Commentary for Shevuot 20:11

א"ל קטורת קאמרת שאני קטורת

The remainder of the incense - what was done with it?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The incense (Ex. XXX, 34-36) was compounded from eleven ingredients: balm, onycha, galbanum, frankincense (in quantities of seventy manehs each in weight) , myrrh, cassia, spikenard, saffron (sixteen manehs each) , costus (twelve manehs) , aromatic bark (three manehs) , and cinnamon (nine manehs) - altogether 368 manehs, one for each day of the year (half in the morning, and half in the evening) and three extra for the Day of Atonement (v. Ker. 6a) . But in an ordinary lunar year there were 11 manehs over (the lunar year being 354 days) ; and though these 11 manehs were necessary for supplementing the incense in intercalary years, they had to be bought from the new donations every 1st of Nisan');">¹⁵</span> The wages of the workmen were allocated [from the Temple treasury],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Omit in the text. The workmen were the family of Abtinas who were skilled in compounding the incense for the Temple: Yoma 38a.');">¹⁶</span> and the extra incense was exchanged for this money, and given to the workmen as their wages, and was then re-bought [from them] with the new donations.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The incense, having been exchanged for the money, became hullin, and could be re-bought with the donations of the new year, becoming holy again, and valid for the new year.');">¹⁷</span> Now why [should this procedure be permitted]? Let us say, 'whither has the holiness in them departed'?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And not permit the incense which had once been holy to become hullin; yet we do not say this. It is assumed at present that the mortar in which the incense is pounded, being a holy vessel, makes the incense bodily holy.');">¹⁸</span> - He said to him: You argue from incense! Incense is different,

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