141

Because the Sound is Good for the Spices:

A Brief Note on Pittum ha-Ketoret
By: DAVID S FARKAS

It is recited around the world on a regular basis, often as much as

three times a day. A wide range of traditions are associated with it
and the text is among the most frequently requested items in the
Jewish scribes catalogue. Yet for all of this, it remains one of the
least understood of all the daily prayers. Of course, we can be
speaking only of Pittum ha-Ketoret.
Pittum ha-Ketoret refers to the preparation of the incense that
was offered twice daily upon the golden altar inside the Temple.
The precise method of preparation was complex, so complex, in
fact, that it was a closely guarded secret. According to the Talmudic
account, the priestly family of Avtinas was responsible for preparing the mixture, and successive generations of the family refused to
divulge their method.
It would appear that this method, or at least the one aspect of it
I wish to focus upon, still remains a secret. I am referring specifically to one cryptic statement in the standard Pittum ha-Ketoret text
found in ordinary prayer books. This passage is not actually a prayer per se, but rather a detailed description of the preparation process
and ingredients that made up the incense, along with related observations. As we will show below, the version found in most siddurim differs in some significant ways from the Talmudic text upon
which it is based. The cornerstone of our inquiry, however, is the
following single sentence, which appears in all of them:

.
________________________________________________________
David S Farkas received his rabbinic ordination from Ner Israel
Rabbinical College in 1999. A Toronto native, he lives with his
family in Cleveland, OH, where he serves as in-house labor counsel
for an Ohio-based corporation.

142 : Hakirah, the Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought

It was taught: Rabbi Nathan said, when he would grind the incense he would say, Grind it fine, finely grind it because the
sound [or voice] is good for incense.

Kol can mean either sound or voice, i.e., speech. So in what

sense can either sound or speech be beneficial for incense? Can
sound waves (if hazal were aware of them) help the grinding process? Does the fragrance of spices become intensified when the
grinding process is accompanied by sound? Or does it simply mean
that words of encouragement, like a personal trainer helping an athlete, are helpful towards ensuring that the spices are ground properly? The standard siddur commentaries offer no comment. So what
does this passage mean? If my informal polling is representative,
most of us have no idea.
Although our liturgy is filled with many difficult passages, most
of these arise in infrequent services, or in prayers recited upon special occasions only. It is rare to find such a little-understood passage
within the ordinary daily prayer service. Indeed, for years the
meaning of this phrase has troubled me. It bothered me to recite
something so often without knowing what I was saying. Looking to
uncover the meaning of Rabbi Nathans statement, I began to investigate.

The Text
If it is the truth one is looking for in a scholarly pursuit, the first
thing to establish is the correct text. In this case, we must turn our
attention to the Talmudic passage in Keritot 6b. The full discussion
of the incense extends over a full double-sided page, but our concern is only with Rabbi Nathans statement, and the directly relevant source material. What follows is the relevant passage:

"

.
" " "
) ( "
) ( "
' .
. "

Because the Sound is Good for the Spices : 143

The rabbis taught: it [the incense] would be returned to the
mortar for grinding twice a year. In the summer it would be
spread out so as not to become moldy, and in the winter it
would be piled up so that the smell should not dissipate. And
when he would grind, he would say grind it fine, finely grind
it. These are the words of Abba Yose ben Yohanan.
As for the three extra maneh from which the Kohen Gadol
would bring two handfuls [of incense] into the Holy of Holies
on Yom Kippur, he would place them on the mortar prior to
Yom Kippur and grind them especially fine in order that it
should be the finest of the fine. As we learned: What do the
words ground finely mean? Is it not already stated that one
should grind it finewhat, then, do the additional words
ground finely mean? [It means] that the incense must be the
finest of the fine.
The master stated: When he would grind, he would say,
grind it fine, finely grind it. This supports R. Yohanan, for
R. Yohanan said, Just as speech is detrimental to wine, so is
speech beneficial for spices.

Immediately, one familiar with the version found in the prayer

book apprehends differences between that version and the Talmudic source just presented. One notices, for example, that Rabbi Nathans name is not mentioned as the source of the statement under
question. It is quoted, instead, in the name of Abba Yose Ben
Yohanan. This observation is also made by the 18th century writer
R. Abraham ibn Ezra (Henceforth Ibn Ezra, not to be confused
with the medieval Bible exegete of the same name) in his Batei
Kenisiot.1 Ibn Ezra notices the difference between the Talmudic account and the version found in the siddurim, and says he cannot
understand why the arranger of the prayers attributed the statement to R. Nathan.2

1
2

Batei Kenisiot (Salonika 1805) at 116.

