Art of the Apothecary

For more information about biblical essential oils please visit http://HealWithOil.com.

Apothecary is defined in today’s terms as “a health professional trained in the art of preparing and dispensing drugs.” Derived from the Greek word apotheke, it means a repository or store room and from the Hebrew word raqach, which means to perfume. Some bible translations use the word perfumer instead of apothecary, such as “to prepare spices.” In biblical times, the Levitical priesthood served as apothecaries as well. One of the responsibilities for the priests included preparing the holy anointing oil and incense. In Exodus 30:22 – 28, we read about the instructions the LORD gave to Moses concerning the ingredients of the holy anointing oil:
“Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment com-pound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.”
This highly perfumed formula prescribed by God comprised of the finest spices: flowing myrrh, sweet-smelling cinnamon, fragrant calamus cane, cassia and olive oil. Specific instructions for its use consecrated or set apart articles for Temple worship as “holy.” This included the ark of the testimony, the holy tabernacle, and all of its furnish-ings. Because of its specialness, Yahweh gave an admonition to NOT reproduce the EXACT formula, nor use it on ordinary people. This is something believers should respect as they explore study and create biblical scents.
God not only gave Moses specific instructions for combining these essences for the Holy Anointing Oil, but for also combining them into a pure and Holy confection to be burned as an incense as a testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation before Yahweh. In Exodus 30:34 – 38, it says:
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy. And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD. Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.”
Apothecaries remained a prominent part of Israel’s culture after being taken into Babylonian captivity and upon returning to Jerusalem during the time of Nehemiah and Ezra. In Nehemiah 3:8 it tells how they participated in the rebuilding of the city:
“Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths. Next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.”
Though the term “apothecary” is not found in the New Testament, the practice of compounding and burning Holy Incense still continued. In fact, this duty was consid-ered such a great honor for those of the Levitical priesthood they had to cast lots for it. Luke 1:9 tells how lot fell on Zacharias:
“According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.”
Some may consider the duties of the apothecary and priest to be a lost art since the destruction of the 2nd Temple. However, Yeshua spoke of another temple (His body) in which believers are members of and are to be a priest unto. 1 Peter 2:5 says,
“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”
Today, the ancient art of perfumery and apothecary is being restored.

Ancient Art of Extracting Oils – How Essential Oils are Produced Today

For more information about healing biblical essential oils, please visit http://HealWithOil.com.

According to Miriam Stead author of “Egyptian Life” the process of distillation using steam was not known for the extraction of essences but there were three techniques available for producing perfumes from flowers, fruits and seeds. She writes “There was effleurage the Saturation of layers of fat with perfume by steeping flowers in the fat and replacing them when their perfume was spent. In this way, the Egyptians were able to create creams and pomades.

The Original Coneheads
A popular form of pomade was the so-called cosmetic cone which was worn on top of the head. Those frequently represented in banqueting scenes worn not only by the guests but also by the servants. The cone was usually white with streaks of orange brown running from its top. The coloring represented the perfume with which the cone was impregnated. As the evening progressed the cone would melt and the scented oil run down over the wig and garment creating a pleasing scent and no doubt a sticky mess. Throughout the course of an evening it became necessary to renew the scent on the cones and the tomb scenes show servants circulating among the guests replenishing the perfumed cream.

A popular late-night comedy television show called “Saturday Night Live” use to include an skit of a family with Coneheads. I am sure the writers of this routine thought they were being original although ‘cone shape’ heads was all the rage in ancient Egypt.
The second process for creating perfume was maceration that is dipping flowers, herbs or fruits into fats or oils heated to a temperature of about 65 degrees Celsius. This technique is depicted in a number of tomb scenes. The flowers or fruits were pounded in mortars and then stirred into the oil which was kept hot on a fire. The mixture was sieved and allowed to cool. It might then be shaped into balls or cones or if liquid poured into vessels. An alternative process may have been to macerate the flowers in water, cover the vessel with a cloth impregnated with fat and boil the contents of the vessel until all the perfumes had evaporated, fixing them in the fat which was then scraped off the cloth. This technique is still used by Peoples living near the source of the Nile.
Thirdly, there was the possibility of expressing the flowers or seeds. This process was borrowed from the manufacture of wine and oil. The material to be pressed was placed in a bag with a stick attached to each end. The sticks were twisted by a group of workmen. This technique was not used often as most recipes specify either maceration or enfleurage.”

