Purpose and Placement of the Incense Altar/2

The Incense Altar – Placement and Purpose

Exegetical Approaches

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Exalted Status

The incense altar is mentioned at the end of the discussion of the Mishkan and its vessels to highlight its exalted status, being second only to the Ark in importance.

Sources:R. Avraham SabaTzeror HaMor Shemot 30:1About R. Avraham Saba (Tzeror HaMor)¹

First and last – R. Saba asserts that the discussion of the Mishkan is framed by its two most important vessels. It begins with the Ark and closes with the Incense Altar.

Function of the Incense Altar – The incense played an important role in attaining atonement and abating the wrath of Hashem.  As evidence, R. Saba points to the incense brought by Aharon to stop the plague in the aftermath of Korach's rebellion (Bemidbar 17:9-13). He further suggests that the statement "וְכִפֶּר אַהֲרֹן עַל קַרְנֹתָיו אַחַת בַּשָּׁנָה מִדַּם חַטַּאת הַכִּפֻּרִים" proves that the atonement of Yom HaKippurim was dependent upon it.²

Purpose of the Tabernacle – According to R. Saba, the Tabernacle as a whole was built to atone for the Sin of the Golden Calf.³  As such, the Incense Altar, with its similar atoning function, is its second most central vessel.

Meaning of קטורת – R. Saba suggests that the root "קטר" means to tie, as it does in Aramaic. In its atoning role, the altar serves to tie together all the aspects of the Tabernacle.  It further connect and joins the nation to Hashem as they are forgiven.

Location in the sanctuary – The altar's placement in the Ohel Moed, facing the Ark, highlights their similar status.

Morning and evening – R. Saba suggests that the incense was burned in both the morning and evening to ensure that that throughout the day the incense could counter any potential wrath of Hashem.

Comparison to the Copper Altar – As the sacrifices on the Copper Altar similarly serve an atoning function, one might question why the Incense Altar is considered so much more important.  R. Saba might respond that sacrificial offerings of the Copper Altar are never seen to actively stop plague in the manner of the incense.⁴

Punishment of "כרת" – The special status and unique atoning capabilities of the incense might explain why anyone who makes the incense for their own pleasure is punished severely.

Distinct Function

The Incense Altar is discussed separately from the other vessels because it played a significantly different role than them. This position divides in its evaluation of that role:

Technical Role

The Incense Altar played only a technical role in the Mishkan, and had a much lower status than the other vessels in the Sanctuary.

Sources:Moreh Nevukhim3 45About Moreh Nevukhim, R. Meir Simcha of DvinskMeshekh Chokhmah Shemot 30:1About R. Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (Meshekh Chokhmah)

Last is least – This approach assumes that the vessels are listed in order of their significance. Thus, if an object found at the end of the list, this implies that it is less important.

Function of the Incense Altar – These sources disagree regarding the altar's function:

• Deodorizer – Rambam asserts that the Incense Altar functioned as a deodorizer for the Mishkan.  The odors of the animal slaughter and blood would have been overwhelming if they were not countered by the fragrance of the incense.⁵  He adds that it was necessary to ensure that there was a pleasant fragrance for, otherwise, the people would not properly honor the Mikdash.
• Container and platform – The Meshekh Chokhmah points out that the incense is burned even without an altar,⁶ which teaches that the Golden Altar, as opposed to the other vessels, is not in itself significant.  It is simply a convenient way to burn the incense.⁷

Context – Discussion of the Incense Altar is followed by a description of the water basin (כיור), also a secondary vessel which played no role in any cultic rite, and only served to clean and prepare the priests for service.  This context, thus, supports this approach's position that the Incense Altar also played merely a technical role.

Morning and evening – The incense was burned both in the morning and evening, around the time of the daily sacrificial offerings whose scent it was meant to counter.⁸

Placement of the Altar in the Tabernacle – One might question, if the incense was meant to clear the air from the burning flesh, why was it placed inside the sanctuary rather than outside, near the Copper Altar where the animals were being sacrificed?  Rambam might respond that it is specifically in the enclosed space of the Tabernacle that the odor would have been overwhelming. The altar was, thus, placed inside, but close to the outside curtain so as to most effectively accomplish its its goal.

Golden materials – If the altar was simply a deodorizer, it is not clear why it needed to be made of the most precious of metals, gold.  Rambam could reply that everything in the Tabernacle, regardless of their function, needed to be made of the highest quality materials both to honor God and to ensure that the people felt that the Tabernacle was worthy of glory.⁹

Can laws be utilitarian in nature? One might question whether it is possible that laws might be ordained for purely practical purposes, with no spiritual benefit. Rambam, though, is consistent in reading various laws as being utilitarian in nature. See, for example, his understanding of the laws of Shemittah and Kashrut.