According to a Responsa of Radbaz, the arrangers of the prayers composed the sidddur version from an amalgamation of different sources. See
Heshey Zelcer, Abbayes Statement? Establishing the Proper Text and
Context, Hakirah, Vol. 13, p.151.

144 : Hakirah, the Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought

Additionally, one observes that the Talmudic passage never
mentions the word kol. In Keritot, as well as in a parallel passage in
Menahot 87a, Rav Yohanan is reported saying dibbur is beneficial
for spices, not kol. As we shall see in more detail below, the difference between these words is substantial. It is only in the Jerusalem
Talmud (Yoma 4:5) where we find the expression
.

Preliminary Questions
Before turning to the central mystery of how a kol can be beneficial for spice grinding, a number of preliminary questions must be
resolved. First, exactly who is it that utters this formula of grind it
fine, finely grind it? Is it an anonymous foreman, standing over the
grinder? Or is it perhaps the Temple grinder, uttering incantations
to himself? And as alluded to above, precisely what does kol
mean? Is it specifically the sound of a mans voicebe it of the
grinder or the foremanthat was beneficial? Or is the mere presence of sound somehow helpful in the incense-making process?
As to the question of who uttered the phrase, both opinions are
found among the commentaries. Rambam appears to hold, in keeping with the plain sense of the Talmudic passage, that it was the
grinder himself who said the words.3 Rashi, however, commenting
on the passage in Keritot, states that there was a foreman supervising
the grinder, and it was this overseeing foreman who would recite
the formula.4
Interestingly, Rashi seems to contradict himself on this point,
for while in Keritot he writes that the foreman said it, in an important related passage elsewhere he writes that it was the grinder
who said it. Indeed, this touches upon the question of whether the
beneficial kol was specifically speech, or sound in general. In
Arakhin 10b we are told of various Temple instruments with pleasant sounds. The flute is listed, for example, as are a pair of cymbals.
3
4

Klei ha-Mikdash 2:5.

The Jewish Encyclopedia (entry on incense) sides with the Rambam,
stating, the man who performed that work incited himself by repeating
the words, hadek heiteb = make it very fine.

Because the Sound is Good for the Spices : 145

The account relates that in the course of time these instruments became impaired in various ways, such that their sounds were no
longer pleasant. Improvements were attempted, to no avail. Yet
when the various improvements to the instruments were removed, their sweet sound returned again. In the same passage we
learn there was a mortar used in the Temple for grinding spices.
The mortar broke, and so Alexandrian craftsmen were imported to
fix it. Similar to the other two vessels, when it was discovered that
the repairs actually harmed the grinding process, the repairs were
removed, whereupon the mortar once again worked as it had
worked before.
So what then was the sound that was so beneficial for the
spices? In Keritot it states that a mans voice was the helpful addition. Yet in Arakhin it is impliedby association, though not stated
explicitlythat it was the sound of the mortar itself, like the flute
and the cymbals, that was pleasing. In fact, Rashi in Arakhin actually appears to conflate the two. He first comments that the mortar
itself had a pleasing sound, and somehow through this sound the
smell permeated the incense preparation. Yet as a proof text he cites
the passage in Keritot, adding almost parenthetically that it was the
grinder himself who would utter the formula. Thus, Rashi appears
to contradict himself on the point of whether it was the Temple
grinder or a foreman who would utter the formula. At the same
time, Rashi seems to hold that it was either the sound of the grinder
itself or the voiceof either the foreman or the grinderthat was
beneficial to the incense.
The conclusion of the passage in Keritot must also be examined.
Recall that Abba Yose ben Yohanans (or in the prayer book version: R. Nathans) statement was used to support R. Yohanans
view that just as speech is detrimental to wine, so is speech beneficial for spices. Notice that here the word speech is used, rather
than the ambiguous word kol. The fact that speech is detrimental
to wine can be observed, Rashi explains, in the libations process.
When the priests would draw wine for the sacrificial libations, they
would watch carefully to make sure no lees fell into the wine. If lees
appeared on the verge of entering, a foreman would signal by hand
to the one pouring to stop the flow, rather than express this verbally. Clearly, the passage contrasts the benefits of kol with the det-

146 : Hakirah, the Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought

riments of speech, implying that the word kol means speech,
not simply sound.5
The aforementioned Ibn Ezra also notes this strange discrepancy. He resolves it ingeniously, citing yet a third source drawn to his
attention by his father. In Shabbat 58b the Talmud cites a Tosefta in
Kelim, discussing the ritual purity status of a bell, with or without a
clapper, used for mortars. Rashi (loc. cit.) comments that the bell
was helpful for making incense, again citing the proof text from
Keritot. Evidently, Ibn Ezra concludes, any kind of sound is helpful
for the incense-making process. The sound of speech is optimal, and
for this reason the passage in Keritot closes by contrasting the benefits of speech for incense with the detriments of speech for wine.
However, as the other Talmudic passages imply, the sound of the
grinding itselfaided, possibly, by a bell inside the mortarwas
also helpful.
Thus, in sum, the passage may mean that either speech or ordinary sound is helpful to the process; and if is the former, it may
mean either the speech of the Kohen grinding the spices, or of the
overseeing foreman supervising him.