How Essential Oils Are Produced Today
Producing essential oils continues to take a lot of work. It takes sixty thousand Rose blossoms to produce one ounce of Rose oil, whereas Lavender is easier to obtain and yields approximately 7 pounds of oil from two-hundred and twenty pounds of dried flowers. The Sandalwood tree must be thirty years old and over thirty feet tall before it can be cut down for distillation. Myrrh, Frankincense, and Benzoin oils are extracted from the gum resins of their respective trees. While citrus fruits such as Orange, Lemon and Lime are squeezed from the peel of their fruits. Cinnamon essential oil comes from the bark of the tree (and leaf) and Pine oil comes from the needles and twigs. Other flowers must be picked by hand early in the morning before the sun rises and heats up, evaporating the essential oil within its petals.

Hence, you can understand the variation in pricing of various essential oils on the market. There is a variety of ways in which essential oils are extracted. The most common methods steam distillation, solvent extraction, expression, effleurage and maceration.

Steam distillation involves using steam to pull essential oils from the plant by suspending the plant material over water in a sealed container, which is then brought to the boil. The steam containing the volatile essential oil is run through a cooler, and when it condenses the liquid is collected. The essential oil appears as a thin film on top of the liquid, as water and essential oils do not mix.

The essential oil is then separated from the water by collecting in a small vial and the water into a large vat.
Solvent extraction involves using little heat, in order to preserve the oil which would otherwise be destroyed or altered during steam distillation. Plant material is dissolved in a liquid solvent of hepane, hexane, or methylene chloride as a suitable perfume solvent, which absorbs the smell, color and wax of the plant. After removing the plant material, the solvent is boiled off under a vacuum to help separate the essential oil. This can be achieved since the solvent evaporates quicker, which leaves a substance called ‘concrete.’ The concrete is mixed with alcohol to aid in filtering the waxes. The next process is to distill the alcohol away, which leaves an ‘absolute.’ The word ‘absolute’ will appear on the label of some bottled essential oils although they still contain 2-3 per cent of the solvent, therefore are not considered pure essential oil.

Citrus oils is expressed rather than distilled. Within citrus fruits such as Orange, Lemon, Lime and Grapefruit the essential oil is located in little sacs just under the surface of the rind. The oils need to be squeezed out or expressed from the peels and seeds. This is achieved by letting the fruit roll over a conveyor that has small needles coming outpiercing the little oil pockets in the citrus rind. The oil runs out and is caught and filtered.
As mentioned before effleurage is an ancient method of extracting oils that is rarely used today because of its long, complicated and expensive process. Fragrant blooms were placed upon sheets of warm animal fat (or long sheets of vegetable fat) which absorbed the essential oil. As flowers are exhausted, they are replaced with fresh blossoms. This process is repeated until the sheet of fat is saturated with fragrance and is separated with solvents leaving only the essential oil.

Macerated oils are not pure essential oils as they are ‘carrier’ oils. Plant material is gathered and chopped, then added to either sunflower or olive oil. The mixture is stirred for a while, then placed in the sunlight for several days. This process transfers all of the soluble components in the plant material including the essential oil then is carefully filtered. This process leaves a carrier oil infused with essential oil.

Holy Smoke – Temple Incense and What It Represents (Hebrew acronym)

Just as the Holy Incense was to be burnt perpetually, we are to pray continually and be ready to pray at any time as needs arise,

“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

Burning the resins on hot coals is reminiscent of the fiery trials we face from time to time. When the testing of our faith becomes difficult we immediately cry toward Heaven for help.  And, like the heat of the coals that release the aroma of the incense instantly, our prayers in times of need are instantly released.  This is when Elohim (God) turns a bitter experience into something sweet.

Teshuvah or true repentance is the ability to restructure a new life out of the raw ingredients we are given to work with and transform it into a sweet fragrance pleasing to Him.

And Yahweh is there, expecting our prayer and ready to “meet with thee” (Exodus 30: 6).  When He hears our prayer, He responds. He gets great joy when we seek Him out in fervent pray,

“Ointment and perfume (incense) rejoice the heart.” (Proverbs 27:9)

The Torah states that this is the most powerful form of offering – because it has the power of life and death.