Incense on Yom HaKippurim – The Yom HaKippurim service, which mandates that the high priest light incense and bring it to the Holy of Holies, is difficult for Rambam, as it is hard to say that this, too, was necessary merely to freshen the air.^.10 Moreover, the rite suggests that the incense burning was not considered a lowly ritual, but one of the most exalted of offerings.¹¹

Incense in the story of Korach – One might further question this position's view of the incense from the story of Korach's rebellion.  If the incense played such an insignificant role in the Tabernacle, why was it chosen to test who merited the priestly position?

Punishment of "כרת" – R. BachyaShemot 30:1About R. Bachya b. Asher further questions, if the incense was commanded for such a mundane reason, why is the death penalty is given to any who makes it on his own?

Complementary Role

The Incense Altar played an important role which was distinct from, but complemented the other service in the Mishkan.

Sources:RambanShemot 30:1About R. Moshe b. Nachman, SefornoShemot 30:1About R. Ovadyah Seforno, Vilna GaonShemot 30:1About R. Eliyahu of Vilna, modern scholars

Purpose of the Mishkan – According to these sources, the main function of the Mishkan, its vessels, and service was to invite and house Hashem's presence.¹² Seforno suggests that the Ark, from which Hashem spoke to Moshe, served as Hashem's throne, while the outer sanctuary with the Table and Menorah were like a living room.¹³ The sacrificial service on the Copper Altar is man's active attempt to draw God's presence down into the Mishkan.  Thus, each vessel, with the notable exception of the Incense Altar, serves a key role in transforming the Mishkan into Hashem's home.¹⁴

Function of the Incense Altar – These sources differ in how they view the purpose of the incense and its altar:

• Honor - Seforno¹⁵ suggest that the incense is brought not to invite Hashem's glory, but rather to honor it once it has already arrived.¹⁶
• Atonement - Ramban and the Gr"A, instead, suggests that the Incense Altar plays an atoning role.¹⁷ This was not necessary to usher in the Divine Presence, but perhaps helped to ensure that it did not depart..
• Screen - R"M Leibtag, R"E Samet and R"Y Grossman all suggest that, in contrast to the other vessels which were meant to invite the Divine presence, the cloud of incense was meant to screen the revelation.¹⁸  The Mishkan created a paradox.  Man, craving closeness, invites Hashem to dwell, but Hashem's Holy presence means that man must keep a distance.  Thus, the cloud of incense served to create a barrier to protect the people and enable the encounter.¹⁹

"וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" – Chapters 25-29 are sandwiched by the two statements "וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם" and "וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל", suggesting that everything that was commanded in between was intended to accomplish this goal of creating a dwelling place.  The fact that the command regarding the Incense Altar comes only after this inclusio, supports this position's understanding that it, in contrast, was not meant to invite or house the Divine presence.

Context – The discussion of the altar is found together with a discussion of other aspects of the Mishkan, like the basin, half shekel coins, and anointing oil which similarly play no role in inviting the Divine presence.

Location in the sanctuary – R. Samet suggests that the verse emphasizes that the altar faced the Ark "were I will meet with you" to highlight that the incense was meant to screen that revelation. It is also possible that its position in the outer sanctum was meant to show that, despite its distinct function, it was of equal importance to the adjacent Menorah and Table.

Morning and Evening – Seforno suggests that the incense is brought specifically when the daily sacrifices are offered, so that when Hashem descends to accept them, the nation can greet Him with honor, ensuring that the offerings are accepted with favor. The modern scholars might similarly explain that each day, right as the sacrifices are to usher in Hashem's presence,  a screen is needed to protect the people.

Change in Plan

The unique placement of the command regarding the incense indicates that it was not part of the original plans for the Mishkan, but introduced only after the Sin of the Golden Calf.

Sources:M. Speigelman²⁰

Function of the Incense – According to this approach, the incense played a protective role. The incense cloud creates a barrier between man and God, which both ensures that man does not come too close to His presence²¹ and also helps protect him from Hashem's wrath.²²

When was the Mishkan commanded? This position assumes that the Mishkan was commanded before the Sin of the Golden Calf but that certain changes were introduced in its aftermath.²³

What changed?

