Tamid 5:4-5
משנה תמיד ה:ד-ה
Seder: Kodashim | Tractate: Tamid | Chapter: 5
📖 Mishna
Mishna 5:4
משנה ה:ד
Hebrew:
מִי שֶׁזָּכָה בַקְּטֹרֶת, הָיָה נוֹטֵל אֶת הַכַּף. וְהַכַּף דּוֹמֶה לְתַרְקַב גָּדוֹל שֶׁל זָהָב, מַחֲזִיק שְׁלשֶׁת ק��בִּים, וְהַבָּזָךְ הָיָה בְתוֹכוֹ, מָלֵא וְגָדוּשׁ קְטֹרֶת. וְכִסּוּי הָיָה לוֹ, וּכְמִין מְטוּטֶלֶת הָיָה עָלָיו מִלְמַעְלָן:
English:
The priest who won the lottery to burn the incense would take the spoon used for carrying the incense. And the spoon was similar to a large gold vessel that held three kav, and the smaller vessel was placed inside the spoon. The vessel was filled to overflow with incense. And it had a cover to prevent spillage of the incense, and there was a type of cloth placed upon it from above, to preserve the fragrance of the incense.
קלאוד על המשנה:
The incense spoon (kaf) was a large gold vessel capable of holding three kav, but it was not filled directly with incense. Instead, a smaller vessel (bazakh) was placed inside it, filled to overflowing with the incense mixture. The spoon thus served as a carrier and protective shell for the precious incense. The cover and cloth placed on top preserved the fragrance and prevented any incense from spilling during transport from the courtyard into the Sanctuary.
This nested-vessel design reflects the extraordinary value placed on the incense. The ketoret was one of the most expensive and carefully prepared substances in the Temple — compounded from eleven ingredients according to a secret family recipe. Every grain mattered; the quantity had to be exact. The layered protection (vessel within vessel, cover, cloth) ensured that none was lost during the journey from preparation to burning. The image of a priest carrying this golden vessel, its precious contents sealed and fragrant, walking toward the Sanctuary, captures the reverence that surrounded the incense service.
Key Terms:
- כַּף (Kaf) = The large gold spoon that held the smaller incense vessel, with a capacity of three kav
- בָּזָךְ (Bazakh) = The smaller vessel placed inside the spoon, filled to overflowing with incense
- מְטוּטֶלֶת (Metutelet) = A type of cloth or covering placed on top of the vessel to preserve the incense
Mishna 5:5
משנה ה:ה
Hebrew:
מִי שֶׁזָּכָה בַמַּחְתָּה, נָטַל מַחְתַּת הַכֶּסֶף, וְעָלָה לְרֹאשׁ הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, וּפִנָּה אֶת הַגֶּחָלִים הֵילָךְ וְהֵילָךְ וְחָתָה. יָרַד וְעֵרָן לְתוֹךְ שֶׁל זָהָב. נִתְפַּזֵּר מִמֶּנָּה כְּקַב גֶּחָלִים, וְהָיָה מְכַבְּדָן לָאַמָּה. וּבְשַׁבָּת הָיָה כוֹפֶה עֲלֵיהֶן פְּסַכְתֵּר. וּפְסַכְתֵּר הָיְתָה כְלִי גָדוֹל מַחֲזֶקֶת לֶתֶךְ, וּשְׁתֵּי שַׁרְשְׁרוֹת הָיוּ בָהּ, אַחַת שֶׁהוּא מוֹשֵׁךְ בָּהּ וְיוֹרֵד, וְאַחַת שֶׁהוּא אוֹחֵז בָּהּ מִלְמַעְלָן בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁלֹּא תִתְגַּלְגֵּל. וּשְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הָיְתָה מְשַׁמֶּשֶׁת, כּוֹפִין אוֹתָהּ עַל גַּב גֶּחָלִים וְעַל הַשֶּׁרֶץ בְּשַׁבָּת, וּמוֹרִידִין בָּהּ אֶת הַדֶּשֶׁן מֵעַל גַּבֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ:
English:
The priest who won the right to bring the coal pan with the coals from the outer altar to the incense altar in the Sanctuary took the silver coal pan, ascended to the top of the outer altar, and cleared the extinguished coals from the perimeter of the flame to here and to there. Then he shoveled four kav from the consumed inner coals, which were burned in the depths of the flame, into the coal pan. He descended from the altar and emptied the coals into the coal pan made of gold. Approximately one kav of coals from it was spilled and scattered on the courtyard floor, as the capacity of the gold pan was only three kav. And a priest would sweep the scattered coals into the Temple courtyard drain that passed through the courtyard to drain the waste outside the Temple. And on Shabbat, when it is prohibited to extinguish fire, the priest would not sweep the coals into the canal; rather, he would overturn a pesakhter upon them. And the pesakhter was a large vessel that held a half-kor. And since the pesakhter was a very heavy vessel, there were two chains on it, to facilitate its standard use, removal of ashes from the altar: One chain with which a priest would pull the vessel filled with ashes down the ramp, and one chain that another priest would grasp from above, so that the vessel would not roll down the ramp and the ashes would not spill. And the pesakhter would serve three purposes: The priests would overturn it upon the coals that scattered in the Temple during the transfer from the silver to the gold coal pan on Shabbat, and they would overturn it upon the carcass of a creeping animal found in the Temple on Shabbat, and they would take the ashes down from atop the altar in it.
קלאוד על המשנה:
The transfer of coals from the outer altar to the inner altar required two coal pans: a silver one for scooping from the outer altar and a gold one for carrying into the Sanctuary. The priest ascended the outer altar, cleared away the surface coals, and scooped from the deeply consumed inner coals — the hottest and most thoroughly burned. He then descended and poured the coals from the silver pan into the smaller gold pan, inevitably spilling about a kav in the process (since the gold pan held less than the silver one).
The treatment of the spilled coals reveals the Mishna’s sensitivity to Shabbat observance within the Temple. On weekdays, the scattered coals were simply swept into the courtyard drainage channel. On Shabbat, however, sweeping (and potentially extinguishing) was problematic, so a large vessel called the pesakhter was overturned on top of them instead. The pesakhter — a massive container that held half a kor — was so heavy it required two chains to maneuver: one for pulling it down the ramp and one for holding it steady from above. Its triple purpose (covering coals on Shabbat, covering dead creeping animals found on Shabbat, and transporting ashes) made it one of the more versatile vessels in the Temple.
Key Terms:
- מַחְתָּה (Machtah) = A coal pan or fire-pan; both silver and gold versions were used in the incense service
- מְאֻכָּלוֹת הַפְּנִימִיּוֹת (Me’ukhalot HaPenimiyyot) = The inner consumed coals, the hottest portion of the altar fire
- פְּסַכְתֵּר (Pesakhter) = A large vessel used for covering coals on Shabbat and transporting ashes
- אַמָּה (Ama) = The drainage channel running through the Temple courtyard