Of a similar potency was the Incense. For whoever smelled the smoke of the pillar that ascended from the “smoke-raiser”1One of the ingredients of the incense. became cleansed of heart and intent on worshipping his Master: the taint of the evil spirit disappeared from him, leaving him to serve with single heart his Father in heaven. The Incense thus possessed the potency of breaking completely the evil spirit in man. As the Plate possessed miraculous powers, so did the Incense, nothing in the world having power to crush the “other side” like the Incense.
Thus we read: “Take thy fire-pan, and put fire therein from off the altar, and lay incense thereon… for there is wrath gone out from the Lord: the plague is begun” (Num. 17, 11). For there is nothing so beloved by the Holy One, blessed be He, as the Incense. It is able to banish sorcery and all evil influences from the house. Seeing that perfumes prepared by men possess the virtue to counteract, by their odour and fumes, the ill-effects of evil things, how much more so the Incense!
It is a firmly established ordinance of the Holy One, blessed be He, that whoever reflects on and recites daily the section of the Incense will be saved from all evil things and sorceries in the world, from all mishaps and evil imaginings, from evil decrees and from death; and no harm will befall him that day, as the “other side” has no power over him. But it must be read with devotion.’
R. Simeon remarked: ‘Were people to know how precious the offering of the Incense is to the Holy One, blessed be He, they would take every word of the passage where it is enjoined and make it into a crown for their heads, as it were, a crown of gold. And whoever studies it ought to reflect deeply on the way it was carried out; and through the reciting of it daily with devotion a man merits a portion in this world and in the world to come, and keeps away death from himself and from the world, and is saved from all punishments in this world, from the “evil sides”, from the punishment of Gehinnom, and from strange powers.
When the pillar of smoke ascended from the burning Incense, the priest used to see the mystical letters of the Divine Name ascending on high in that pillar. Then numerous holy legions would surround the pillar on all sides until it rose in the midst of light and gladness to the region where it diffused joy and knitted together the upper world and the lower world in a complete unity, thereby achieving atonement for the evil spirit in man and for idolatry, which is of the “other side”.’
כְּגַוְונָא דָּא קְטֹרֶת, כָּל מַאן דְּאָרַח בְּהַהוּא תְּנָנָא, כַּד סָלִיק הַהוּא עַמּוּדָא מֵהַהוּא מַעֲלֶה עָשָׁן, הֲוָה מְבָרֵר לִבֵּיהּ, בִּבְרִירוּ בִּנְהִירוּ בְּחֶדְוָה לְמִפְלַח לְמָארֵיהּ, וְאַעְבָּר מִנֵּיהּ זוּהֲמָא דְּיֵצֶר הָרָע, וְלָא הֲוָה לֵיהּ אֶלָּא לִבָּא חֲדָא, לָקֳבֵל אֲבוּהָ דְּבִשְׁמַיָּא. בְּגִין דִּקְטֹרֶת, תְּבִירוּ דְּיֵצֶר הָרָע אִיהוּ וַדַּאי בְּכָל סִטְרִין. וּכְמָּה דְּצִיץ הֲוָה קָאִים עַל נִיסָא, אוּף קְטֹרֶת. דְּלֵית לָךְ מִלָּה בְּעָלְמָא, לְמִתְבַּר לֵיהּ לְסִטְרָא אַחֲרָא, בַּר קְטֹרֶת.
Of a similar potency was the Incense. For whoever smelled the smoke of the pillar that ascended from the “smoke-raiser”1One of the ingredients of the incense. became cleansed of heart and intent on worshipping his Master: the taint of the evil spirit disappeared from him, leaving him to serve with single heart his Father in heaven. The Incense thus possessed the potency of breaking completely the evil spirit in man. As the Plate possessed miraculous powers, so did the Incense, nothing in the world having power to crush the “other side” like the Incense.
תָּא חֲזֵי מַה כְּתִיב, (במדבר י״ז:י״א) קַח אֶת הַמַּחְתָּה וְתֶן עָלֶיהָ אֵשׁ מֵעַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְשִׂים קְטֹרֶת. מַאי טַעְמָא. כִּי יָצָא הַקֶּצֶף מִלִּפְנֵי יְיָ', הֵחֵל הַנָּגֶף. דְּהָא לֵית תְּבִירוּ לְהַהוּא סִטְרָא בַּר קְטֹרֶת. דְּלֵית לָךְ מִלָּה חֲבִיבָה קָמֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, כִּקְטֹרֶת. וְקַיְּימָא לְבַטְּלָא חַרְשִׁין, וּמִלִּין בִּישִׁין מִבֵּיתָא. רֵיחָא וַעֲשָׁנָא דִּקְטֹרֶת דְּעַבְדֵי בְּנִי נָשָׁא, בְּהַהוּא עוֹבְדָּא אִיהוּ מְבַטֵּל, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן קְטֹרֶת.