In the Midrash (Tanchuma, Tetzaveh 14), the letters of the word Qetoret can be read as an acronym: q (Koof), j (Tet), r (Reysh) and a t (Tav). This acrostic starts with the letter q for vd,qo Qodesh, which means holiness and the letter represents the back of the head or last. j is for hr’h\j’ Tohorah which means purify and the letter j means, to surround.  r is for ~x;r; Racham which means Mercy and the letter r  means head or the highest. The final letter t is for hw”q.Ti Tikvah which means hope and the letter t means covenant, sign or cross. When you put it all together, it says:

Koof (Behind/back of the Head – last)

Tet (Surround)

Resh (Head or the highest)

Tav (Covenant, Sign, Cross)

He is the head of the body and it is his holiness that purifies us and surrounds us with His love.  His mercy offers us hope and it is through His covenant on the cross that we can enter into His presence. Simply put, “Yahweh has got your back.”

Temple Incense: A Chip Off The Ole Block

When all the ingredients of the Holy Incense are mixed together they produce something that is very precious, pleasing and holy to Yahweh.

 The priests of ancient Israel gathered the ingredients, which were crushed to a powder, weighed out, mixed together and melted down into a large block which was more easily transported.

 “And thou shall make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.” (Exodus 30:36)

 Each day the High Priest would chip off some of the solid block, crush it into fine powder and pour it over red hot coals to release the beautiful fragrant smoke.

 Like that large block of incense, there is just so much to pray about that we cannot cover everything in one session. 

 In our own prayer time, all we can do is chip off a little each day and crush it to powder by getting down to the fine detail. By praying for specific events, individual people, their needs and well-being our prayers are refined, rather than praying in broad and meaningless statements. Seasoned with salt, our prayers are to be enduring, as a reminder of the perpetual covenant between God and Israel which He renews daily and confirms.

 Should we see our lives on a “large” annual scale, or should we see them on a relatively “tiny” daily scale? The essence is to live each day to the fullest, paying attention to all the ingredients that go into making them up. This includes seeing the ingredients that don’t smell so good as an important part of life.

 And then, when we get to Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, we can look back on a year full of full days. By Yom Kippur, our Qetoret (incense) will already have been ground and our prayer life is refined with knowing how to pray when we enter the throne room.

To purchase a copy of Rebecca’s latest book, Qetoret: The Fragrance of Prayer, from which this excerpt was taken, please visit her website: http://HealWithOil.com. She also has pure resins and essential oils of the ingredients of the Holy (Exodus 30) Incense.

Onycha in the Holy Incense (Bible – Temple Incense Series)

Mystery and debate surrounds what is known as Onycha. Some believe it to be of plant origin, while others believe it to be from the finger-like operculum, or the closing flap of certain snails. Rashi, a great Jewish scholar, believed Onycha to be a kind of root that grew from the ground. Some suggest it is extracted from a Styrax benzoin, a type of resin used in the Tabernacle for incense in ancient biblical times.  The Encyclopedia of Bible Plants (F Nigel Hepper 1992) agrees that onycha is more likely to be a plant resin. Rabbi Gamaliel (whom the Apostle Paul studied under) believed it to be part of the plant species and said, “The balm of Onycha required for the incense exudes from the balsam trees.”  The Jewish Talmud, whose Hebrew is of a later date than the scriptures, refers to the substance as tsiporen, which means fingernail and seems to be related to sh’chalim, meaning cress, a type of plant.

 The Hebrew word for Onycha is tl,xev. Shecheleth and refers to a resin with a nail-like shine, claw or hoof. For this reason, others believe it is an aromatic from the operculum of a shell fish, i.e., the claw or nail of the strombus or wing-shell, a univalve common in the Red Sea (the same mussel from which the blue dye for the Tzitzits (fringes) was obtained).  The Greek word from the Septuagint ‘onyx’ also adds confusion.  Onyx is an agate with a fingernail like opacity that has for some reason been associated with a claw shaped shellfish. 

 Onycha, as a plant derivative is highly aromatic and is credited as having great medicinal properties which seems to be the most likely ingredient for the sacred incense when considering the healing effect prayer has. 

 Tzori alludes to the Torah which is a balm that brings healing to the entire body.  Onycha was valued anciently for its ability to speed healing of wounds and to help prevent infection.

