מזבח הזהב
The Golden Incense Altar
A small square altar inside the Sanctuary for the morning and evening incense.
Text, diagram and reconstruction
וְעָשִׂיתָ מִזְבֵּחַ מִקְטַר קְטֹרֶת עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים תַּעֲשֶׂה אֹתוֹ׃
And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon; of acacia-wood shalt thou make it.
Dimensions and materials
- Size
- 1 amah square, 2 amot high, with hornsTorah text: Stated in the Five Books of Moses.
Acacia wood overlaid with gold.
Function
The ketoret, a precise blend of spices, was burned on it every morning and afternoon.
Daily and annual use
A priest chosen by lot, who had never offered incense before, offered it alone in the Heichal while everyone else withdrew.
On Yom Kippur the High Priest brought incense into the Holy of Holies itself.
Interpretations
Psalm 141 asks that prayer be 'set forth as incense'. Later Jewish liturgy recites the incense formula (Pitum HaKetoret) as a form of remembrance.
Psalms and liturgical tradition
Historical questions
- Some ingredients of the ketoret are identified with confidence; others are debated.
In the Third Temple
Halachah: Rambam: Codified as Jewish law by Maimonides (Rambam) in the Mishneh Torah.Required in the Sanctuary, between the Menorah and the Table.
All sources for this object