Cinnamon and Ketoret (Food for Thought) From Avishai: "Dear Catriel, While learning the Daf Yomi yesterday, (Shabbat 63a), I came across a most unusual Gemara; "The logs used (for fuel) in Yerushalayim, were made of cinnamon, and when they were burned, their fragrance would waft through the Land. But when Yerushalayim was destroyed, the trees were hidden, etc."Is this Gemara to be taken literally, or is there a deeper message hidden within? Can't anyone plant cinnamon trees? What does it mean then that they were hidden, and a bit remained? Who was Queen Tzimtzemai?" Ramban quotes Midrash Shir HaShirim (4:29) which states that cinnamon grew in Eretz Yisrael and that it was so plentiful that it was used as fodder for goats. Even the wild gazelles ate it. (Bereishit Raba 65:13 furnishes us with another extraordinary detail. "The goats were so large that they were able to eat from the tops of the cinnamon trees." And cinnamon trees grow seven meters tall!) After the destruction of Jerusalem, the fabulous cinnamon trees vanished. While it is true that "anyone can plant cinnamon trees", nevertheless, in today's Eretz Yisrael, they would not survive because the climate is not wet enough. Incidentally the Gemara tells us about another botanical marvel which vanished when Bayit Rishon was destroyed. "When Solomon built the Temple, he planted therein all sorts of precious golden trees which brought fruit in their season. …and they (the golden fruit) were a source of income for the Kehuna … but when the enemy entered the Heichal, the trees dried up… In the future world the Holy One Blessed be He will restore them to us" (Yoma 39b). Midrashim or Aggadata can be understood in many ways and on many levels. Our Sages were great teachers; they were not simply storytellers. "The purview of Aggadata… is the Jewish world of ideas… principles of faith, the philosophy, and the ethical ideals of Judaism… (An) important difference between the two domains of the Oral Torah is that whereas Halachic discussions are rigorously logical, Aggadata is often noticeably obscure. This obscurity is intentional… The Sages' decision to commit the Oral Torah to writing created no problem with the laws of Jewish behavior, i.e. the Halacha. But with the more abstruse concepts of Judaism, the Sages found themselves in a dilemma, these concepts cannot be readily understood by everyone. The problem was solved by writing these ideas down in, as it were, coded form; the obscure form of parable and hint. The keys to their true meaning would continue to be transmitted orally… In this manner, the Torah's deepest wisdom would be preserved, and at the same time, it would still be protected from the ravages of misunderstanding. Wise students would be shown the way to divine the true meanings behind the parables, while the inept would take them for nothing more than charming tales…" (This passage is taken from R. Aharon Feldman's The Juggler and the King. Based as it is on "an elaboration of the Vilna Gaon's insights into the hidden wisdom of the Sages", I consider a careful reading of this book indispensable for the development of a mature approach to Aggadata. Shedding light on many obscure passages, the study of the classical commentaries on the Aggadata of the Maharsha (R. Shemu'el Eliezer Edel 1155-1631), the Maharal of Prague, and the Ramchal (R. Moshe Chaim Luzzatto 1707-1747) is also basic for a proper understanding of the Aggadata.) It not likely that the air of Jerusalem was perfumed by the sweet and pungent aroma of burning cinnamon logs. Certainly there is a deeper meaning. After the destruction of Jerusalem, "only as much as a barley grain was left (from all the Eretz Yisrael cinnamon trees) and that was found in the queen's collection of rarities (Shabbat 63a). According to Rashi the queen's name was Tzimtzemai. The Maharsha quotes the Pesikta (a Midrash) which derives her name from the Hebrew root Letzamtzeim, to contract or press close together. "When Israel stood at Har Sinai, 'Hayu Metzamtzemin Atzman' - they pressed themselves (against one another, in reverence thereby not arrogantly calling attention to themselves). Like a bride when she disrobes, she (modestly) divests one part of her garment while holding the other." And how are we to understand similar Midrashim that "mega-emphasize" the strength of the fragrance of the Ketoret? "Rabba ben Bar Chana said, the goats in Jericho used to sneeze because of the fragrance of the Ketoret, the women of Jericho did not have to perfume themselves because of the fragrance of the Ketoret. The bride in Jerusalem did not have to perfume herself because of the Ketoret." If women in distant Jericho did not have to perfume themselves because of the Ketoret, Kal VaChomer, a bride in Jerusalem certainly should not have to do so. What is Rabba b. Bar Chana trying to teach us? "R. Yosi b. Diglai said, 'My father had goats on the mountains of Michvar (in Transjordan) and they used to sneeze because of the odor of the Ketoret. R. Chiya b. Abin said in the name of R. Yehoshu'a ben Karcha, 'An old man once told me, once I walked towards Shilo (the location of the Mishkan for many years) and I could (still) smell the fragrance of the Ketoret emanating from its walls" (Yoma 39b). Perhaps an abundance of "Ketoret Midrashim" should not surprise us since no part of the Avoda was more beloved by the Kohanim, and spiritualized more by the Sages. It was said that the incense offering was the most beloved Avoda by Heaven as well. Is not true prayer compared to the offering of incense in the Beit HaMikdash? Sincere prayer, like the rising vapors of Ketoret, is wafted straight on High. "Let my prayer be set forth as Ketoret before Thee" (T'hilim 141:2). "R' Yitzchak ben Eliezer said, 'Know that they constructed the Mishkan and all its vessels, slaughtered and sacrificed the Korbanot on the Mizbei'ach, placed the Lechem HaPanim (the Bread of the Presence) on the Shulchan, and lit the Menora. They did everything - but the Shechina - the Divine Presence - did not descend on the Mishkan until they offered up the Ketoret. How do we know this? It is written, 'Awake thou north, come thou south, blow upon my garden that the perfumes flow out. Let my Beloved come into His garden and eat His precious fruits.'" (Shir Hashirim 4:16). 'Awake thou north'- these are the burnt offerings which were slaughtered north of the Mizbei'ach. 'Come thou south'- these are the peace offerings which were slaughtered south of the Mizbei'ach. 'Blow upon my garden that the perfumes flow out.' - this is the perfumed Ketoret. 'Let my Beloved come …this is the Shechina …and eat His precious fruit… these are the now accepted Korbanot."(Midrash Tanchuma, Tetzaveh with commentary of the Eitz Yosef.) Said the Holy One Blessed be He, 'By means of the Ketoret you attained atonement in this world; so shall it be in the Future World…" (ibid. 15) Catriel's book in progress: The Temple of Jerusalem, A Pilgrims Prospective; A Guided Tour through the Temple and the Divine Service [The
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