Holy Incense

In the Torah we find the commandment concerning the Qetoret immediately following the Anointing Oil:

Yahweh said to Moses: Take for yourself spices ­- stacte, onycha, galbanum, [as well as other specified] spices, and pure frankincense ­- equal amounts of each. [Grind each spice separately and then] blend [them together as] a Qetoret [incense] compound, the work of a master perfumer, well-blended, free of all impurity, and holy. Pulverize a small portion of [the Qetoret daily] and place it [on the Golden Altar] before the [Ark of] Testimony in the Communion Tent where I commune with you. It shall have the highest degree of holiness for you [Kodesh Kadashim]. With regard to the Qetoret you are to make, do not duplicate its formula for your personal use. It must remain set aside for Yahweh. If a person makes it to enjoy its fragrance, he shall be cut off [spiritually] from his people (Exodus 30:34-38).

The Jewish Encyclopedia describes incense as “an aromatic substance which exhales perfume during combustion; the odor of spices and gums burned as an act of worship.”

Incense was burnt ceremonially on an altar before the mercy seat in the Tabernacle.  This particular formula for Holy Incense was made only for the worship of the Lord and required certain rituals in preparation.

According to the Temple Institute, “The method, or recipe, for preparing the special incense offering from was a closely-guarded secret, passed down from generation to generation within the ranks of one particular family known as Avtinas.

In addition to the identity of the spices and the exact amounts and manner in which they are prepared, the clan protected another important secret of their trade: The identity of an herb known in Hebrew as ma’aleh ashan, literally “that which causes smoke to rise.” This herb has a quality which enabled the smoke from the incense to rise up to heaven in a straight column.” It was forbidden to make Holy Incense just for pleasure of the senses.

Yahweh gave strict instructions how it was to be used in Exodus 30:1, 6-9:

“And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon:…And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.  And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.  And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.  Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.”

In Exodus 30:34-38, Yahweh provided a recipe from which the incense was to be prepared:

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:  And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.  And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD. Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.”

In this passage of Scripture, we find specific instructions on what ingredients are to be used in preparing the Holy Incense, how it is to be compounded, and are warned against using it improperly or treating it common. It should be simple in fact, to duplicate. But in reality, it isn’t. After careful study of the names of each substance, the actual knowledge of what these ingredients are has been lost. Many different opinions, often contradictory ones have been set forth as to the identity of the ingredients in the Holy Incense.  We will take a closer look and examine each one carefully.

According to the Torah, the Qetoret (Holy Incense) contained equal proportions of Nataph-Balsam/Stacte, Shechelet-Onycha, Chelbenah-Galbanum and Levonah Zakah-pure Frankincense.

While the Torah only mentions four main spices in the Holy Incense, it is recorded in the Sages of another seven, making a total of eleven spices according to the Oral Tradition. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan gives a detailed explanation of how the extra seven are alluded to in the “terse language of the written Torah:”

“Since the Torah does not designate what they are, it seems obvious that the first mention of the word “spices” (after “take for yourself”) would denote two different spices, since the minimum number that the plural form “samim” can be is two.

Then we have the balsam, onycha and galbanum, bringing us to a total of five. The Torah then mentions samim again to tell us that in addition to these five there were another additional five. This doubles the amount, making a total of ten. If the second samim only denoted two, the Torah would have said, “Take for yourself spices – balsam, onycha…”

Since the Torah divides them, it means that they were not the same. Therefore, the first time the word samim is mentioned denotes two spices; the second time it denotes five. Therefore, from the two times that the word samim occurs, we learn that there were seven spices besides the four mentioned in the Torah, making a total of eleven (see Kaplan, Torah Anthology, Volume 9, pp. 311-312).”

The Mishnah tells us the Qetoret was made up of eleven spices: “There were seventy measures each of balsam, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense. There were sixteen measures each of myrrh, cassia, spikenard, and saffron. There were twelve measures of costus, three measures of aromatic bark, and nine measures of cinnamon.” In addition, other spices used to prepare the Qetoret included: nine kabin  (quart) of Karshina lye which was used to rub the onycha with to make it more pleasant and three se’in and three kabin (quart) of Cyprus wine to soak the onycha in to make it more pungent. There was a fourth of a kab (cup) of Sodom salt, and a small quantity of smoke-producing herb. Jordan Amber, foam from the Jordan River was used to prevent the incense from sticking to the mortar and pestle. Rabbi Nathan of Babylon added, “If one omitted from or added to the original eleven spices, he was liable the death penalty.”