How It Helps
With all of this knowledge, we are in a much better position to understand how exactly the sound could help the spices. At a minimum we may dispense with one of the possibilities I began with,
namely, the suggestion that the passage means nothing more than
that an overseers words of encouragement will ensure proper
grinding. The sources indicate that kol is not necessarily speech,
and further that the kol might not even come from the overseer.
Clearly this is not a viable explanation.
I should begin by observing that in preparation for this article I
contacted several authors of treatises on the science of fragrance and
spices. I asked them if they were aware of any literature or experimental information associating sound with incense. As there are
5

The question of how speech (dibbur) is detrimental to wine is closely related, though not identical, to our own inquiry of how kol can be beneficial for spices, but not the subject of this essay.

Because the Sound is Good for the Spices : 147

some individuals (I suggested in my correspondence) who believe
that speaking to house plants can aid their growth, perhaps speech
or sound can stimulate the incense herbs and spices? To a man, no
one was aware of any such phenomenon. With the exception of one
intriguing possibility I will mention below, it appears that there is
no scientific basis to understand our curious passage.
I was also unable to find any ancient corroborative sources.
Though both Philo and Josephus touch upon the subject of incense
preparation, neither of them mentions this enigmatic detail.6 The
Letter of Aristeas, a 2nd-century-BCE Pseudepigraphical work, contains a description of the Temple and the Temple service. Yet the
author strikes a contrary note to our passage by stating that all of
the Temple service was performed in silence. (... There is no one to
give orders with regard to the arrangement of 95 the sacrifices. [sic]
The most complete silence reigns...) Many have called this assertion into question on the basis of a variety of sources, including
statements of Mishnah Tamid in 1:2-4, 3:2 and elsewhere, indicating
that verbal instructions and orders were all part of the Temple service. If we compare the incense preparation to sacrifices and the
Temple service generally, our passage in Keritot may also be added
to the list of sources undercutting this particular claim of Aristeas.7
With no answer forthcoming from the ancients, one must refine
the searchgrinding it more finely, as it were. Down through the
centuries, several suggestions have been raised to explain this mysterious passage. Most of them seize upon the contrast made between
wine and spices, and propose what might be called metaphysical
explanations. Everyone can reach his own conclusion, but to this
writer, at least, the reasons suggested are not very convincing and
are in some cases unintelligible, at least to this writer.8
6

7
8

See The Jewish Temple (London 1996) citing Philo for the proposition that
the ingredients of the incense are all symbolic of the elements from which
the universe was created. Id. at 121. Cf. the opinion of Josephus (B. J. v. 5,
5; or see Wars, 217-218) that the thirteen ingredients, which come from
the sea, the desert, and the fertile country, are meant to signify that all
things are Gods and are intended for His service.
See Letter of Aristeas, chapters 94 and 95.
Relevant citations include Ben Yehoyoda and Tzon Kodshim to Menachos
87b; Aruch La-Ner to Keritot 6b; R. Pinchas Zivchei (discussed infra) also

148 : Hakirah, the Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought

Very few clear explanations have been offered through the centuries. One explanation, originally suggested by the Kol Bo (circa
14th century) is that the Hebrew formula of hadek heitev emanates
from the depths of the throat (hevel hagaron) and is thus beneficial
for the spices.9 This suggestion does have the merit of being valid
regardless of whether the formula is uttered by the foreman or by
the Temple grinder. Yet this explanation is contingent upon understanding kol as speech, and speech only, whereas we have seen that
it most likely includes all sound generally. Furthermore, according
to this suggestion, one cannot simply say that kol is good for spices,
because it is specifically this throat-based formula that is helpful,
and nothing else.10 Finally, it is unclear how this explains anything,
for it merely begs the question of why this particular formula is
beneficial for spices.
As all roads eventually lead to Rome, all inquiries into this topic
eventually lead back to the suggestions first articulated by an Italian
doctor, Rabbi Avraham b. David Portaleone (15421612) in Shiltei
Giborim. In this most interesting work, the author focuses upon
many aspects of the Temple service, and digresses into much mathematical and pharmacological material. In doing so he cites approximately 100 different authors, including books written in more than
a dozen languages.
R. Avraham proposed two explanations for the meaning of this
passage, which to this day, more than 450 years later, remain the
only two rational explanations (i.e., excluding the aforementioned
metaphysical ones) ever given. Thus it is, for example, in the Ibn
Ezras work on the subject, that the explanations proposed by R.

