The Tora mentions the preparation of the qetoret (קטורת הסמים), in English, “incense” in our Parasha Tetsave (Shemot, Exodus 30:34). Incense is a smoke prepared with certain spices that when burned, produce a delightful aroma. The Tora only mentions four of the eleven elements used in preparing the qetoret. The other seven elements appear in the Talmud in the treatise of Keritut, which we read daily in our Tefillah (twice in Shacharit and once in Mincha). But why is such an extensive explanation needed for something seemingly as simple as Incense? The most complicated issue is identifying the eleven elements that were used to prepare the qetoret. After the destruction of the Bet haMiqdash, identifying these spices became the subject of multiple debates, theories, and speculations. This issue is not unique to the Qetoret plants. The same challenge exists with other plants, precious stones, or animals mentioned in the Tora. In his book Shilte Gibborim, Rabbi Portaleone, for example, dedicates 11 chapters—13 pages—to trying to identify the first species of Qetoret: the Tsorí.
But before I get into these details, I will tell you more about the Mitsva of Quetoret.
368 PORTIONS
The 11 elements, each in its exact measurement, were mixed in a special preparation once a year at the beginning of the month of Nisan. The Kohanim ground this preparation by hand and divided it into 368 portions (manim) of approximately 1/2 kilo each. During the 365 days of the solar year, they burned half a portion of the Quetoret every morning and every afternoon after the daily sacrifice.
On Yom Kippur, at the holiest time of the day, the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies (קודש הקדשים), where no other man entered during the rest of the year, and performed the Mitsva of the qetoret there. But unlike the other days of the year, on Yom Kippur, he used three entire portions instead of half a portion of the Quetoret. The High Priest held these portions in his hand and had to grind them much more intensely than the daily portions (דקה מן הדקה).
Each day, the Kohanim burned the Qetoret on an altar, relatively small and exclusive for this function: the Mizbeach haZahab. This golden altar stood in the Hejal, an inner enclosure of the Temple.
THE SECRET OF THE QETORET
As the qetoret burned, its smoke filled the Bet haMiqdash with a sweet and incomparable aroma. The most beautiful thing is that the aroma of qetoret was not only felt in the Bet haMiqdash but throughout Yerushalayim. How was this possible? First of all, the fragrance was very intense. Most of the elements used in preparing the qetoret were plants or resins, which were rare and incredibly expensive. But there was something else: a family in Yerushalayim, the Abtinas, was responsible for preparing the qetoret. They knew the “secret formula” of the qetoret, which consisted of the traditional way the spices were ground and mixed. They could also identify a mysterious little plant called ma’ale’ ashán (= “smoke riser”) in Hebrew. A few leaves of that plant made the smoke of the qetoret rise vertically, which was ritually required. The smoke of the Quetoret rose, and then its incomparable fragrance spread throughout Yerushalayim, today the Old City. The fragrance of Qetoret became the usual perfume in Yerushalayim and was part of what made our capital city so beautiful and unique.
Travelers arriving in Yerushalayim from the south, Yericho (Jericho), could tell they were close to our Holy City because they began to perceive the unique scent of the qetoret.
The Midrash also states that in Yerushalayim, brides did not need to wear perfumes even on their wedding day because the delicious fragrance of qetoret surpassed any perfume anyone could wear.