The Torah does include very explicit instructions in the manner in which the Qetoret (Holy Incense) is used; in fact, if misused the punishment is Karet, or spiritual excision.

The following excerpt was taken from “Qetoret: The Fragrance of Prayer” by Rebecca Park Totilo. To purchase a copy of her latest book, please visit her website http://RATW.org or http://HealWithOil.com. A free CD of an audio teaching on this topic is also included when purchased at her website.

Qetoret: The Fragrance of Prayer

The burning of the Qetoret (Holy Incense) was central to all of the ceremonies conducted in the Temple as key component required under the Law of Moses. As a closely-guarded secret passed down from generation to generation, this particular formula for Holy Incense was made only for the worship of the Lord and required certain rituals in preparation. In this exhaustive study, Rebecca identifies the spices used and the exact amounts and manner in which they were prepared and presented in ceremony. In Qetoret: The Fragrance of Prayer, you will learn the importance of “burning your Holy Incense before God” and the necessary ingredients for effectual prayer. Discover what each ingredient of the Qetoret (Holy Incense) symbolizes and how your prayer can be a sweet savour to our Heavenly Father and bring change to your current situation or circumstance.

Book Excerpt: Temple Service

The burning of the tr,joq. Qetoret (Holy Incense) was central to all of the ceremonies conducted in the Temple as a key component required under the Law of Moses. Situated near the Arabian Peninsula along the spice route, large amounts of incense could easily be imported, where Israelites were well acquainted with the use of incense in religious worship having coming from the land of Egypt.

When Moses received instruction to build the tabernacle he was told to include an altar on which his brother Aaron was to burn incense every morning and every evening throughout all of Israel’s generations. Each morning when the menorah was cleaned and each evening when the lamp was lit, a priest burned the Qetoret (Holy Incense) on the small Golden Altar in the center of the sanctuary (Exodus 30:8).

The altar of incense, upon which the priests burned the Holy Incense was made of shittim wood, overlaid with gold and had four horns upon its corner, similar to Canaanite altars found in Palestine.

Incense in a covered vessel called a Bazach was brought in by the Cohen and placed inside another spoon-like vessel called a Kaf then covered with a cloth. A second Cohen performed the Avodah of the Mahtah (the pan), which the priest carried in his hand.

Aaron carried the incense using a pan he offered for the sins of the people in Numbers 17:11-12.  Both of Aaron’s sons had his own pan (Leviticus 10:1) as well as the insubordinate Levites who sacrificed incense on pans, which were used afterward to cover the altar of burnt offering of the Tabernacle (Numbers 17:4). Apparently, every priest had his own censer.

Using tongs or a golden censer, the priests removed hot coals from the altar of sacrifice and placed them upon the altar of incense twice daily, after which the incense would be sprinkled upon. The prominent position of the altar of incense in the Holy Place was directly before the veil of the tabernacle or Temple.

A special offering of incense was made on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:12-13), in which the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) entered the Holy Place, carrying in his right hand the pan for the incense, filled with live coals, and in his left hand the spoon-like kaf, containing the incense. After placing both of these utensils on the floor, the High Priest took the incense from the kaf with the hollow of his hand, and heaped it upon the pan containing the coals (Leviticus 16:12).

The High Priest then placed blood from the sacrifice upon the four horns of the altar of incense, foreshadowing the time when Yeshua, our High Priest would offer his own life for the sins of all mankind. Then the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies, where he burned incense in a gold censer, just as our Messiah is in the presence of Yahweh on His throne in Heaven (Hebrew 9:6-15).  

The Rabbis teach that the incense that was com-pounded weighed: 368 maneh [measures] – 365 of these corresponded to the number of days in the solar year, one measure a day, half in the morning and half towards evening.  Once a year, a new batch was prepared, allowing for one maneh (approximately five pounds) to be burnt twice daily, once as part of the Shacharit (morning) service and once as part of the Mincha / Musaf (afternoon) service. Three manot were reserved for Yom Kippur.  Any amount leftover after Yom Kippur, the amount used being dependent on the size of each High Priest’s hand (Leviticus 16:12), was added to the next year’s batch. Every 70 years or so, enough excess accumulated to require only half the amount of Qetoret be prepared.