Thus we read: “Take thy fire-pan, and put fire therein from off the altar, and lay incense thereon… for there is wrath gone out from the Lord: the plague is begun” (Num. 17, 11). For there is nothing so beloved by the Holy One, blessed be He, as the Incense. It is able to banish sorcery and all evil influences from the house. Seeing that perfumes prepared by men possess the virtue to counteract, by their odour and fumes, the ill-effects of evil things, how much more so the Incense!
מִלָּה דָּא גְּזֵרָה קַיְּימָא קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּכָל מַאן דְּאִסְתָּכַּל וְקָרֵי בְּכָל יוֹמָא עוֹבְדָּא (נ"א פרשתא) דִּקְטֹרֶת, יִשְׁתְּזִיב מִכָּל מִלִּין בִּישִׁין חַרְשִׁין דְּעָלְמָא. וּמִכָּל פְּגָעִין בִּישִׁין, וּמֵהִרְהוּרָא בִּישָׁא, וּמִדִּינָא בִּישָׁא, וּמִמוֹתָנָא, וְלָא יִתְזַק כָּל הַהוּא יוֹמָא, דְּלָא יָכִיל סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא לְשַׁלְטָא עָלֵיהּ, וְאִצְטְרִיךְ דִּיכַוֵּין בֵּיהּ.
It is a firmly established ordinance of the Holy One, blessed be He, that whoever reflects on and recites daily the section of the Incense will be saved from all evil things and sorceries in the world, from all mishaps and evil imaginings, from evil decrees and from death; and no harm will befall him that day, as the “other side” has no power over him. But it must be read with devotion.’
אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, אִי בְּנֵי נָשָׁא הֲווֹ יַדְעֵי כַּמָה עִלָּאָה אִיהוּ עוֹבָדָא דִּקְטֹרֶת קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, הֲווֹ נַטְלֵי כָּל מִלָּה וּמִלָּה מִנֵּיהּ, וַהֲווּ סַלְקֵי לֵהּ עֲטָרָה עַל רֵישַׁיְיהוּ, כְּכִתְרָא דְּדַהֲבָא. וּמַאן דְּאִשְׁתָּדַּל בֵּיהּ, בָּעֵי לְאִסְתַּכְּלָא בְּעוֹבָדָא דִּקְטֹרֶת, וְאִי יְכַוֵין בֵּיהּ בְּכָל יוֹמָא, אִית לֵיהּ חוּלָקָא בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וּבְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, וְיִסְתָּלַּק מוֹתָנָא מִנֵּיהּ, וּמֵעָלְמָא, וְיִשְׁתְּזִיב מִכָּל דִּינִין דְּהַאי עָלְמָא, מִסִּטְרִין בִּישִׁין, וּמִדִּינָא דְּגֵיהִנָּם, וּמִדִּינָא דְּמַלְכוּ אַחֲרָא.
R. Simeon remarked: ‘Were people to know how precious the offering of the Incense is to the Holy One, blessed be He, they would take every word of the passage where it is enjoined and make it into a crown for their heads, as it were, a crown of gold. And whoever studies it ought to reflect deeply on the way it was carried out; and through the reciting of it daily with devotion a man merits a portion in this world and in the world to come, and keeps away death from himself and from the world, and is saved from all punishments in this world, from the “evil sides”, from the punishment of Gehinnom, and from strange powers.
בְּהַהוּא קְטֹרֶת כַּד הֲוָה סָלִיק תְּנָנָא בְּעַמּוּדָא, כַּהֲנָא הֲוָה חָמֵי אַתְוָון דְּרָזָא דִּשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא, פְּרִישָׂא (נ"א פרחין) בַּאֲוִירָא, וְסַלְקֵי לְעֵילָּא בְּהַהוּא עַמּוּדָא. לְבָתַר כַּמָה רְתִיכִין קַדִּישִׁין סָחֲרִין לֵיהּ מִכָּל סִטְרִין, עַד דְּסָלִיק בִּנְהִירוּ וְחֶדְוָה, וְחַדֵּי לְמַאן דְּחַדֵּי, וְקָשַׁר קִשְׁרִין לְעֵילָּא וְתַתָּא לְיַחֲדָא כֹּלָּא, וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא. וְדָא מְכַפֵּר עַל יֵצֶר הָרָע, וְעַל עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, דְּאִיהוּ סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא. וְהָא אוֹקְמוּהָ.
When the pillar of smoke ascended from the burning Incense, the priest used to see the mystical letters of the Divine Name ascending on high in that pillar. Then numerous holy legions would surround the pillar on all sides until it rose in the midst of light and gladness to the region where it diffused joy and knitted together the upper world and the lower world in a complete unity, thereby achieving atonement for the evil spirit in man and for idolatry, which is of the “other side”.’