענה, wormwood. When the authors of the Midrash described this spice as ראש כל מיני בשמים which we previously understood as “the best of the various kinds of spices,” a description hardly applicable to wormwood, the Midrash refers to the fact that it was listed as the first category of the ingredients of the anointing oil. It is not a description describing its quality as a fragrance. The word דרור, refers to the need for this מור to be pure, unadulterated, precisely because people use it in an adulterated form to counteract its negative qualities. The reason the Torah lists it first is because in the list of the ingredients for the incense offering which are enumerated later in this chapter it represents the most potent ingredient. It produced a copius cloud of incense. When we read about the preparation of the girls aspiring to become Ahasversus’ queen, we are told that they were first treated for 6 months with oil containing this myrrh. This shows how important an ingredient this spice was as a cosmetic treatment (compare Esther 2,12). Clearly the herb “myrrh” was one from which oil for perfume could be extracted also. According to Nachmanides this oil would be extracted from the bark of the myrrh plant. [According to the Encyclopedia Britannica myrrh is an agreeably aromatic but bitter-tasting resinous substance obtained from small thorny trees that belong to the genus Commiphora. The name is derived from the Arabic word for “bitter.” You will note that all the remarks made in the Midrash are reflected in that definition. Ed.]. So far Nachmanides. I do not believe that the case has been proven. It is entirely possible that when the Torah speaks of מור in our verse, the reference is to the substance mentioned by Maimonides and Rav Saadyah Gaon. At the same time, the expression צרור המור which we find in Song of Songs 1,13 may be the myrrh that Nachmanides is speaking about. Each one may be correctly described as ראש, “head” of all kinds of spices. The latter as the leading spice in preparing the incense, and making smoke rise, the former as the principal ingredient in preparing the oil of anointment effective also in the absence of light. Psalms 45,9 speaking of מור ואהלות קציעות כל בגדותיך, “all your robes fragrant with myrrh and aloes,” would indicate that the fragrance of מור does not necessarily depend on the presence of light. מחציתו חמשים ומאתים, “half its quantity, i.e. 250.” Who did not know that half of 500 is 250? Why did the Torah not merely say: “half the amount?” Our sages in Keritut 5 have had a tradition that the weight of the cinnamon was actually 500 just like the weight of the מור דרור. The Torah stipulated for reasons unknown to us that whereas the quantity of the former was mixed in all at once, the cinnamon was divided into two lots of 250 each and weighed separately each time before being mixed into the oil.

And you, take for yourself fine spices. Above in the portion of Tetzaveh, I wrote that anywhere something is attributed primarily and essentially to Moses, the phrase and you is used. In this manner, the phrase and you is also used for the anointing oil because it was made to anoint the Tabernacle and all its vessels, and Aaron and his sons, and all the High Priests and kings, as is mentioned in the tractate Horayot (11b). And they said there that the oil that Moses made lasts forever, as it says, This shall be sacred anointing oil for Me throughout your generations. All this alludes to what is said And he chose the first portion for himself (Deuteronomy 33:21), which is interpreted as referring to Moses, for he was the first and beginning of all prophets, priests, kings, and all forms of leadership — all were emanated from him. As our Sages said (Nedarim 38a), “The Holy One, blessed be He, only rests His Divine Presence on one who is strong, wise, wealthy, and humble, and all these qualities are derived from Moses.” That is to say, they all received their emanation from Moses. Therefore, they need to resemble him in his attributes, for he was “king in Jeshurun” and the head [rosh] of all spices, for to him belongs the right of firstness, and from him flows the lamp of prophecy and the lamp of leadership, as it says I will prepare a lamp for My anointed (Psalms 132:17). Therefore, the weight of the spices was 500 and half of it was 50 and 200, corresponding to twice the numerical value of “ner” (lamp, which equals 250), because with him were found first two burning lamps. And from him, every lamp is kindled, yet he is not diminished, for Moses’s face was like the sun that illuminates the earth and those who dwell on it, yet it is not diminished and its light is constant and never lacking. So the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “If you want this anointing oil to endure, then you yourself, not through a messenger, shall take it for yourself,” for this quality is given to you that anything given through you endures forever like the sun before Me, just as the Torah given through you is eternal like the light of the sun. But Joshua’s face was like the moon, as he caused Israel to inherit the land, and this gift is not eternal but like the moon, which sometimes waxes and sometimes wanes. And therefore it says, This shall be sacred anointing oil for Me throughout your generations.

מור דרור, “pure myrrh, etc.” according to Nachmanides all the scholars are agreed that the myrrh described here originates with a certain musk ox found in India, the animal is a variety of the family of deers. Near the neck of that animal a concentration of this musk is found, the reason it is accumulated there is the extremely hot climate in the regions where these animals abound. It oozes out of the pores of that animal. The meaning of the word דרור in our verse is that it is pure, not contaminated by other materials which would render it unfit for use as part of the spices prescribed by the Torah for the oil of anointing. Ibn Ezra disagrees with this explanation claiming that מור is not a spice even though it does exude a pleasant fragrance. Perhaps this is the reason why מור was mentioned separately from other spices listed. וקנמון בושם, “and fragrant cinnamon;” according to Rashi this was the bark of the cinnamon tree. Nachmanides, commenting on Maimonides, cites him as writing that the Torah refers to a tree that grows in India. [The fact is that there are conflicting statements as to what Maimonides thought, and his writings do not bear out what Nachmanides attributed to him. Ed.] Nachmanides himself holds that all the scholars up to then were wrong but that what is meant is what is described in Midrash Rabbah as a kind of grass which grows in the land of Israel, and which is known as something that sheep and deer feed on. I believe that it is the dried out version of that grass, known in Arabic as ad’brand, and in Latin as Ashkent, a potent fragrance. [in view of the obvious confusion and inability of our sages to agree on which of the fragrances can be matched to fragrances we are familiar with nowadays, I will not bother to translate the author’s comments on this subject any further. Ed.]

בשמים ראש, valuable fragrances, spices. We know this also from Song of Songs 4,14 עם כל ראשי בשמים. “with all the choice perfumes.” I believe that the word בשמים by itself refers to perfumes and fragrances derived from trees as we also know from Song of Songs 4,16 הפיחי גני ידלו בשמיו, “blow upon my garden that its perfume may spread.” בשמים ראש on the other hand, refers to the sap, or resin from such trees, or to other fragrant plants derived from the soil directly. מר דרוד, myrrh is globally considered as a valuable source of a fragrance, as is מר עובר, (Song of Songs 5,5) a spice well known and treasured by merchants throughout the world. ומחציתו, this has been explained in Rashi on Keritut 5

בשמים ראש, “chief spices;” seeing that previously the Torah had written: בשמים לשמן המשחה, “spices for the oil of anointing,” (Exodus 25,6) without specifying those spices, now both the spices and their respective amounts are being spelled out. The word ראש occurs here as number, i.e. “first in rank,” just as it does in verse 12, כי תשא את ראש בני ישראל, “when you count the number, i.e. sum total, of the Children of Israel,” or in ראש חודש, “first of the month.” Compare also Amos 6,6: וראשית שמנים ימשחו, “and anoint themselves with the choicest oils.” Compare also Song of Songs 4,14: עם כל ראשי בשמים, “with all the choicest spices.”

and cassia, five hundred in weight by the shekel of the sanctuary; and a full hin of olive oil.

