Ketoret–incense

Ketoret

קְטֹרֶת

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Hebrew

וְנִסְכּוֹ רְבִיעִית הַהִין לַכֶּבֶשׂ
הָאֶחָד, בַּקֹּדֶשׁ הַסֵּךְ נֶסֶךְ שֵׁכָר
לַייָ: וְאֵת הַכֶּבֶשׂ הַשֵּׁנִי תַּעֲשֶׂה
בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם, כְּמִנְחַת הַבֹּקֶר
וּכְנִסְכּוֹ תַּעֲשֶׂה, אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ
נִיחֹחַ לַייָ:

Sephardi

V'nisko revi'it hahin lakeves
ha'echad, bakodesh hasech nesech shechar
la-Adonai: v'et hakeves hasheni ta'aseh
bein ha'arbayim, keminchat haboker
uvnisko ta'aseh, isheh rei'ach
nicho'ach la-Adonai:

English

with the first lamb, offered in the morning, offer a wine-offering of a quarter of a hin (about four cups). Pour this offering of strong wine for the Lord on the holy altar in the Temple. Prepare the second lamb to be offered in the late afternoon, and prepare the same flour and wine offerings as in the morning. It is a fire-offering, which is offered to make a pleasing smell for the Lord.

Hebrew

וְשָׁחַט אֹתוֹ עַל יֶרֶךְ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ
צָפֹנָה לִפְנֵי יְיָ, וְזָרְקוּ
בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֲנִים אֶת דָּמוֹ עַל
הַמִּזְבֵּחַ סָבִיב:

Sephardi

Veshachat oto al yerech hamizbe'ach
tzafonah lifnei Adonai, vezarku
b'nei Aharon hakohanim et damo al
hamizbe'ach saviv:

English

The above-mentioned offering should be slaughtered on the north side of the altar, before the Lord—in the courtyard of the Temple. After this is done, the descendants of Aaron—the Kohanim—should sprinkle its blood around the altar.

קְטֹרֶת

Ketoret–Incense

Hebrew

אַתָּה הוּא יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי
אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁהִקְטִירוּ
אֲבוֹתֵינוּ לְפָנֶיךָ אֶת קְטֹרֶת1
הַסַּמִּים בִּזְמַן שֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ
קַיָּם, כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתָ אוֹתָם עַל יַד
מֹשֶׁה נְבִיאֶךָ, כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ:

Sephardi

Atah hu Adonai Eloheinu veilohei
avoteinu, shehiktiru
avoteinu lefanecha et ketoret1
hasamim bizman shebeit hamikdash
kayam, ka'asher tzivita otam al yad
Moshe nevi'echa, kakatuv betoratecha:

English

You are the Lord, our God and the God of our fathers, before Whom our ancestors burned the incense1 of spices when the Holy Temple stood, as You commanded them through Moses, Your prophet. As it is written in Your Torah:

The commandment to offer ketoret

Hebrew

וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ אֶל מֹשֶׁה, קַח לְךָ
סַמִּים, נָטָף, וּשְׁחֵלֶת,
וְחֶלְבְּנָה, סַמִּים, וּלְבֹנָה זַכָּה,
בַּד בְּבַד יִהְיֶה: וְעָשִׂיתָ אֹתָהּ
קְטֹרֶת, רֹקַח מַעֲשֵׂה רוֹקֵחַ,

Sephardi

Vayomer Adonai el Moshe, kach lecha
samim, nataf, ushechelet,
vechelbenah, samim, ulevonah zakah,
bad bevad yihyeh: v'asita otah
ketoret, rokach ma'aseh rokei'ach,

English

The Lord said to Moses: Take the following spices for yourself: Stacte, onycha, galbanum, other spices, and pure frankincense; the four spices named above should be taken in equal amounts. Make it into incense by expertly mixing the ingredients into a well-blended mixture. The incense should stay pure and holy—it shouldn't touch anything impure or be used for any other purpose. Grind some of the mixture until it is very fine. Every day,

Hebrew

מְמֻלָּח טָהוֹר קֹדֶשׁ: וְשָׁחַקְתָּ
מִמֶּנָּה הָדֵק, וְנָתַתָּה מִמֶּנָּה לִפְנֵי
הָעֵדֻת בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, אֲשֶׁר אִוָּעֵד
לְךָ שָׁמָּה, קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים תִּהְיֶה
לָכֶם: וְנֶאֱמַר: וְהִקְטִיר עָלָיו
אַהֲרֹן קְטֹרֶת סַמִּים, בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר
בְּהֵיטִיבוֹ אֶת הַנֵּרֹת יַקְטִירֶנָּה:
וּבְהַעֲלֹת אַהֲרֹן אֶת הַנֵּרֹת בֵּין
הָעַרְבַּיִם יַקְטִירֶנָּה, קְטֹרֶת תָּמִיד
לִפְנֵי יְיָ לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם:

