קול רם – 30:1 “ועשית מזבח מקטר קטרת עצי שטים תעשה אתו”
“You shall make a Mizbe’ach on which to bring incense up in smoke, of shittim wood shall you make it.” Why was this Parshah of the Mizbe’ach Haktores, written only at the end of the entire completion of the Mishkan and its Keilim? Additionally, why is it stated last here, while in Parshas Vayakhel, we find that first they made the Mizbe’ach Haktores, and only after that did they make the Mizbe’ach Ha’Olah? The Ketores had a great positive effect upon the entire world. As we see, the smell of the Ketores that was in Yerushalayim could be smelled all the way to Yericho, as the Mishnah in Tamid 3:8 says that in Yericho, they were able to smell the Ketores. The Gemara in Yuma 39b tells us that the Kallahs in Yerushalayim did not need to adorn themselves with perfume, for the smell of the Ketores would make them smell good and there was no need for perfume. Similarly, man must be like a smell in three ways: smell comes to a person even against his will; it can reach faraway places; and it could save one from being harmed, and / or even potentially death – for when one smells something which can be potentially harmful, the smell will warn him not to consume it. However, if not for the smell, he would potentially eat the toxic food and it would kill him. One who is leading the nation must certainly have these Middos. He must have a great impact on his students. It is not enough for one’s Talmidim to learn from him while he is in front of them, but they must be able to learn from him even when he is not in front of him. One must have a positive impact on his Talmidim, even against their will. One must also have a great impact on the Torah study of his Talmidim, and all matters of Torah and Mitzvos, so that the Talmidim know at all times what to do and what not to do. This was the job of Aharon Hakohen. Thus, the Torah did not tell us about the Mizbe’ach Haktores, which were the lessons that Aharon Hakohen needed, until Aharon was chosen as Kohen Gadol – and thus, was written after everything else in the Mishkan.