וקדה AND OF CASSIA [FIVE HUNDRED SHEKEL] — קדה is the name of a root of a certain herb. In the language of our Sages it is called קציעה (cf. Onkelos). הין ONE HIN — twelve logs. The Sages in Israel are of different opinions as to the purpose of the oil. R. Meir said: in it the roots were boiled. Whereupon R. Jehuda said to him: Surely it (the quantity of oil) was not sufficient even to smear the roots with it, but they were steeped in water so that, being saturated with it, they should not absorb the oil; the oil was then poured upon them and they were left thus until it (the oil) absorbed their scent and then they skimmed the oil off the roots (Horayot 11b; Keritot 5a).

"And cassia" — from tradition we know that this is ketziah (cassia bark).

ושמן זית הין, there can be no doubt that the small quantity of oil mentioned here could not have been sufficient to anoint all the sacred vessels mentioned here including the Tabernacle itself. This could only have been achieved if merely a minute part of each vessel had to be covered with that oil, or, if the quantity of anointing oil mentioned here had been placed in a large container with water and had first been boiled in it, so that the thinned down version was used to accomplish what is described here as “anointing.” There is a disagreement of how precisely this was done in Horiyot 11.

and sweet calamus in weight two hundred and fifty minas and cassia in weight five hundred minas of shekels, in the shekel of the sanctuary, and olive oil a vase full, in weight twelve logas, a loga for each tribe of the twelve tribes.

You shall make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume blended by the craft of a perfumer — it shall be a holy anointing oil.

רקח מרקחת A COMPOUND COMPOUNDED — רקח is a noun and its accent proves it, for it is on the first syllable, on the ר, so that it is a noun just as are רֶקַח in (Song 8:2) “I would cause thee to drink of the mixed wine (מיין הרקח)” and רֶגַע in (Exodus 33:5) “one moment (רֶגַע אחד)”, and it is not a participle like (Isaiah 51:15) “[I am the Lord] who stireth up (רוֹגַע) the sea”, or (Isaiah 42:5) “Who spreadeth forth (רֹקַע) the earth”, where the accent is on the last syllable. Any thing (ingredient) which is mixed with another so thoroughly that one becomes impregnated with the other as regards the smell or the taste is called a מרקחת. Thus רקח מרקחת (lit., a mixing of a mixture) means a compounding effected by skilled art and perfect mixing. מעשה רקח THE WORK OF A COMPOUNDER — רֹקֵחַ is the name given to a workman skilled in this matter.

AND THOU SHALT MAKE IT A HOLY ANOINTING OIL, A PERFUME COMPOUNDED AFTER THE ART OF THE PERFUMER. In line with the simple meaning of Scripture, the preparation of the Oil of Anointment was in accordance with the view of Rabbi Yehudah, who said that they first soaked the spices in water in order that they would not absorb the oil which was poured upon them Now this soaking [of which Rabbi Yehuda speaks] was not mere soaking in water alone. Rather, they put ground spices in a vessel full of water and then they poured upon them a hin of olive oil. Then they placed this vessel upon another vessel full of water, and put it over a low flame with embers, and boiled it until the water [in the upper vessel] evaporated, and they retained the oil which was upon it. Such indeed is the way that perfumers make all aromatic oils. This is why Scripture shortened the explanation and commanded merely that they make this oil a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer, without explaining the process by which it is to be made, for the way of the perfumers was known among them. And so I found in Tractate Shekalim of the Yerushalmi: “Rabbi Yehudah says: They boiled [the spices] in water and put the oil on top of it; as soon as [the oil] retained the odor [of the spices] they would take off the oil, just as druggists do, for it is said, And thou shalt make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer.”

"And you shall make it, an apothecary's compound" — like "a burner of incense" (above, 30:1). The meaning of "sacred anointing oil" is what he refers to immediately afterward.

רוקח מרקחת, a mixture of spices of a mixture of same, i.e. the result of two mixtures, having been boiled in water after having been mixed thoroughly with the other listed ingredients.

מעשה רקח, “compounded by a perfumer;” a concoction recognisable immediately as being the work of an expert in his field, something impossible to have been manufactured by a layman.

רקח מרקחת, very intensely perfumed.

With it you shall anoint the Tent of Meeting and the Ark of the Testimony.

ומשחת בו AND THOU SHALT ANOINT WITH IT — All anointings mentioned in Scriptures were made in the form of a Greek X except the anointing of kings which were made round the head like a crown (wreath) (Keritot 5b).

"And you shall anoint the Tent of Meeting" — referring to the Tabernacle as a whole; and he specifies the most honored thing inside the Tent, which is the Ark.

And the table and all its vessels, and the menorah and its vessels, and the incense altar;

"And" — he mentions the Table first because it is the largest and has many utensils, and after it the Menorah, which likewise has many utensils.

and the burnt-offering altar and all its vessels, and the laver and its base.

"And the burnt-offering altar" — it too has many utensils.

You shall consecrate them so that they become most holy; whatever touches them shall become holy.

וקדשת אתם AND THOU SHALT SANCTIFY THEM — This anointing (mentioned v. 26) sanctifies them so that they become most holy. And in what consists their holiness? כל הנגע בהם וגו׳ that WHOSOEVER TOUCHETH THEM [SHALL BECOME HOLY]. — Whatever is proper for use in a particular sacred vessel becomes itself holy (more lit., becomes holy with bodily holiness) as soon as it comes into it, so that it becomes invalid as an offering under the following conditions: when after it had been placed in the vessel it had been taken (lit., had gone forth) outside the fore-court, or when it had been left the whole of the night without being placed on the altar, or when it has come into contact with a טבול יום (a person who had been unclean and has taken the ritual immersion but is awaiting sunset to be regarded as clean, as is prescribed in Leviticus 22:7). Moreover it cannot be redeemed by payment of its value to the Temple treasury, thereby to reassume its ordinary character. But whatever is not proper to them (to these vessels) they do not make holy (Zevachim 87a). A similar statement is made in an uncontroverted (Hebrew: perfect) Boraitha (Zevachim 83b) about the hallowing power of the altar: Since it is said, (Exodus 29:37) “Whatsoever toucheth the altar shall become holy”, I might infer that this applies to a thing whether it was fitting to be an offering at the time when it was brought into the Sanctuary or whether it was not fitting; Scripture therefore states immediately afterwards, (Exodus 29:38) “[Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar]; two lambs”. Now how is it in the case of the lambs? They are fitting for the altar! So, also, does the preceding statement, “Whatsoever [touches the altar shall become holy]”, refer only to anything that is fitting (i. e. that was already fitting to be brought upon the altar and became disqualified only after it had been brought into the forecourt of the Sanctuary). — In all cases where the term משח, “to anoint”, is used with reference to the Tabernacle or priests or kings it is rendered by the Targum by the appropriate form of the verb רבה, “to raise to high rank”, “to distinguish”, because the anointing of them had no other purpose than to show the distinction that was being bestowed upon them. For thus did the Heavenly King ordain (Rashi uses here the words of the text, (Esther 1:9) that this should constitute their installation in their high office. In any other case, however, where משח is used, — for instance, (Exodus 29:2) “wafers [unleavened] משוחים with oil”; (Amos 6:6) “and with the chief ointments ימשחו” — the Aramaic expression for them in the Targum is the same term as the Hebrew text, viz., a form of משח; (because in these passages anointing is an end in itself, whilst in the former case it is an indication only of elevation to a distinguished position).

