Leftover from last year’s ketoret, incense, cannot be rolled over and used in the new year because it was purchased with last year’s shekalim. This year’s ketoret has to be purchased with this year’s shekalim. What do you do with last year’s ketoret is the question that today’s daf TY Shekalim 11 answers. The simple answer is you deconsecrate the ketoret by transferring its holiness to money. With this consecrated money, you can purchase the old ketoret. By doing this you reconsecrate the ketoret and use it for this year’s services.
The Gemara
inquires what else you can do with the money upon which the incense was the
consecrated.
This money, what is done with it? Rebbi (Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi-gg) says: I say that it is given to the house of Garmu and to
the house of Avtinas, who were
expert of compounding the incense and the preparation of the panim bread. (Art Scroll translation)
“The panim
bread (or lechem hapanim) are the 12
loaves that were arranged every Shabbat on the Sanctuary Table. Each Shabbat
the Kohanim would place new bread upon the Table and eat the panim bread of the previous Sabbath. The
panim loaves were formed and baked in
a complex shape. Since only the house of Garmu was capable of producing those
of the required shape that were not spoil or crumble, they were entrusted with
this work. And since only the house of Avtinas knew the identity of a certain
ingredient because the smoke of the incense to rise in a straight column, they
were given responsibility for compounding the incense.” (Art Scroll note 5 on daf TY Shekalim 11b1)
Apparently these two houses did not share
their knowledge with their competitors to maintain the Temple contract for the
services.
No comments:
Post a Comment