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Ketoret

Ashkenaz · Weekday · Shacharit · Preparatory Prayers · Korbanot · Ketoret

Nusach
Ashkenaz
Edition
Translation based on the Metsudah linear siddur, by Avrohom Davis, 1981

Ketoret

You are Adonoy, our God, before Whom our fathers burned the incense of spices when the Holy Temple was standing, as You commanded them by the hand of Moses Your prophet, as it is written in Your Torah:

(Exodus 30:34-36) And Adonoy said to Moses, Take for yourself spices— stacte, onycha, and galbanum— spices, and pure frankincense, [they] shall be in equal weights. You will make it into incense, a compound mixed by a compounder, salted, undefiled, and holy. You will pulverize some of it very fine, and place it before the [Ark of] Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you; it will be to you holy of holies.” It is also written:

Galbanum has an offensive odor. The Torah includes it among the other spices to teach us to include even Jewish sinners among the rest of Jewry at our assemblies of fasting and prayers.—Rashi

The Hebrew word, memulach is rendered by Onkelos as mixed, to indicate that the spices should be well mixed together.—Rashi

This incense was offered each day upon the Innermost Altar which is inside the Tent of Meeting.—Rashi

(Exodus 30:7-8) And Aaron shall burn incense of spices upon it [the Altar] every morning; when he cleans the lamps he will burn it. And when Aaron lights the lamps in the afternoon, he will burn it; a constant incense-offering before Adonoy throughout your generations.

(Maseches Kreisos 6a; Jerusalem Talmud, Maseches Yoma 4:5) The Rabbis taught: How was the incense compounded? Three hundred and sixty-eight manim were comprised therein, three hundred and sixty-five corresponding to the number of days in the solar year, one maneh for each day— half in the morning and half in the afternoon. From the three remaining manim the Kohein Gadol brought two handfuls [into the Holy of Holies] on Yom Kippur; [for which purpose] they were put back into the mortar on the eve of Yom Kippur, and ground [again] very thoroughly, in order to make them very fine. Eleven kinds of spices were used for it. They were: 1) balm, 2) onycha, 3) galbanum, 4) frankincense— by weight, seventy maneh of each; 5) myrrh, 6) cassia, 7) spikenard and 8) saffron— in weight sixteen maneh of each; 9) twelve maneh of costus, 10) three of aromatic bark, and 11) nine of cinnamon. [Also used in the incense compound were:] Nine kabin of Carshina lye, Cyprus wine [measuring] three s’in and three kabin— if he had no Cyprus wine, he could use strong white wine— a fourth of a kab of Sodom salt, and a minute quantity of maaleh ashan. Rabbi Nosson of Babylonia says, Jordan amber was added of a minute quantity, and if one added honey, it (the incense) became unfit; and if one omitted any of its spices he was liable to the death penalty.”

A maneh is a weight; plural, manim.

A kab is a sixth of a se’ah.

This herb causes the smoke of the burning incense to ascend in a straight line.

Included are various sweeteners such as dates and other fruits.

The same is true if one were to add to the prescribed number of eleven spices.—Etz Yosef

The death penalty was given only if the Kohein Gadol actually entered the Holy of Holies with incense which was unfit. This was considered as an unwarranted entry into the Holy of Holies which carried the death decree.—Rashi

Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel says: “The balm is nothing but sap which drips from the balsam tree. Why was the Carshina lye used? To refine the onycha in order to make it pleasant. Why was Cyprus wine used? The onycha was soaked in it to give it a pungent odor. Though the water of Raglayim was well suited for that purpose, they did not bring the water of Raglayim into the Temple because it would be disrespectful.

10 This water came from a well named Raglayim.—Kol Bo

Since Mei Raglayim (lit., water from the feet) is a euphemism for urine, it would have been disrespectful to use this water in the Temple. Others hold that the term “waters of Raglayim” actually refers to urine, which could have been used as a soaking agent were it not indecent to bring it into a sacred place.—Kol Bo

It was taught in a Boraysa: Rabbi Nosson says, While [the Kohein] ground [the incense] he would say, ‘Hodeik heiteiv, heiteiv hodeik,’ because the sound is good for the spices. If half the quantity of incense was prepared, it was acceptable; but we have not heard if only a third or a fourth [of it was prepared] [whether it was acceptable].”

Some suggest that the sound of these specific words affects the spices.

184 manim instead of 368.

I.e., we did not hear our teachers expound this question.

It was taught in a Boraysa: Bar Kappara says, Once in sixty or seventy years the accumulated surplus was sufficient to provide half [the yearly quantity of incense.”] Bar Kappara also taught, If he would have put into it a minute quantity of honey, no one could have withstood [resisted] the scent. Why was no honey mixed with it? Because the Torah says, (Leviticus 2:11) For any leaven or honey, do not burn from them, [as] a fire-offering to Adonoy.

The exact number of years varied with the size of the hands of the High Priests over the years, for the surplus was what remained of these three manim from which he took two handfuls each Yom Kippur.

Recite each of these verses three times: Adonoy of Hosts is with us, a stronghold for us is the God of Jacob, Selah! Adonoy of Hosts, fortunate is the man who trusts in You. Adonoy, deliver [us]! The King will answer us on the day we call.

You are my shelter; from distress You preserve me; with glad song of rescue, You envelop me, Selah! Let Adonoy be pleased with the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem, as in the days of old and in earlier years.

Where it comes in the siddur

Texts and sources

Every prayer text in Amidora comes from openly licensed editions published on Sefaria. Only editions released under CC-BY, CC0 or the public domain are included.