9
10

cites Baer Yosef to Exodus 30:36; Hida in Petah Einaim to Sanhedrin 70a,
to be contrasted with the Hidas comments in Hadrei Beten to Genesis
#15;. See also Rabbi Yaakov Emden, in his notes to Menahot 87b, writing
that speech is bad for wine because in vito veritas (= ) and so
silence is always best for anything to do with wine. Cf. R. Emdens comments in Siddur Yavetz to the preparation of the incense.
Kol Bo, ed. D. Abraham, Jerusalem, 1990, vol. 2, p. 227 ( 38).
The explanation of the Kol Bo is cited in Yalkut Meam Loez to Exodus
30:36, and the author emphasizes that according to it, only the specific
words used in the Talmudic passage could be used, and no other equivalent formula.

Because the Sound is Good for the Spices : 149

Avraham in Shiltei Giborim are the only explanations presented. In
more modern times, Rabbi Menachem Kasher, in his encyclopedic
Torah Sheleimah, approvingly cites only R. Avrahams explanations.11 Even in our own time, in a massive 1,100 page volume devoted exclusively to ketoret, Rabbi Pinchas Zivichei could cite only
the Shiltei Giborims two proposed reasons as rational explanations
of the passage.12
It should first be noted that R. Avraham first asserts that the
grinder said the grind finely, finely grind formula himself as a
simple means of encouragement (ziruz), precisely the first explanation we rejected above. But R. Avraham appears to recognize that
this could not possibly be all that was intended, because he proceeds
to give two explanations to explain the benefit of kol that have
nothing to do with encouragement. So let us turn to R. Avrahams
proposed explanations.13
R. Avrahams first suggestionperhaps not surprisingly, coming from a doctoris a medical one. According to this suggestion,
the formula used could have been said only by the Temple grinder
himself. The reason is that the grinding process inevitably caused
clouds of dust to swirl about. The benefit of saying these words is
that through the use of a verbal incantation, the grinder would be
forced to exhale. Uttering these words would hence yield a medical
benefit, because they would push the dust out of the throat. Accordingly, when the Talmud says one should do this because the kol
is good for the spices it means it was good to clear out the spices.
The groundwork for this explanation was, of course, laid by the
earlier observation of the Kol Bo, cited above, that the specific formula was laryngeal. R. Avraham uses this observation to explain
precisely why the phrase was beneficial.14

11
12

13
14

See Torah Sheleimah #134 to Exodus 30:36

See Me-Zehav U-me-Paz (Jerusalem 2004). R. Zivichei is a student of R.
Ovadia Yosef.
Shiltei Giborim at 95 (Mantua 1607).
This explanation is also found, apparently independently, in Midrash
Talpiot by R. Eliyah Hakohen (author of Shevet Hamussar) in the entry of
Besamim.

150 : Hakirah, the Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought

This explanation, though certainly ingenious, is replete with difficulties. First, as Ibn Ezra already observed, it makes sense only
according to the view that it was the Temple grinder who said the
phrase, and not the foreman. Although in theory the dust could
enter the foremans lungs as well, it would be much more likely to
enter those of the one grinding the spices. Moreover, this explanation too, is contingent upon kol meaning speech, whereas the preponderance of the Talmudic texts indicates it means any noise
whatsoever.
R. Avraham proposes another possibility. According to this second theory, the benefit could be found in the wind produced
through speech. That is, since, as mentioned above, the grinding
would produce a great deal of dust, there was a strong possibility
that this dust would go to waste. The Temple wanted to avoid such
a waste of time and resources. By speaking these words, therefore,
the foreman or the grinder would somehow direct the swirling incense dust back towards the mortar, and away from the floor. According to this explanation, therefore, when the Talmud says one
should do this because the kol is good for the spices, it means it was
good to make sure the spices werent wasted.
This novel suggestion is also problematic. It shares the same
problems as the other, in that it must describe kol as speech, rather
than sound. And, of course, the doctor does not explain how one
could channel his voice in such a way as to ensure the spices returned from the air into the mortar. Thus, the only two rational
explanations ever proposed to explain this mysterious passage are
shot through with difficulties.15
15

