Tamid 6:2-3
משנה תמיד ו:ב-ג
Seder: Kodashim | Tractate: Tamid | Chapter: 6
📖 Mishna
Mishna 6:2
משנה ו:ב
Hebrew:
מִי שֶׁזָּכָה בַמַּחְתָּה, צָבַר אֶת הַגֶּחָלִים עַל גַּבֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְרִדְּדָן בְּשׁוּלֵי הַמַּחְתָּה, וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוָה וְיָצָא:
English:
The priest who won the right to bring the coal pan filled with coals to the inner altar for the burning of the incense first piled the coals on the inner altar and then flattened them, distributing them evenly on the altar with the bottom of the coal pan. And when he finished distributing the coals, he prostrated himself and emerged from the Sanctuary.
קלאוד על המשנה:
This brief mishna describes the coal-pan priest’s task inside the Sanctuary with elegant simplicity. He piled the coals from the gold pan onto the inner altar, then used the bottom of the pan itself to flatten and spread them evenly across the altar’s surface. The even distribution of coals was essential: the incense that would follow needed to be placed on a uniform bed of heat so it would burn evenly and produce a steady, fragrant smoke. After completing this task, the priest prostrated himself and left.
The prostration at this point is significant. Each priest who performed a service inside the Sanctuary bowed before exiting — a personal moment of devotion in the most sacred space on earth. The inner altar stood in the Sanctuary, between the Candelabrum and the Shewbread Table, directly opposite the entrance to the Holy of Holies. The coal-pan priest’s work was preparatory — he set the stage for the incense offering that would immediately follow — but it was treated with the same reverence as the incense offering itself.
Key Terms:
- רִדּוּד (Ridud) = Flattening or spreading, the technique of using the bottom of the coal pan to distribute coals evenly
- מִזְבֵּחַ הַזָּהָב (Mizbe’ach HaZahav) = The golden altar, another name for the inner incense altar
- גֶּחָלִים (Gechalim) = Coals, the burning embers transferred from the outer altar to serve as the base for incense burning
Mishna 6:3
משנה ו:ג
Hebrew:
מִי שֶׁזָּכָה בַקְּטֹרֶת, הָיָה נוֹטֵל אֶת הַבָּזָךְ מִתּוֹךְ הַכַּף וְנוֹתְנוֹ לְאוֹהֲבוֹ אוֹ לִקְרוֹבוֹ. נִתְפַּזֵּר מִמֶּנּוּ לְתוֹכוֹ, נוֹתְנוֹ לוֹ בְחָפְנָיו. וּמְלַמְּדִים אוֹתוֹ, הֱוֵי זָהִיר שֶׁמָּא תַתְחִיל לְפָנֶיךָ, שֶׁלֹּא תִכָּוֶה. הִתְחִיל מְרַדֵּד וְיוֹצֵא. לֹא הָיָה הַמַּקְטִיר מַקְטִיר עַד שֶׁהַמְמֻנֶּה אוֹמֵר לוֹ, הַקְטֵר. אִם הָיָה כֹהֵן גָּדוֹל, הַמְמֻנֶּה אוֹמֵר, אִישִׁי כֹהֵן גָּדוֹל, הַקְטֵר. פָּרְשׁוּ הָעָם, וְהִקְטִיר וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוָה וְיָצָא:
English:
The priest who won the right to burn the incense would take the smaller vessel containing the incense from within the spoon, and would give it to a priest who is his friend or his relative, whom he designated to assist him, and enter the Sanctuary with him. If the incense was scattered from the smaller vessel into the spoon, the priest accompanying him would give the incense to the priest burning the incense in his handfuls. And the experienced priests would teach the priest burning the incense: Be careful, because if you are not careful you might begin scattering the incense on the side of the altar that is before you; rather, start scattering on the far side of the altar, so that you will not be burned by the burning incense when you are scattering it. The priest began flattening it, distributing the incense evenly on the coals on the altar, and when the Sanctuary would become filled with the smoke of the incense, he would emerge from the Sanctuary. The priest burning the incense would not burn it until the appointed priest would say to him: Burn the incense. And if it was the High Priest who was burning the incense, the appointed priest would say to him deferentially: My master, the High Priest, burn the incense. It is derived from the verse: “And there shall be no man in the Tent of Meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the Sanctuary, until he comes out” (Leviticus 16:17), that no one may be standing between the Entrance Hall and the outer altar when the priest burns the incense. Therefore, the people, i.e., the priests, left that area. And the priest burned the incense on the inner altar and prostrated himself and emerged from the Sanctuary.
קלאוד על המשנה:
The incense service was the climax of the morning’s inner Sanctuary work. The winning priest took the smaller incense vessel (bazakh) from within the spoon and handed it to an assistant — a friend or relative — who entered the Sanctuary with him. If any incense had spilled from the bazakh into the larger spoon during transport, the assistant would gather it and pour it into the priest’s cupped hands. The instruction to scatter the incense starting from the far side of the altar (away from himself) was a practical safety measure: burning incense produces intense heat, and starting from the near side would force the priest to reach over already-burning incense, risking burns.
The most solemn moment came when the appointed priest commanded: “Burn the incense!” — or, if the High Priest was performing the service, “My master, the High Priest, burn the incense!” This formal command served both as authorization and as a ceremonial marker. Based on Leviticus 16:17, no person was permitted to stand between the Entrance Hall and the outer altar during the incense burning. The area was cleared, and the priest stood alone in the Sanctuary, filling it with fragrant smoke. He then prostrated himself and emerged — the incense service was complete.
Key Terms:
- הַקְטָרָה (Haktara) = The act of burning incense on the golden altar, the central rite of the Sanctuary service
- סְגָן (Segan) = The deputy High Priest, or here the appointed priest who gave the command to burn
- אִישִׁי כֹהֵן גָּדוֹל (Ishi Kohen Gadol) = “My master, the High Priest” — the deferential address used when the High Priest performed the incense service
- פָּרְשׁוּ הָעָם (Parshu Ha’Am) = “The people withdrew” — the clearing of the area between the Entrance Hall and altar during incense burning