"And you shall consecrate them" — with the anointing oil. The meaning of "all who touch them" — we derive this from: "If a man carries consecrated flesh" (Haggai 2:12): according to the plain sense it is taken as written, for if the consecrated flesh touches bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any food, it renders it sacred. So too with the burnt-offering altar, concerning which it is likewise written "it is most holy."

וקדשת אותם, “you shall sanctify them;” by means of anointing them with these fragrances. והיו קדש קדשים, “so that they will be most holy.” They will be just as holy as the furnishings inside the Sanctuary.” כל הנוגע בהם יקדש, “any fit person or object coming into direct contact with them will become ‘holy,’ (in the sense of out of bounds, no longer may be used for secular purposes.)”If such a person wished to touch these vessels, provided he was basically permitted to be in the compound where they stood, he would first have to sanctify himself by washing himself with the waters from the laver. We have a similar expression in Exodus 19,22: 'הכהנים הנגשים אל היתקדשו, “the priests who wished to come closer to Hashem shall first sanctify themselves.”

כל הגוגע בהם יקדש, he must first purify himself as otherwise he would not become consecrated by touching people or utensils who have been anointed with these oils.

And Aaron and his sons you shall anoint and consecrate to minister before Me.

"And his sons" — them alone, and no others.

And to the children of Israel you shall speak, saying: This shall be a holy anointing oil before Me throughout your generations.

לדרתיכם THROUGHOUT YOUR GENERATIONS — From here our Rabbis derived that it (the oil of anointment) was miraculously preserved in its entirety for the time to come (for the Messianic days) (Horayot 11b). זה has the numerical value of 12, alluding to the 12 “logs” which was the measure for the oil of anointment (Horayot 11b; cf. Rashi v. 24).

"This shall be sacred anointing oil for Me" — whatever is made according to this formula is for anointing the seed of Aaron.

יהיה זה לי לדורותיכם, this oil of holy anointing for Me will last throughout your generations.

יהיה זה לי, “this shall be for Me;” this is why I have said: ‘“he shall sanctify himself before coming into direct contact with it.”

שמן משחת קדש יהיה זה לי, “this shall remain for Me oil of sacred anointment.” Nachmanides explains that actually we would have expected the Torah to write יהיה לאהרן ולבניו, “it shall be for Aaron and his sons.” The reason that he Torah did not phrase it in this manner but wrote: “it will be for Me (G’d),” is to make plain that in future generations High Priests and furnishings of the Temple, etc., would also have to be consecrated by the same mixture. We might have misunderstood the words “anyone who compounds its like or uses it to anoint a non-priest shall be cut off from his people,” as applicable to anyone not directly descended from Aaron. Had this been the correct interpretation the question would be how any of the kings of Israel (Yehudah) who were not descended from Aaron but from David could have been crowned using this oil? This is why the Torah wrote: “it shall be for Me,” to teach that the title כהן could also be applied to kings approved by G’d. Both descendants of Aaron and kings descended from David are to be treated as “anointed by the Lord.” We have a specific verse in which G’d commanded the prophet Samuel to go to Chevron and there to anoint one of Yishai’s sons i.e. David, as king (compare Samuel I 16,12). We have a further reference to this event in Psalms 89,21: “I have found David, My servant; anointed him with My sacred oil.” David meant: “with oil which is sacred for Me.” Keeping this thought in mind, the Torah added in verse 32: “it shall not be smeared on human flesh.” The word אדם in this verse makes sense only if it means “a person who is neither a priest nor a king descended from David.” We need to understand why the Torah first wrote the paragraph about the anointing oil and only afterwards the paragraph about the components of the incense, [something that was offered on the altar twice every day. Ed.] The two different kinds of oil and incense respectively correspond to the “head and the foot.” The people who were smeared with the anointing oil were the heads of the nation, i.e. the spiritual head, the High Priest and the temporal head, the king. Heads wore crowns, i.e. the oil was smeared on in an arc describing the shape of the letter כ as symbolizing the shape of a crown. Oil is the choicest of all liquids. It was certainly appropriate to make the anointing fluid out of olive oil, appropriately aromated. We have pointed out earlier that the verse שאו ידיכם קדש describes hands raised above the head. The incense, which, as we also mentioned earlier, represents the attribute of Justice and the last letter ה in the tetragrammaton as the symbol of that attribute, is fittingly mentioned at the end of this legislation. You will note that in connection with the compounding of the oil of anointing G’d used the relatively harsh word וידבר when commencing His instructions to Moses. When He began the instructions about the incense and its components, etc., He began with the softer word ויאמר. This was probably in order to soften the impact of the fact that the קטורה appears usually in connection with G’d’s anger. The fact that it was used to assuage G’d’s anger, whether actual or potential, is reflected in the softer introduction with the word ויאמר. A Midrashic approach (Keritot 5b): On the words שמן משחת קדש יהיה זה לי Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Ila-ah taught that the anointing oil compounded by Moses was of very miraculous quality. From its beginning to its end it was totally miraculous. To start with, the quantity made was only 12 logim (about 3,3 liter). We know this as the Torah writes (verse 24) “1 hin of olive oil.” (1 hin equals 12 login). If you consider merely the fact that 100 beams of a surface of one and a half cubits by 10 cubits each ( a cubit is approx. 60 centimeters) had to be smeared with that oil, (assuming the oil was applied only to the outer side) how could 3,3, liters have been sufficient? Never mind that all the other furnishings as well as Aaron and his four sons had to be smeared with it. Consider also the fact that the oil would penetrate the wood and therefore not only the mere surface would be smeared with oil. The carpets were being smeared; the sons of Aaron and Aaron himself would be consecrated on seven consecutive days, i.e. seven times each! At the end of all this we have been told that there was enough oil left over for future applications as the Torah wrote: “it shall be” יהיה (future tense). The Talmud Keritut 5 claims that the word זה with its numerical value of 12 indicated that after completion of the anointments there would remain a quantity of 12 login of this oil! On the same folio the sages state that there were 11 ingredients making up the components of the incense. The word סמים (which appears twice) in verse 34 is understood as referring to two spices; the ingredients called נטף, שחלת, חלבנה, לבונה זכה make six. Add the five ingredients of the oil for anointing and you have a total of eleven. Alternatively, the second word סמים refers to a number of unnamed spices.

Upon the flesh of man it shall not be poured, nor shall you make anything like it in its likeness — it is holy; it shall be holy to you.

לא ייסך with two “yods” has the meaning “he shall not do something” (i. e. it is 3rd person masc. sing. Kal), similar to ייטב in (Deuteronomy 6:18) “that it may be well (ייטב) with thee”. על בשר אדם לא ייסך UPON MAN’S FLESH SHALL IT NOT BE POURED — anything from that selfsame oil (which Moses had prepared). ובמתכנתו לא תעשו כמהו AND ACCORDING TO ITS PROPORTION YE SHALL NOT MAKE ANY LIKE IT — In regard to the quantities of its spices ye shall not make any other oil like it — i. e. in regard to the weights of these spices in proportion to the measure of a hin of oil; but if one uses less or more of these spices in proportion to the measure of a hin of oil, it is permitted to do so. And even if it is made in the same proportions as this (the oil made by Moses) it is not the one who anoints himself with it that is punishable (for this applies only to one who anoints himself with the oil made by Moses) but he who compounds it (Keritot 5a). ובמתכנתו is a term denoting amount, as (Exodus 5:8) “the quantity (מתכנת) of bricks”. Similar is the word מתכנת used of the incense (v. 37).

