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.” The Ketores consisted of nice smelling spices, that were burned to cause incense to rise. There were eleven spices, and all of them smelled good except for one – the חלבנה. The Gemara tells us that this spice was a Remez to the sinners of Klal Yisroel, as they too must be included amongst Klal Yisroel. Why by the Ketores must we include the sinners of Klal Yisroel? The following Divrei Torah will expound on this topic and support the P’shat offered in the closing paragraph.
עוד יוסף חי – 30:7
“והקטיר עליו אהרן קטורת סמים” – “Upon it Aharon shall bring the spice incense up in smoke.” The Ketores consisted of eleven different spices and one of them is the, “חלבנה” which Chazal tell us has a terrible smell. The reason why it is included in the list of spices for the Ketores is to teach us that even the sinners amongst Klal Yisroel must be included in our Avodah to Hakodosh Boruch Hu, as stated in Meseches Krisus 6a. One can say that the חלבנה is an add on to the Ketores, on top of the other spices. In other words, we have ten main spices, and then there is one add-on, the חלבנה, that has a bad smell. There is a well-known story about the בעל ההפלאה when he was trying to get a Minyan in his house. He had ten people there, but one of them he did not want to count as part of the Minyan, and insisted that another person be brought in so that he would have a Minyan – ten people, plus one who did not count as part of the Minyan. The person went over to the בעל ההפלאה and asked him: Isn’t the חלבנה, which has a bad smell, included in the incense of the Ketores? The בעל ההפלאה answered: It is true that it is counted, however, we need to do as the Mishna tells us, “אחד עשר סממנים היו בה” – there were eleven spices in it. (He was answering that it was counted – but only as the eleventh one – meaning that it was not counted in the ten – but was an add-on). The Gemara says that the חלבנה was counted with the other spices. Why does the Gemara say that it was counted with the other spices, implying that it was not part of the original group, but was also counted along with it? Why not just say that it was part of the spices? (The Maharsha asks this question as well). The purpose of the חלבנה was not to ruin the incense of the other ten, rather the good ones themselves need the bad, as it is said, light it is only apparent amongst darkness. Thus, first there needed to be a complete ten good smelling spices, a Minyan of ten spices so that it would be solidified as a good smell. It is only once that is there, then you can add also the חלבנה, the sinners of Klal Yisroel, for then it enhances the Tefilos and the Avodah of the rest of Klal Yisroel who are K’sheirim. By mixing in the חלבנה, it makes the quality of all the incense better, for then one can see how great and strong the smell is, that even when there is חלבנה in there, a foul-smelling spice, it is completely nullified to the good smell from the others. It takes away nothing from the good ones, and just adds to it, for the good completely overpowers the bad. We find this concept in the creation of the world as well, as the Posuk says, “וירא אלקים את האור כי טוב ויבדל אלקים בין האור ובין החושך” – when Hakodosh Boruch Hu saw the light that it was good, He did not dispel the darkness, instead he separated the darkness, so that it would be clear to all that the light is good. This is what we say here regarding the חלבנה, that through the wicked acts of the Resha’im, it highlights the praise and greatness of the acts of the Tzaddikim.