The other three measures were those that the Cohen Gadol or High Priest would bring into the Holy of Holies as a double handful on Yom Kippur. He would replace them in the mortar on the eve of Yom Kippur and regrind them thoroughly to make the Qetoret compound extra fine.

In addition to the daily burning of incense, incense was added to sacrifices, such as the meat and flour offerings.  The incense offering was omitted only in two cases – with the sin offering of the poor (Leviticus 5:11-13) and with the meat offering of the lepers (Leviticus 14:10, 20).

Like the cloudy pillar from which Yahweh spoke to the children of Israel during the Exodus, the burning incense rose in a pillar of smoke before the ark from which Yahweh communed with the priest. 

For more information, visit http://www.RATW.org or http://HealWithOil.com.

Temple Service – High Priest & Burning Holy Incense (Qetoret)

The burning of the Qetoret (Holy Incense) was central to all of the ceremonies conducted in the Temple as key component required under the Law of Moses. Situated near the Arabian Peninsula along the spice route, large amounts of incense could easily be imported, where Israelites were well acquainted with the use of incense in religious worship having coming from the land of Egypt.

When Moses received instruction to build the tabernacle he was told to include an altar on which his brother Aaron was to burn incense every morning and every evening throughout all of Israel’s generations. Each morning when the menorah was cleaned and each evening when the lamp was lit, a priest burned the Qetoret (Holy Incense) on the small Golden Altar in the center of the sanctuary (Exodus 30:8).

The altar of incense, upon which the priests burned the Holy Incense was made of shittim wood, overlaid with gold and had four horns upon its corner, similar to Canaanite altars found in Palestine.

Incense was offered in a pan called mahtah, which the priest carried in his hand.  Aaron carried the incense using a pan he offered for the sins of the people in Numbers 17:11-12.  Both of Aaron’s sons had his own pan (Leviticus 10:1) as well as the insubordinate Levites who sacrificed incense on pans, which were used afterward to cover the altar of burnt offering of the Tabernacle (Numbers 17:4). Apparently, every priest had his own censer.

Using tongs or a golden censer, the priests removed hot coals from the altar of sacrifice and placed them upon the altar of incense twice daily, after which the incense would be sprinkled upon. The prominent position of the altar of incense in the Holy Place was directly before the veil of the tabernacle or Temple.

A special offering of incense was made on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:12-13), in which the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) entered the Holy Place, carrying in his right hand the pan for the incense, filled with live coals, and in his left hand a spoon-like vessel, called kaf, containing the incense. After placing both of these utensils on the floor, the High Priest took the incense from the kaf with the hollow of his hand, and heaped it upon the pan containing the coals (Leviticus 16:12).

The High Priest then placed blood from the sacrifice upon the four horns of the altar of incense, foreshadowing the time when Yeshua, our High Priest would offer his own life for the sins of all mankind. Then the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies, where he burned incense in a gold censer, just as our Messiah is in the presence of Yahweh on His throne in Heaven (Hebrew 9:6-15).  

The Rabbis teach that the incense that was com-pounded weighed: 368 maneh [measures] – 365 of these corresponded to the number of days in the solar year, one measure a day, half in the morning and half towards evening.  Once a year, a new batch was prepared, allowing for one maneh (approximately five pounds) to be burnt every day (half in the morning, half in the evening) and three manot reserved for Yom Kippur.  Any amount leftover after Yom Kippur, the amount used being dependent on the size of each High Priest’s hand (Leviticus 16:12), was added to the next year’s batch. Every 70 years or so, enough excess accumulated to require only half the amount of Qetoret be prepared.

The other three measures were those that the Cohen Gadol or High Priest would bring into the Holy of Holies as a double handful on Yom Kippur. He would replace them in the mortar on the eve of Yom Kippur and regrind them thoroughly to make the Qetoret compound extra fine.

In addition to the daily burning of incense, incense was added to sacrifices, such as the meat and flour offerings.  The incense offering was omitted only in two cases – with the sin offering of the poor (Leviticus 5:11-13) and with the meat offering of the lepers (Leviticus 14:10, 20).

Like the cloudy pillar from which Yahweh spoke to the children of Israel during the Exodus, the burning incense rose in a pillar of smoke before the ark from which Yahweh communed with the priest. 