"It shall not be poured" — R. Marinus says that yissakh is like yussakh, and similarly "and he was placed in the coffin" (Genesis 50:26) is like vayussam. The intent is: it was the custom of Israel, men and women alike, to anoint themselves with oil, as it is written: "you shall not anoint yourself with oil" (Deuteronomy 28:40); and to anoint oneself from this particular oil is forbidden even to a priest, and certainly to others, for the anointing oil is poured upon the head of the one being anointed. "According to its formula" — the spices mentioned above and in their exact weights.

קדש הוא, "it is holy." This refers to the quantity being sacred. Even if the oil would be compounded of materials not listed here, i.e. something altogether profane, a combination of components in the quantities mentioned here would make it "sacred" in the sense of "forbidden." Anyone concocting such a mixture would be as guilty as a layman offering a total offering or sin-offering on his own behalf. If all such a person wanted to do was to train himself in the art of making such compositions, or in order to donate it to the community, this is permissible as we learned in Keritut 5. The wording: "it is holy and it shall remain holy" may have yet another meaning. The words "it is sacred" refer to the oil for anointing made by Moses; it possessed an additional degree of holiness in that any private person using it to smear it on himself would be guilty of Karet. The Talmud understands the words "from it" in verse 33 as referring to the oil of anointing prepared by Moses. Any oil for anointing prepared by somebody other than Moses would not be forbidden on pain of this harsh penalty. The words "it will be holy," refer to such mixtures which would be prepared in the future. Unless such oil for anointing conformed to the exact measurements or weights as mentioned here, the user would not face any penalty. Had the Torah not written ממנו "from it," this would not have sufficed as I would have concluded that unless one smeared one's whole body with such oil one would not be guilty of the penalty threatened by the Torah. Our sages in Keritut 6 derive from the wording of this verse that the oil for anointing had to be prepared in a holy area. If they would be right, the Torah should have written such a provision where it formulated the commandment not where it only threatened the penalty. We may therefore conclude that the sages in the Talmud do not really mean that their ruling has Biblical force; they only looked for some hint in the written text to drive home their point. Presumably, they had a tradition concerning this requirement to prepare the oil for anointing on holy ground. Our explanation follows the plain meaning of the text.

לא ייסך, “it shall not be poured;” an unusual formulation, meaning the same as if it had been spelled לא יוסך. We encounter a similar pattern in Genesis 50,26 in connection with Joseph’s temporary burial in Egypt, where the Torah reports that his remains were preserved in a casket, by writing: ויישם בארון במצרים, “he was placed in a casket in Egypt,” instead of writing: ויושם.

ובמתכנתו, corresponding to the proportions of the various ingredients listed here.

Any man who compounds its like, or who gives of it to an outsider, shall be cut off from his people.

ואשר יתן ממנו WHOSOEVER PUTTETH ANY OF IT — of that made by Moses (Keritot 5a) על זר UPON A STRANGER — when it is not required for installing a person into the high-priesthood or kingdom (Keritot 5b).

OR WHOSOEVER PUTTETH ANY OF IT UPON A ZAR'… — “When it is not required [for anointing a person] into the [high-] priesthood or kingship.” This is Rashi’s language. But Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra retorted that zar in this connection means anyone who is not of the seed of Aaron and his sons mentioned, just like the verse, and the ‘zar’ that draweth nigh shall be put to death, which means any stranger not included in those mentioned. Similarly: There shall no ‘zar’ eat of the holy thing, [which means anyone not of the seed of Aaron]; to the end that no ‘zar’ that is not of the seed of Aaron, draw near… It is for this reason that [Ibn Ezra] thought that the anointing of Solomon which was done by Zadok [the priest] taking the horn of oil out of the Tent, — which refers to the Oil of Anointment [which Moses prepared] — was a special, temporary decree by authority of prophecy [permitting the oil to be used upon one who was not of the seed of Aaron]. But this is not the opinion of our Rabbis. And I say that [the opinion of our Rabbis is borne out by the language of the verse]. For Scripture states, This shall be a holy anointing oil unto Me throughout your generations, and it would have been correct if it were to say instead, “This shall be a holy anointing oil for Aaron and his sons throughout their generations,” just as He said in the case of the garments, And the holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him; or that He say, “And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto Me, and it shall be a statute forever to them throughout their generations.” But now that He mentioned only them, [And Aaron and his sons thou shalt anoint] and then continued by saying that it should not be put upon any zar, it could mean that [the prohibition extends] to all people [even High Priests after Aaron] except those mentioned specifically [i.e., Aaron and his sons] ! Similarly He said, Upon the flesh of man shall it not be poured, [which might be taken to mean upon anyone’s flesh — even that of the High Priests after Aaron], and yet Scripture explicitly states, And the anointed priest that shall be in his [Aaron’s] stead, from among his sons! But such is the explanation: He commanded that at the moment Aaron and his sons should be anointed with this oil, and then He continued, This shall be a holy anointing oil unto Me, — to anoint with it My holy anointed ones whom I will choose — throughout your generations, and it shall not be put upon a zar (stranger) whom I have not designated unto Me. It is for this reason that kings and High Priests were anointed with this oil, for both of them are “the anointed ones of G-d.” Thus it is written, I have found David My servant; with My holy oil have I anointed him — meaning, with the oil which is the holy anointing oil unto Me. And the meaning of the verse, Upon the flesh of man shall it not be poured, is as an admonition to all men [even to Aaron and his sons after they have been ano...

"A man" — the meaning of "whoever puts of it upon a stranger": the Gaon said this refers to one who is not of Aaron's family. He added that there was a tradition in Israel's hands that David and his descendants would be anointed with the anointing oil, but not other kings; and he needed to explain it this way because of Zadok, who took from the anointing oil that was in the Tent of Meeting and anointed Solomon with it. Yefet said that "stranger" means one who is not from among the children of Israel; but he did not speak correctly, for we have: "the stranger who approaches shall be put to death" (Numbers 3:10), and the explanation is "so that no stranger who is not of Aaron's seed shall approach" (ibid. 17:5). Others said it refers to the anointing oil that Moses made — but this too does not seem right to me, for it first says "this shall be sacred anointing oil for Me throughout your generations" (v. 31), and then: "whoever compounds anything like it," and "whoever puts of that which is like it upon a stranger" — there is thus no difference between the anointing oil Moses made and that made afterward in the same formula; and nothing beyond David's family is stated explicitly. In my view, all the commandments are true for the generations of Israel, just as one may not bring a burnt offering except in the chosen place, and yet Gideon, Samuel, and even Elijah on Mount Carmel brought burnt offerings — and I mention Gideon because he offered burnt offerings and was not a priest, and so too Samuel, for it would not help even if he was of the sons of Korah. All of these were temporary rulings (hora'at sha'ah). We can say the same of Solomon's case: that it was a temporary ruling through the hand of the prophet Nathan or Gad that he was anointed with the anointing oil.