Sephardi

Memulach tahor kodesh: veshachakta
mimenah hadek, v'natatah mimenah lifnei
ha'edut b'ohel mo'ed, asher iva'ed
lecha shamah, kodesh kodashim tihyeh
lachem: vene'emar: vehiktir alav
Aharon ketoret samim, baboker baboker
beheitivo et hanerot yaktirenah:
Uveha'alot Aharon et hanerot bein
ha'arbayim yaktirenah, ketoret tamid
lifnei Adonai l'doroteichem:

English

put some of it on the inner altar, which is before the Ark that contains the Tablets in the Sanctuary, which is the place where I meet with you. You should treat this incense as a most holy offering. It also says in the Torah: Aaron should burn the incense on the altar; every morning he should burn it when he cleans the lamps of the menorah. Aaron should also burn the incense in the late afternoon, when he lights the lamps of the menorah. The incense should always be offered before the Lord, throughout all of your generations.

Ingredients of the incense

Hebrew

תָּנוּ רַבָּנָן, פִּטּוּם הַקְּטֹרֶת כֵּיצַד:
שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת וְשִׁשִּׁים
וּשְׁמוֹנָה מָנִים הָיוּ בָהּ. שְׁלֹשׁ
מֵאוֹת וְשִׁשִּׁים וַחֲמִשָּׁה כְּמִנְיַן
יְמוֹת הַחַמָּה, מָנֶה לְכָל יוֹם פְּרָס
בְּשַׁחֲרִית וּפְרָס בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם,
וּשְׁלֹשָׁה מָנִים יְתֵרִים, שֶׁמֵּהֶם
מַכְנִיס כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל מְלֹא חָפְנָיו
בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, וּמַחֲזִירָן לַמַּכְתֶּשֶׁת
בְּעֶרֶב יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, וְשׁוֹחֲקִין יָפֶה
יָפֶה כְּדֵי שֶׁתְּהֵא דַקָּה מִן הַדַּקָּה.
וְאַחַד עָשָׂר סַמְמָנִים הָיוּ
בָּהּ. וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: א הַצֳּרִי ב וְהַצִּפֹּרֶן
ג הַחֶלְבְּנָה ד וְהַלְּבוֹנָה, מִשְׁקַל
שִׁבְעִים שִׁבְעִים מָנֶה, ה מוֹר
ו וְקִצִּיעָה ז שִׁבֹּלֶת נֵרְדְּ ח וְכַרְכֹּם,

Sephardi

Tanu rabanan, pitum haketoret keitzad:
Shelosh me'ot veshishim
ushmoneh manim hayu bah. Shelosh
me'ot veshishim vachamishah kiminyan
yemot hachamah, maneh lechol yom peras
beshacharit uferas bein ha'arbayim,
usheloshah manim yeteirim, shemeihem
machnis kohen gadol melo chofnav
beyom hakippurim, umachaziran lamachteshet
be'erev yom hakippurim, veshochekin yafeh
yafeh kedei shetehe dakah min hadakah.
Ve'achad asar sammanim hayu
bah. Ve'elu hen: a ha-tzori 2 vehatziporen
3 hachelbenah 4 vehalvonah, mishkal
shiv'im shiv'im maneh, 5 mor
6 vekitzi'ah 7 shibolet nerd 8 vecharkom,

English

Our Rabbis taught: How was the incense prepared? The incense prepared for one year contained 368 manim. Each maneh weighed about one pound. Throughout the year, 365 of the 368 manim were used, equal to the number of days in a solar year. One maneh was used each day of the year; half was used in the morning, and the other half was used in the afternoon. This is how 365 of the 368 manim were used during the year, leaving three manim left over. The High Priest would bring two handfuls from these three manim into the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur. Although these three manim were already ground, a Kohen would put them back into the grinder on the day before Yom Kippur, and grind them again very thoroughly in order to make an extremely fine powder. The incense had eleven kinds of spices in it. They are as follows: 1. balm, 2. onycha, 3. galbanum, 4. frankincense;each of these four spices weighed seventy maneh, 280 maneh altogether; 5. myrrh, 6. cassia, 7. spike-nard, 8. saffron; each of these four spices weighed