• Need for increased barriers - M. Speigelman suggests that until the sin, an incense cloud was only necessary if one was to enter the Holy of Holies, where God's presence was predominantly found.  For this, a censer would have sufficed. However, after the sin, Aharon proved himself unworthy of entering even the outer sanctuary without further barriers.  As such a daily incense, replete with an altar, was introduced.
• Yom HaKippurim instituted – Alternatively, the altar was mandated only with the  the institution of Yom HaKiippurim, itself an innovation introduced in the aftermath of the sin.²⁴ The day was instituted both in commemoration of Moshe's gaining  atonement for the people,²⁵ and as an annual means of atoning for future sins. The dual screening and protective function of the incense played a central role in the service of the day, mandating the altar's construction. Afterwards, this became part of the Mishkan's daily service as well.

Why is the command mentioned before the sin? Despite the command being introduced only after the sin,²⁶ it is placed here for thematic reasons, to complete the unit of the Mishkan and its vessels.  Nonetheless, it appears only after the unit's concluding verses to highlight hat it was not part of the original command.

Context –

R"M Speigelman suggests that the half shekel coins discussed right after the incense altar were similarly instituted only after the sin.²⁷ Since the nation had donated so eagerly to make the calf, Hashem mandates that they now donate to the Mishkan as atonement,²⁸ as the verse itself says, "‎לְכַפֵּר עַל נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם".‎²⁹

Paired with Olah Altar

As the Incense Altar is intrinsically connected to the Copper Altar and the daily Olah sacrifice, it follows the description of the offering.

Sources:Ibn EzraShemot Second Commentary 25:22Shemot Second Commentary 27:8About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, Y. Rock

Function of the Incense Altar – Y. Rock suggests that the Incense Altar is supposed to serve as a representation of the Copper Alter inside the sanctuary.  He suggests that the proper place for the Copper Altar would have been inside with the rest of the vessels, as it, too, is meant to invite the Divine Presence though the sacrificial service. Yet, since this service needed to be open to the nation, and one cannot approach the Divine presence without being hurt, it had to take place outside, at a distance from Hashem's dwelling. The solution was to make a model of the Copper Altar inside, in the form of the Golden Altar.³⁰  As the sacrifices were accepted outside, Hashem's presence descended inside.³¹

"מִזְבֵּחַ מִקְטַר קְטֹרֶת" – The Radbaz questions why the Incense Altar is referred to as an altar if nothing is sacrificed upon it; it could have been simply called a "מִקְטַר". R. Rock suggests that it is so called to recall the Bronze Altar, which it is meant to symbolize.

Morning and evening

Golden material – If the altar was meant to mirror the Copper Altar, one might have thought that it, too, be made of copper.  This position might respond that all vessels found in the Sanctuary itself needed to be made of gold so as to honor Hashem and the Tabernacle.

Location in the  sanctuary – The Incense Altar was placed directly across form teh Ark,, because together they represented the Divine presence in the Mishkan.

"לֹא תַעֲלוּ עָלָיו קְטֹרֶת זָרָה וְעֹלָה וּמִנְחָה" – Ibn Ezra similalry suggests thatthe Incense altar needed to followthe ocmmand regarding teh Olah, but for muchmore technical reasons. He claims that since Hashem wanted to warn that one not sacrifice an olah offering on the Incense Altar, the command could not appear until after discussing the daily Olah Offering (Shemot 29:38-46).³² 

¹ See also TanchumaTetzaveh 15About the Tanchuma and Ibn Ezra Shemot First Commentary 30:10About R. Avraham ibn Ezrawho similarly point to the beloved and exalted nature of the Incense Altar and offering, but they do not use this to explain the placement of the command.

² The Golden Altar is the only vessel besides the kaporet (the cover of the ark) on which blood is sprinkled, suggesting that it played a unique role in the atonement of Yom HaKippurim. Moreover, part of the Yom HaKippurim service entailed bringing incense into the Holy of Holies, further suggesting that the incense might have some special atoning powers.

³ See Purpose of the Mishkan.

⁴ At the same time, we do see that the plague that comes in the aftermath of David's counting of the nation in Shemuel II 24 is stopped after David builds an altar and offers sacrifices.

⁵ See also R"Y Bekhor ShorShemot 30:1About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor  who compares the incense to the "מוגמר" of a king, incense brought at the end of  a festive meal to fill the room with fragrance.

⁶ See Bavli ZevachimZevachim 59aAbout the Bavli, "והאמר רב גידל אמר רב מזבח שנעקר מקטירין קטרת במקומו. "

⁷ Meshekh Chokhmah differs from the Rambam in his evaluation of the incense itself, suggesting that it played an atoning role on Yom Hakippurim.  Nonetheless, he points out that this is limited to atoning for the impurities of the Mikdash itself, and, thus, its job is contingent on the existence of the rest of the Mishkan.  As such, the incense could not be mentioned until all the other vessels were discussed.