As it was then, so it is today. God can only be approached through prayer, with a sincere heart of thanksgiving and worship. Prayer, like incense is the power to pierce through the darkness of hopelessness and take us into the very presence of God. 

From the altar of sacrifice, our savior who suffered and offered himself as the perfect sacrifice did so willingly, so we could have accessed to the Father. The altar where the incense was burnt, located before the mercy seat, represents Yahweh’s throne and our High Priest, Yeshua Ha Mashiach, who has access because of the rent veil (Matthew 27:31), continues to make intercession on our behalf before the Father. 

Allow the coals of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) to burn away the dross and sin that hinders communion with God.  He will reveal those things we should pray and what we should ask, according to His will.

Spiritual Significance of the Holy Incense (Qetoret)

In an article entitled, “The Spiritual Significance of the Qetoret (Incense) in Ancient Jewish Tradition,” author Rabbi Avraham Sutton describes the momentous archeological discovery of the Holy Incense:

“In March 1988, Vendyl Jones and his team of Bnei Noah volunteers found a clay juglet about five inches in height in a cave in Qumran, just west of the northern end of the Yam HaMelach (Dead Sea). The juglet contained a reddish oil. It is believed to be the only surviving sample of the balsam oil that was prescribed in the Torah for anointing the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and its vessels, as well as the Cohanim-Priests and Kings of Israel. The oil, when found, had a honey-like consistency. The juglet in which it was found was wrapped in palm leaves and carefully concealed in a 3-foot deep pit which preserved it from looting and the extreme climatological extremes of the area.

In April 1992, Vendyl and his team discovered 600 kilos of “reddish-brown organic substance” in a carefully sealed rock silo in another part of the Qumran cave complex. Subsequent palynological analysis determined that this reddish-brown substance contains traces of at least eight of the eleven spices that were used in the manufacture of the Pitum HaQetoret (Incense Mixture) and burned in the Temple.

In 1994, the incense spices were presented to Rabbi Yehudah Getz of blessed memory, late Chief Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Places in Israel. A sample was also given to Rabbi Ovadiah Yoseph. Rabbi Ovadiah had his own chemist analyze the mixture to confirm its organic nature. Then both rabbis requested that Vendyl Jones “burn” some of the incense for scientific purposes (not with fire but with hydrochloric acid). At their suggestion, he had the spices combined together with the Sodom Salt and Karshina Lye which were also found stored separately in the cave in Qumran.

The results were astonishing. Although the spices had lost some of their potency over the two millennia since their burial, it was still powerful. The residue of its fragrance lingered in the vicinity for several days following the experiment. Several people present reported that their hair and clothing retained the aroma. More amazing, the area in which the spices were burned changed. It had been infested with a variety of flies, ants, moths and other insects. After the Qetoret was burned, no sign of these pests was seen for quite a while. This is reminiscent of the Mishnah in Avot (5:5) which states that there were no flies in the area of the Temple, nor was a snake or scorpion ever able to harm anyone anywhere in Jerusalem as long as the Temple stood.

Rabbi Avraham Sutton stated he work with Vendyl Jones in 1995 and met Avraham Sand of Tiferet International Aromatherapy, a master perfumer who was able to authenticate and obtain nine of the original eleven incense spices and reproduce them in the form of essential oils. In essence, Sand was able to parallel Vendyl’s discoveries of both the Anointing Oil and Qetoret in Qumran. His work was supervised under the rabbinical guidance of Rabbi Menachem Burstein, the foremost Jewish authority on the botany and chemistry of Temple artifacts. This was done in order to sidestep the strict prohibition against experimentation with the various plant materials in their original form. Rabbi Burstein advised him that there is no prohibition whatsoever against enjoying the essential oil extracts of these same botanicals.

“By getting back in touch with the mystery of the Qetoret, and unearthing its ancient secrets,” Rabbi Avraham suggests, “we can awaken something else in ourselves that is sorely needed at this time.”

For more information about the biblical essential oils and fragrances of the bible, please visit my website http://HealWithOil.com or http://RATW.org. Rebecca at the Well Foundation is a Judeo-Christian organization devoted to preparing the bride for the Messiah’s return.  Rebecca Park Totilo is available to come and speak with your group on the Qetoret: The Fragrance of Prayer or another topic. Please contact her today.