אשר יתן ממנו על זר. “and he anoints an alien with this, etc.” according to Rashi the word זר here means anyone neither a priest nor Royalty (from the house of David) who would be in line for this oil of anointing. Ibn Ezra explains that seeing the Torah first mentioned Aaron and his sons as the ones to be anointed with this oil, and now the Torah writes that a זר must not be anointed with this oil on pain of the most severe penalty karet, it is clear that the word זר includes only non priests. Nachmanides writes that it certainly appears at first glance as if the word זר only applies to non-priests, i.e. anyone not descended from Aaron, so that even a King may not be anointed with this oil. However, we must examine the text more closely and try to understand the meaning of the words שמן משחת קודש יהיה זה לי, “oil of sacred anointment this shall be for Me.” If the word זר were to be used as narrowly as suggested by Ibn Ezra, the Torah, instead of writing יהיה זה לי “shall this be for Me,” should have written יהיה זה לאהרן ובניו לדורותם, “shall this be for Aaron and his offspring throughout their generations.” This would then be parallel to what the Torah wrote about the priestly garments and who were not allowed to wear them, (compare 29,29) We must therefore conclude that the correct interpretation about who may be anointed with this oil is that at this time Aaron and his sons are to be anointed with it. The reason that the Torah used the somewhat vague expression שמן משחת קודש is that the Torah, i.e. G’d, reserves the right at some time in the future when a titular political head will be appointed for the people as per the instructions of a prophet, authorized to sanction this in the name of G’d, the appointee will also be anointed with this oil as proof that the appointment had been sanctioned by G’d. The reason that the Torah does not prohibit with the words על בשר זר, “on the flesh of an alien,” is that even a priest who is not in need of this oil for ritual purposes must not be anointed with it.

ואשר יותן ממנו, from the oil of anointing prepared by Moses.

איש אשר ירקח כמוהו, “anyone who will compound like it, etc.” the same prohibition has been applied also to anyone compounding incense on the same basis, i.e. ingredients and quantities, as that used in the Tabernacle. Just as here on earth it would be considered as an insult to the reigning monarch if a subject would make use of his scepter in the way the king uses it, so it is forbidden to make use of something designed exclusively in our service of the Lord for a secular purpose. Our sages extended this prohibition to anyone building himself a house patterned on the measurements or materials of the Tabernacle or Temple. (Rosh Hashanah, folio 24) This is also why we do not make or use candlesticks with seven arms.

And Hashem said to Moses: Take for yourself spices — stacte, onycha, and galbanum — spices and pure frankincense; each shall be of equal weight.

נטף is balsam. Because it is merely the sap which drips from the wood of the balsam tree it is called נטף, “dripping” (Keritot 6a). In old French it is called gomme; English gum. The balm itself, however, is called thériaque (cf., however, Ramban). ושחלת AND ONYCHA This is a root of a fragrant herb, smooth and transparent like a fingernail, In the language of the Mishna it is called צפורן, a nail (cf. Keritot 6a). This is exactly how Onkelos renders it: וטופרא, which is the Aramaic word corresponding to the Hebrew צפורן. וחלבנה — This is a malodorous spice which is called galbanum. Scripture enumerates it among the spices of the incense to teach us that we should not regard as a light thing the duty of associating with ourselves when we band together for fasts and prayers Israelites who are transgressors — that they should be counted as ourselves (Keritot 6b). סמים means other SPICES also. ולבנה זכה AND PURE FRANKINCENSE — From here our Rabbis learned that eleven spices were mentioned to Moses on Sinai (a technical term, like הלכה למשה מסיני) as the ingredients of the incense. For the least number implied by the plural סמים is two; balsam, onycha and galbanum are three, making together five. The word סמים that follows (without stating any number) is intended to add a similar number as these already prescribed, viz., five, making ten, and frankincense makes eleven. They are the following: balm, onycha, galbanum, frankincense, myrrh, cassia, spikenard and saffron, altogether eight — for שבלת and נרד are one, it being given this compound name only because the nard resembles a שבלת, a spike, — costus, aromatic bark and cinnamon, altogether eleven. “Borith karshina” (lye obtained from a species of vetch) which is also mentioned in Keritotot 6a in connection with the ingredients of the incense was not burnt itself as incense, but the onycha was rubbed with it in order to whiten it — that it should be (look) better (Keritot 6a). בד בבד יהיה means, these four ingredients mentioned here shall be equal, weight for weight — as the weight of one so shall be the weight of another. Thus indeed we learn (Keritot 6a): the balm, the onycha, the galbanum and the frankincense shall each have the weight of seventy manehs. The term בד seems to me to mean “a single article” (cf. בָּדָד, לְבַד) – they shall be “one equal with one”: they shall be the one the same as the other.

TAKE UNTO THEE ‘SAMIM’ (AROMATICS), STACTE, AND ONYCHA, AND GALBANUM; ‘SAMIM’ (AROMATICS) WITH PURE FRANKINCENSE. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that by way of the plain meaning of Scripture the interpretation of the verse is: “take unto you the aromatics which are stacte, onycha and galbanum; these spices [you are to take], and pure frankincense with them.” But it is not correct that Scripture should just repeat the word samim [in such a short verse], for it is not the normal way of Scripture to repeat words unless there is some lengthy interpolation or in order to indicate that it is a continuing thing. The truth is as our Rabbis have said, that the second word samim refers to other aromatics. Now Rashi wrote: “‘Samim’ — the least number of aromatics implied by the plural form of this word is two. Stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, make together five. ‘Samim’ adds a similar number to those already prescribed, thus making ten. With frankincense, makes eleven [altogether].”But one wonders! Why did Scripture not mention them explicitly? Perhaps Scripture is saying: “Take unto thee aromatics, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, many aromatics with pure frankincense,” thus insisting only on these four spices, for they were the ones that caused the cloud of the smoke of the incense to ascend; but He commanded that they add to them many other aromatic spices in order that the pillars of smoke [of the incense] should be fragrant. This is why He did not explain [in the case of the incense] the weight of each component [as He did in the case of the Oil of Anointment], nor how much of it should be burnt [daily], since He insisted only that these four [spices mentioned] should be alike [in weight], and that he should add to them other good spices for the burning. The reason for this is that just as He had said with reference to the Oil of Anointment that they make it in accordance with the art of the perfumer, and did not specify how it was to be made but relied upon it [that they knew how to make it], so He said in respect of this incense that he take an equal weight of these four [mentioned] aromatics, and add to them other aromatics and make out of all the components one incense, done after the art of the perfumer, [which implies by] using spices known to blend well with these [four] and by preparing them through the process by which they are usually prepared. It is of this incense that he had to put before the Testimony, so that its pillar of smoke should go up, as was the custom to put spices on coals before kings. In the same way He shortened the account of how to make the incense, and did not mention it when He referred to all the other spices. In a similar vein the Rabbis have said in the Gemara: “Resh Lakish said: What is the meaning of the word k’toreth? It is something which circles and rises.” Thus the Torah only commanded in connection with the incense to use those spices the smoke of which circles and rises, in a way similar to the art of t...

"Take for yourself spices" — our Sages of blessed memory received the tradition that there are eleven kinds of spices. Scripture mentions the spices for the incense of spices without specifying them, and mentions "the spices" because it does not give their weights. The meaning of "spices" a second time: these spices, along with pure frankincense, are among them. "Alone by alone" — each one is compounded separately, and then they are blended together.

