Let my prayer be as incense before You

Tetzaveh
Exodus 27:20-30:10

Précis: The parasha continues with a description of ritual items in the Tabernacle, including oil for the lamp, priestly clothing, the ephod, breastplate, robes, plate, and miter. Aaron and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar are designated as Priests and are consecrated with sacrifices and ceremony. The parasha concludes with a description of the daily sacrifices and incense to be offered at the Tabernacle.

Exodus 30:7 “And Aaron shall burn on the incense alter incense of sweet spices; every morning, when he dresses the lamps, he shall burn it.”

Incense had a significant part to play in the daily ritual of the mishkan, but, except for the use of spices at Havdalah, it has largely disappeared from Jewish ritual life.

Based on a phrase from Psalms 141:2 ("Let my prayer be as incense before You") rabbinic commentators viewed incense as a metaphor for prayer. Perhaps the physical rising of the smoke from burning incense was seen as representative of prayer rising to the heavens.

In any case, the connection between incense and prayer is quite clear in the commentaries. One midrash suggests that the four letters of the Hebrew word for incense (k'toret) stand for four qualities of true prayer: Kidushah (holiness), T'harah (purity), Rachamim (pity), and Tikvah (hope).

So while we no longer burn incense in our congregations, we read about the practice and can understand it as guide to how we can approach prayer with true kavanah (intention).