Endnote 16 – Rare Incense Altar Raises Burning Questions

Milgrom, “Incense,” p. 334. Milgrom refers to Mishnah Zevahim 13.6 (“If he offered either the handful or the frankincense outside [the Temple Court], he is culpable. R. Eleazar declares him not culpable unless he offers the second also”); Tosefta Zevahim 12.4–5; Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 53a (“Our Rabbis taught: If one was walking outside the town and smelt the odour [of spices] … if the majority there are Israelites he does say a blessing. R. Jose says: Even if the majority are Israelites he does not say a blessing, because the daughters of Israel use incense for witchcraft. Do all of them use incense for witchcraft? Only a small part is for witchcraft”); Jerusalem Talmud Megillah 1.11 (“Antoninus asked Rabbi … What is the law as to preparing incense? He said to him, One of its herbs is lacking. Has it not been taught ‘And the incense which you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make it for yourselves; it shall be for you holy to the Lord’ [Exodus 30:37]? ‘For yourselves you shall not make it,’ but others may make it for you”); Avodah Zarah 4.4; and Tanhuma, Ahare Mot 14 (ed. Buber, Ahare Mot 9), which polemically interprets the incense burning of Malachi 1:11 as the minhah prayer (“R. Ammi asked R. Samuel bar Nahman: Is it correct that ‘in every place incense is offered to my name’ [Malachi 1:11]? … This is prayer of the minhah. Incense can only be the prayer of the minhah, since it stated ‘Let my prayer be set forth as incense before you’ [Psalm 141:2]”).