קח לך סמים, the ones already mentioned in connection with the oil of anointing in verse 23-24 plus the three mentioned in this verse, i.e. נטף, שחלה, חלבנה, and in addition to these some other spices known to act as improving the mixture of those already listed. According to our sages in Keritut 6 Shibbolet, Nerd, Karkom and Kosht were such spices which when blended in with the ones listed in the Torah already would provide the balance of fragrance the Torah wanted to achieve. [The problem facing commentators is the fact that even when we add all the spices or oils mentioned in this chapter together, even assuming that frankincense is one of them, we only arrive at a total of eight, whereas traditionally there were supposed to be 11 as we mention in our daily prayer of Pittum haketoret. Ed.] ולבונה זכה, this pure frankincense did not need to be mixed with any other ingredient to achieve the Torah’s purpose as part of the incense. This helps us arrive at the number 11 our sages state were contained in the mixture presented on the golden altar.

קח לך סמים, “take for yourself a variety of resins;” (alternate translation: sweet incense, presumably because how can one beat sticky resin?)” the latter varieties were not included in this list. [There are contradictory opinions regarding the list given here and that in verses 22-24, and their uses. Seeing we have no eyewitnesses of what was used when, I will not detail them except to point out that the group in verses 22-24 were described as בשמים, and the group mentioned here were all summed up under the heading סמים. Ed.] בד בבד, “each kind was to be of equal weight to its counterpart.” It would undergo individual treatment by the perfumer and afterwards they would be mixed together.

בד בבד יהיה, “they shall all have equal weight.” Here the Torah does not spell out the individual weight of each component as it had done in connection with the oil for anointing. The reason that only four ingredients have been clearly identified is that it was these which provided most of the smoke of the incense. It was important to the Torah that these ingredients would provide a cloud of smoke whereas it did not matter if the other ingredients also resulted in their smoke rising after they were being burned up. Nachmanides writes that the words קח לך סמים, “take spices for yourselves,” mean: “spices with which you are familiar because they have been mentioned previously,” i.e. the ones mentioned in verses 23-25. According to Nachmanides the words סמים and בשמים are used interchangeably as they mean the same thing. All the spices used in the mixture of the oil of anointing also formed part of the incense. According to this there would have been a total of eleven ingredients making up the composition of the incense: the ones (5+4) spelled out in the Torah plus two mentioned only as סמים when that word is used the second time in our verse. According to tradition these latter two were שבולת נרד and כרכם. The title the Torah accorded to the finished product of the incense is טהור קודש, “something pure and holy.” נטף ושחלת וחלבנה, “stacte, onycha and galbanum; נטף is the same as צרי, balsam, which Rashi translates as theriaque. Nachmanides disagrees and writes that it is a tree’s resin called gome. According to him it is a single kind of spice, supposedly similar to שחלת, חלבנה and לבונה, frankincense. The spice (mixture) called theriaque mentioned by Rashi is a mixture of a variety of spices. It includes honey, yeast, and the ashes of dead scorpions as well as the flesh of the hyena. It is quite inconceivable that such a mixture should have been included in incense which the Torah has described as טהור קודש, “something pure and holy.” How could the remains of reptiles or creeping animals which are the epitome of ritual impurity be part of such a mixture? Even honey and yeast (leavening) are matters which the Torah has expressly forbidden as being offered on the altar (compare Leviticus 2,11). To believe that they could be part of the incense is sheer nonsense! The resin called נטף (from “drippings”) which is from the balsam tree is a single ingredient of a specially aromatic quality. The tree is called קטף, as one plucks the leaves which are dripping with resin. All of this accounts for Rabbi Shimon ben Eleazar saying in Shabbat 25 that one must not light the Sabbath lamp with resin from the balsam tree as its fragrance is strong (and one may be tempted to use some of that oil for himself thus diminishing the supply for the lamp and causing it to be extinguished prematurely). The incense called חלבנה is foul-smelling (Keritut 6); nonetheless the Torah saw fit to include it in the list of spices for the incense. It suggests the lesson that on a fast-day, a day of supplication we must not congregate in prayer without also including people whose conduct stamped them as sinners. Our sages (in Keritut) have taught us that any congregation which does not include sinners is not really called a congregation. The meaning of this strange statement is that G’d’s “reputation” is enhanced at a time when sinners join the righteous in prayer indicating that they are becoming penitents. This also reflects positively on the righteous assembled in prayer. If there were no potential penitents in that congregation the “righteous” would share the fate of the sinners as they share responsibility for the conduct of all the Jews, not just for themselves. Every Jew has a responsibility to help the sinners return to the fold. This is the reason that the willow branch, a plant without fruit or pleasant fragrance, must make up one of the four species of plants over which we recite a benediction on Sukkot. The willow branch symbolises the Jew who neither observes the commandments regulating life between people (good deeds) nor the commandments regulating our relationship vis-a-vis G’d (performance of religious ritual) and His requirements of us directly.

Take for yourself spices, etc. The galbanum is counted among the incense ingredients to teach us to include the sinners of Israel in every fast (Keritot 6b). The reason for this is that if the sinners of Israel were not included in the fast, there is concern that the fast would not be a commandment but rather a transgression, and it would not be accepted favorably. For we find (Ta’anit 11a) that a Nazirite is called a sinner because he abstained from wine. But if there are sinners among us, then we need to fast on their behalf because all of Israel are guarantors for one another. This explains how we know that the inclusion of galbanum indicates the inclusion of sinners specifically in fasting, and why they counted them among the incense ingredients in particular. Because through fasting and repentance, deliberate sins are transformed into merits, as it is written for her iniquity is pardoned (Isaiah 40:2). Even the iniquity will be accepted favorably as a pleasant aroma. And our Sages said (Sanhedrin 37a) Your temples are like a split pomegranate — even the empty ones [rekim] among you are full of mitzvot like a pomegranate. This raises a difficulty: If they are full of mitzvot like a pomegranate, why call them empty? Rather, they must be speaking about repentance, because every empty deed of theirs, that is, the sin, from it they will be filled with mitzvot. For the deliberate sins and the emptiness become like merits, and even the sin will rise as a pleasant aroma like the mitzvot, similar to the galbanum which rises as a pleasant aroma like all the other ingredients. From here they learned to say that this matter alludes to fasting and repentance, and this is a precious interpretation.