⁸ It should be noted, however, that the verse does not make this association, instead connecting the timing of the incense burning with the lighting of the Menorah. (See verses 7-8: "בַּבֹּקֶר בְּהֵיטִיבוֹ אֶת הַנֵּרֹת יַקְטִירֶנָּה. וּבְהַעֲלֹת אַהֲרֹן אֶת הַנֵּרֹת בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם יַקְטִירֶנָּה").

⁹ This is a theme that Rambam stresses throughout his discussion of the Tabernacle and its service.  Many aspects of service in the Mishkan were mandated to ensure that the people felt the proper respect towards the building and, thus, towards the Divine.

¹⁰ This is especially true given the fact that the verse says that the consequences of not bringing the incense is death.

¹¹ Rambam might respond that it was only this one day a year where the incense functioned in this manner, while its normal usage was much more mundane.

¹² See Ramban regarding Purpose of the Mishkan who is consistent in viewing the Mishkan as revolving around the Ark and viewing it as means of extending the revelation at Sinai.

¹³ As a parallel, he points to the Shunamite woman who decides to make a room for Elisha, the prophet, replete with table, chair and candelabrum.

¹⁴ One, however, might question whether the Table and Menorah really played any more of a role in inviting the Divine Presence than did the Incense Altar. After all, it too can be considered "furniture". See, for example, R. Yosef Bekhor ShorShemot 30:1About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, who makes the same analogy between the Mishkan and a king's palace, but suggests that the incense has a parallel as well.  It, too, was found in the homes of the elite who would burn incense at the end of festive meals.

¹⁵ See also Ramban.

¹⁶ See also Ramban who points out that after building the Tabernacle, Hashem says, "וְנֹעַדְתִּי שָׁמָּה לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנִקְדַּשׁ בִּכְבֹדִי", perhaps suggesting that after Hashem's presence descends to meet with the nation, they are meant to honor Him.

¹⁷ It is, thus, found right before the discussion of the half shekel donations which were similarly "לְכַפֵּ֖ר עַל־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶֽם".

¹⁸ This is gleaned from the role played by the incense during the Yom HaKippurim service.  The high priest brings incense into the Holy of Holies, where Hashem's presence is most found, so that the cloud from the offering will cover the kaporet on the Ark, protecting the priest from death as he comes close.

¹⁹ One might compare the cloud of incense to the "thickness of the cloud" through which Hashem communicated to Moshe during the revelation a Sinai. R"E Samet points out that, in fact, whenever Hashem initiates revelation, at Sinai, or in the Tent of Meeting, He appears in a cloud (see Shemot 19:16, 24:15, 33:9, 34:5 and 40:34).  When man initiates the encounter, he must make his own cloud.

²⁰ See his article, "פרשת ויקהל (שקלים) - המשכן לאחר חטא העגל".  The position developed below draws on this article, but develops several points differently.

²¹ See posistion above for elaboration.

²² The barrier prevents God's attribute of justice from taking effect immediately, and thus can play a role in stopping plague.

²³ See other variations of this idea in Purpose of the Mishkan and Altars of Earth, Stone, and Wood.

²⁴ See TanchumaKi Tisa 31About the Tanchuma.

²⁵ It, then is no different than all the other festivals which were instituted, in part, to commemorate an event which took place in the Wilderness period.

²⁶ As such, the proper place for the command would have been Shemot 34.

²⁷ He points out that in the beginning of Parashat Terumah, we read of the initial requests for donations to the Mishkan, where there is no mention of the obligation for every individual to give a half shekel coin. The omission is due to the fact that at that point it was not yet necessary.

²⁸ In so doing, they announced their allegiance to Hashem and not the calf.

²⁹ According to this reading, the four verses which speak of the half shekel donations (13-16) are a one time command, meant only for the generation of the Wilderness. See the Gr"A and Hoil Moshe in Half Shekels – For Census or Tabernacle.

³⁰ It was similar in name, form and function, as the incense too issued forth a cloud of smoke.

³¹ Thus, in contrast to the position above which suggests that the Incense Altar is the only one not to play a role in ushering in the Divine Presence, this position claims that this is central to the altar's purpose.

³² This, though, is somewhat difficult since the nation was already acquainted with the concept of an olah offering (even if not with the daily offering) and should have easily been able to understand and apply the command even if given earlier.