קח לך סמים, ”Take yourself spices, etc.” Nachmanides writes that there are scholars who hold that the plain meaning of the line קח לך סמים וגו' is: “take yourself spices, namely נטף, שחלת, חלבנה,” whereas what follows are not spices but are varieties of frankincense, לבונה, such as pure frankincense mixed into the whole mixture. These scholars are not correct, as it is not the custom of the Torah to write the word סמים a second time just for reasons of style and syntax. The Torah does not use unnecessary repetition. Rashi explains that the very word סמים, seeing it is used in the plural mode, refers to a number of (2 seeing no number is specified) different spices, i.e. take a variety of spices, namely the ones named forthwith, i.e. a total of 5 varieties and an equal number, the ones used for the oil of anointing, plus the last named, i.e. לבונה, making a total of eleven spices which make up the offering of incense. If so we have reason to wonder why the Torah did not name all the varieties? Perhaps we have to conclude that the verse which commences with the words קח לך סמים נטף ושחלת וחלבנה, did not consider the unnamed additional varieties as so important, as long as they were pure, זכה. However, only the varieties named are so important that they each need to be part of the mix prescribed. The reason may have to do with the cloud of smoke generated when burning these varieties of spices. The unnamed varieties would contribute the sweet smelling fragrances, whereas the ones named would contribute what was visible to the eye as opposed to what could be inhaled. This may also be the reason why no quantities are mentioned in the Torah in connection with the incense. What interested the Torah was only that the proportions of the named spices be equal to one another. The addition of other spices was left vague, just as in the case of the olive oil in the oil of anointing no quantity was specified. The Torah relied on what had been written before, i.e. that the composition should follow certain ratios already outlined. The מעשה רוקח, “handiwork of the perfumers,” was a commonly known mix and the Torah merely writes that in the making of the incense the same basic procedures should be followed which are followed when preparing perfume. In due course, the completed incense was to be deposited in front of the Holy Ark in order that the fragrance would rise as they do when presented to kings of flesh and blood. Alternatively, we may infer that what was not spelled out here in writing had been communicated to Moses orally in which all the details about fragrances and incense were explained. It is also possible to explain that סמים and בשמים are different names for the ingredients and that the three ingredients that have been named in connection with the oil of anointing are not סמים, for נטף and חלבנה are actually a form of שרפים, resin from either the tree trunks or other plants. (Maimonides in hilchot kley hamikdash calls these עצי הקטף, derived from the wood of the balsam tree). The ingredient described as שחלת, may be a clove, possibly grown in the sea. The Torah would then have instructed Moses to take סמים which people were familiar with, i.e. the ones named, which would be added to the oil of anointing, seeing that the ingredients described as מור, דרור, קנמן were all part of the mixture which made up the incense, קטורת. The reason that the word סמים is repeated was to inform Moses that additional ingredients, all under the generic name of סמים would be part of the mixture. These additional סמים are then named, viz. שבולת, נרד, כרכום, קושט in accordance with what our sages have taught us in tractate Keritot 6. To this mixture frankincense, לבונה, was added. The whole would resemble the type of concoctions produced by the handiwork of the perfumers, מעשה מרקחת. נטף, “balsam, also known as צרי.” Rashi adds that צרי in French is equivalent to resin from trees. Nachmanides claims that this is wrong, and that someone misspelled what Rashi wrote, and that the French word attributed to Rashi erroneously, is actually a mixture of leaven and honey and a variety of dead insects, and the like, something that the Torah most certainly would not have instructed Moses to prepare as oil of anointing or incense, the offering G’d supposedly receives with maximum goodwill. He therefore concludes that צרי is another word for שרף the resin oozing out of trees when the trunk has been sawed off or branches have been broken off. This may be the reason our sages coined the phrase עצי הקטף, to describe the origin as being trees or wood which had been injured, cut off.

סמים; we explained this already earlier. (where?) סמים ולבונה זכה, according to the plain meaning, the Torah first describes the ingredients used for the incense in a general manner, before listing each individually. There follows a description of precisely what was included in the general term סמים. נטף ושחלה וחלבנה, stacte, onycha and galbanum, these are fragrant herbs which I commanded you to use. In addition, you are to take pure frankincense; According to the plain meaning of the text לבונה זכה is not to be counted as one of the spices, fragrances, listed, but the word סמים after the list נטף, שחלה, חלבנה concludes the list of the spices. It is the custom of the Torah to repeat something which had been used as a heading for an introduction when that particular part of the subject has been concluded. We find an example of this in Genesis 9,17 when G’d concluded a covenant with Noach involving the rainbow. He said זאת אות הברית, “this is the sign of the covenant,” both in 9,12, and again in 9,17.

בד בבד, “each is to have the same weight.” (customary translation) The Talmud, tractate k’ritut folio 5 understands this expression as based on the word בדד, “separate, isolated,” i.e. each individual unit of spice should have the same weight. The Talmud even discusses if when weighing it, it suffices to note that both scales of the scales are at the same level, or if the spice in question must actually tip the scale downwards a little. They also discuss if, as is customary, a stone or equivalent which had proved to be of the required weight can be used for weighing the next quantity of spice, or if each spice has to be weighed independently without any weights being used. According to Rashi in the Talmud there, weights must not be used instead, only spices must be placed on the scale. Our author does not understand why the use of weights should have been forbidden.

You shall make it into fragrant incense, a perfume blended by the craft of a perfumer, mixed, pure and holy.

ממלח TEMPERED TOGETHER — Understand this as the Targum renders it: מעורב, mixed — that they should thoroughly intermix the powder of the ingredients. I think that similar in meaning to it are the nouns in (Jona 1:5) “Then the mariners (המלחים) were afraid”; (Ezekiel 27:27) “thy mariners (מלחיך) and thy pilots”, who are so called because they turn over (stir up) the water with oars when they propel the ship — like a person who stirs up beaten eggs with a spoon in order to mix them with water. Anything that a person wishes to mix up thoroughly he stirs up with his finger or with a spoon. ממלח טהור קדש TEMPERED TOGETHER, PURE AND HOLY — i. e. tempered together shall it (the compound) be, pure shall it be, and holy shall it be.

MEMULACH’ (SEASONED WITH SALT), PURE AND HOLY. This means that it be seasoned with salt of Sodom, just as the Rabbis have said: “Of salt of Sodom, the fourth part of a kab.” Onkelos translated [memulach as] m’areiv (mixed together). By this he intended to say that memulach means “rubbed out” — that the ingredients should all be so well-ground and mixed so thoroughly together, that their identity is “rubbed out” and none of the [individual] ingredients can be recognized. This is of the expression: For the heavens ‘nimlochu’ (shall vanish away) like smoke. Similarly: ‘u’vloyei m’lachim’ (and worn rags); A fruitful land ‘limleichah’ (into a salt waste). These are all expressions of destruction and annihilation. And Rashi explained that the term memluach means that it be thoroughly mixed together in the grinding of the ingredients one with another. To this interpretation Rashi brought proof from the verse similar in meaning: ‘malachayich’ (thy mariners) and thy pilots, who are so called “because they turn over the water with the oars when they propel the ship, like a person who stirs up beaten eggs with a spoon in order to mix them thoroughly.”In my opinion mariners are called malachim [of the root melach — salt] because they know the “taste” of the sea, as if they could feel if it is “salty” or “sweet;” that is to say, they know when it will be sweet and pleasant for those travelling by sea, and when it will be bad and bitter for them. It is not those who hold the oars [propelling the ship] who are called malachim [as Rashi said], for it is written on Tyre, The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were thy ‘shotim’ (rowers); The elders of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers; all the ships of the sea ‘u’malacheyhem’ (and their mariners) were in thee. For it is the older captains who know the sea that are called malachim. And it is further written, And all that handle the oar, ‘malachim’ (the mariners), and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships, they shall stand upon the land. Thus three categories are mentioned: those that handle the oar, the mariners, and the pilots [which proves that malachim — the mariners — are not those that handle the oar].Similarly, a fruitful land ‘limleichah’ means “to a salt land,” for in a salt land nothing will grow, just as is written of Sodom, The whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and a burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, and it is further written, and he sowed it with salt. It is possible that the letter lamed is redundant in the verse, for the heavens ‘nimlochu’ like smoke, the intent thereof being as in the word nimchu (erased), which would make it similar to these cases: ba’l'umim; wholly ‘shalanan’ (at ease) and quiet.

"And you shall make it, salted" — the meaning of "salted" is Sodom salt. Some say it means very finely ground, or that it derives from "a salt land" (Jeremiah 17:6).

רקח, each of whom would collect different spices and after mixing them all they would become מעשה רוקח, crushed, mixed, etc., a druggist’s handiwork. These various spices did not undergo uniform treatment at the hands of the spicer, druggist.. ממולח, thoroughly mixed, none of its ingredients remaining identifiable as separate substances. טהור. refined to such a degree that it did not contain any foreign substances. The reason why this was of the essence was the fact that the burning up of the incense consisted of burning up the actual spices, derivatives or auxiliaries not being a part of that sacrifice at all. However, with the oil of anointing these extreme precautions did not apply seeing that it was in the nature of the ingredients that auxiliary components were not mixed with it or attached to it before the oil became refined.

ממלח טהור קדוש. Salted, pure, holy. It appears that the meaning of "pure" refers to colours. The incense was to be of a uniform colour throughout. Seeing that it consisted of many different spices and a quantity sufficient for 368 portions of it was prepared at one time, it would most likely have had a mottled appearance unless the Torah had directed that it should be mixed in such a way that its spices would merge into a single uniform colour. Even though it possessed a uniform colour after having been thoroughly mixed, if someone examined it carefully he would notice that the uniformity was not due to all of its components being of the same colour. Such uniformity would not qualify for the definition "pure." The words: "salted, pure" mean therefore that it was to be so finely ground that even upon visual examination from close quarters its colour would appear to be uniform. This required expertise on the part of the people who pounded it into small particles.

ממולח, “seasoned with salt;” compare Ezekiel 16,4: והמלח לא הומלחת, “and you had not been rubbed with salt.” Compare also Ezra 4,14: די מלח היכלא מלחנא, “seeing that we have eaten from the salt of the palace, etc.” [i.e. the king has fed us generously. Ed.]

ממולח, “salted.” This is what our sages referred to when they said (Keritut 6) that a quarter measure of salt from the Dead Sea was added to the mixture. It is also possible to understand the word ממולח as meaning “thoroughly mixed,” as Onkelos translates it. The purpose was to make it impossible to recognise any one of these spices separately. This may be the reason that sailors are called מלחים, as they thoroughly mix up the waters of the sea with their oars. The word occurs in such a context in Ezekiel 27,27 מלחיך וחובליך, “your sailors and your pilots.”

ממולח, “thoroughly mixed;” Rashi understands the word ממולח, as thoroughly mixed, whereas Nachmanides sees in the word its original meaning, i.e. “salted,” and the Torah would instruct that just as meat offerings have to be salted so even the incense has to be salted. This is why the Talmud referred to the quarter kav of salt from the Dead Sea, which was part of the mixture.

ממולח, thoroughly mixed. The word may reflect the word מלחים, sailors, oarsmen, as these mix and stir the waters which they row.

You shall grind some of it finely and place some of it before the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting where My Word has appointed to meet with you there; it shall be most holy to you.

ונתת ממנה וגו׳ AND THOU SHALT PUT OF IT [BEFORE THE TESTIMONY IN THE APPOINTED TENT] — This refers to the incense which was burnt daily on the inner altar that was in the tent of meeting. אשר אועד לך שמה WHERE I WILL BE MET BY THEE — All appointments for the purpose of speaking unto you which I shall make with you I shall confine to that place (cf. Rashi on Exodus 25:22).

AND THOU SHALT PUT OF IT BEFORE THE TESTIMONY IN THE TENT OF MEETING, WHERE I WILL MEET WITH THEE. We may possibly explain that Scripture mentions here all the [various] regulations concerning the burning of the incense. It thus states that he should burn of it before the Testimony in the Holy of Holies, which refers to the incense burnt on the Day of Atonement, and that he should also burn of it in the Tent of Meeting, [referring to that burnt] every day. The phrase, where I will meet with thee refers back to [before] the Testimony [from where He spoke to Moses]. It is possible that He refers to the putting of the incense on the inner altar which is set before the ark of the Testimony, as He says in the section of Vayakheil.

"Of it you shall grind fine" — as fine as possible; this is the perpetual incense for the golden altar.

ושחקת ממנו הדק, “you shall beat some of it into powder;” this was necessary in order to fulfill what is written about the incense offering on the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16,12: קטורת סמים דקה, “incense consisting of sweet incense beaten small;”

ונתתה ממנה לפני העדות באהל מועד אשר אועד לך שמה, “you are to place some of it in front of the Testimonial Tablets in the Tent of Meeting, where I shall designate a time to meet you.” The Torah emphasises that this offering is to be presented twice daily, on the golden altar, inside the Sanctuary, quite close to the Holy Ark. Nachmanides writes that it is quite possible that the reason why the Holy Ark is mentioned here is that the Torah wanted to include every aspect of the offering called קטורת, and that it is so holy that on the Day of Atonement it was even taken into the Holy of Holies, the room reserved for the Holy Ark from whose lid the voice of the Shechinah would emanate whenever it addressed Moses. The words אשר אועד לך שמה, are referring to the presentation of the incense in the Holy of Holies, as distinct from the rest of the year when it is presented in the Sanctuary, the היכל.

And the fragrant incense that you shall make — in its formulation you shall not make it for yourselves; it shall be holy to you before Hashem.

במתכנתה means, according to the quantity of spices used by Moses. ‘קדש תהיה לך לה IT SHALL BE UNTO THEE HOLINESS FOR THE LORD — This means that you must not make it except in honour of My Name.

"And the incense that you shall make" — a reference to Moses. "You shall not make" — is addressed to the people of Israel. "It shall be sacred to you" — to the priest, or to all Israel, as in: "Remember the days of old, consider" (Deuteronomy 32:7).

והקטרת אשר תעשה, "And the incense which you are to make, etc." According to Keritut 6 the words: "you shall make," mean that Moses was to separate an amount needed for the daily incense offerings from the total on the day it would be used. This means that if an individual would compound an amount of incense of even half the daily portion offered on the altar, [the daily portion was divided into a half to be offered in the morning and the other half to be offered close to evening. Ed.] such an individual would be guilty of the most severe karet penalty; he would be cut off from his people (for all times). לא תעשו, "you must not make it, etc." This means that even if the person making it had no intention of smelling the incense he had made he would still be guilty of a penalty though not the same penalty as if he had smelled the fragrance of the incense he had compounded. We derive this conclusion from the fact that the Karet penalty is mentioned in our portion only in verse 38 where the Torah speaks of someone smelling the incense.

'ושחקת ממנה וגו, the reason some had to be rubbed into fine particles was that on Yom Kippur the incense was to be of fine particles as we know from Leviticus 16,12 קטורת סמים דקה.

Any man who makes the like of it, to smell it, shall be cut off from his people.

להריח בה [WHOSOEVER SHALL MAKE LIKE UNTO THAT] TO SMELL THERETO [SHALL BE CUT OFF] — but you may make some according to these quantities of your own spices for the purpose of selling it to the community (cf. Keritot 5a).

"A man" — Scripture first states the prohibition, and then mentions the penalty, as is the proper form.