R. Zivichei does draw our attention to an interesting textual issue that

relates to the two proposed explanations, despite their inherent problems
(which R. Zivichei does not address). That is, although we commonly
pronounce the word besamim in the prayer book version with precisely
that pronunciation, there is another version that mandates a pronunciation of bosomim. The former means spices, but the latter may mean
the spice makers. The first suggestion of the Shiltei Giborim, that the
benefit was to clear out the lungs, works with the second version, whereas the explanation that the benefit was to retain as much spice dust as possible works only with the former. In Shaar Ha-Kavonnot of the Ari (p.
329), the Ari insisted that only the former pronunciation of besamim

Because the Sound is Good for the Spices : 151

It might be added, too, that these rational explanations bear the
unmistakable hallmark of the Renaissance and the Italian milieu in
which R. Avraham lived. Many writers rightly decry the unfortunate habit some have of explaining Talmudic passages with mystical-kabbalistic ideas altogether foreign to hazal. As these writers observe, it is anachronistic to understand 5th-century Babylonian texts
with 12th-century European thinking. It bears recalling, then, that
for precisely the same reason, rational and scientific explanations
for difficult passages, attractive though they might seem, are not
often what hazal intended.
Indeed, on that last note, attention should be called to a recent
article by Dr. Yirmiyahu (Herman) Branover, a well-known lecturer and professor at Ben-Gurion University. Dr. Branover argues,
citing field research, that unlike the common understanding that
men are possessed of five distinct senses (sight, hearing, touch,
smell, and taste), these five senses are often, in fact, intertwined.
Thus, there are people with heightened sensory palates who actually can taste colors, or see sounds. One researcher, by the name
of Dr. Daniel Wesson, has even coined the word smound to describe the overlap between the olfactory and auditory sensations. If
so, suggests Dr. Branover, we may have at last discovered the meaning of R. Nathans [or: Abba Yoses] enigmatic instruction to annunciate the formula: This instruction must have seemed rather peculiar- until Dr. Wessons discovery. It is now known that the combination of fragrance and rhythm heighten the experience of both.16
It is not entirely clear from his short article what Dr. Branover
means. He appears to suggest that the grinder himself would be able
to smell the spices better because of the instructionsyet what
would this accomplish, as the spices were meant not for the personal benefit of the grinder, but for the Temple service?

16

should be used, and not bosomim. This may be the Aris way of saying, R.
Zevichei conjectures, that he understood the passage in Keritot as saying
that the kol was beneficial for the spices, not the spice makers, and thus
the word should be pronounced besamim.
The Sound of Incense (Branover), available on, among other sites,
www.congregationlubavitch.org.

152 : Hakirah, the Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought

What Professor Branover likely means is perhaps best spelled
out in a most unlikely sourcea textbook entitled Delivery System
Handbook for Personal Care and Cosmetic Products: Technology, Applications and Formulations. As its name suggests, the book is a survey of technological advances and applications in the cosmetics industry. Yet in one chapter the authors touch upon the origins of
personal cosmetic care, and manage to digress from there into a discussion of the incense process used in the Temple. The chapter authors, Elishalom Yechiel & Rosmarie Coste, write:
[T]he grinding process was aimed at grinding the spices as finely as possible. The chief of the formulators was required to
chant, downsize them finer, grind [sic] downsize them finer
because, as it was said, the sound waves are good for the process... The special sound waves of the notes chanted were considered to allow better extraction than the much stronger
sound of the pestle hitting the mortar, even if that pestle had a
bell added to soften its sound. Sonic-mediated extraction is today a state of the art technology, allowing improved penetration of the extracting solvents into the powdered substance.
Choice of suitable sound waves to maximize the extraction
process is, amazingly, an issue elaborated upon and argued
in depth about an extraction process practiced in the Temple in Jerusalem more than 2000 years ago.17

Through the miracles of the Internet I was able to contact Dr.

Yechiel, an assistant college professor and president of a biotechnology firm in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Yechiel feels confident that
the benefit of sonic-mediated extraction is the true meaning of the
passage. Although the science behind it might not have been fully
understood, the Temple priests knew from experience, Dr. Yechiel
maintains, that regular rhythmic chanting would produce the best
smell of the various herbs and spices used to make the incense. This
is also the reason that the incense was to be ground finelyit is
because, Dr. Yechiel explained to me, the smaller the particles, the
better the aroma extraction.
17

Delivery System, Id. (emphasis added) Published by William Andrew, Inc.

(New York, 2005) at 125.

Because the Sound is Good for the Spices : 153

This idea is certainly fascinating, mind-boggling, even, for were
this the true meaning of the text, it would mean that the ancient
priests of the Temple had hit upon a scientific discovery so new that
even today it is yet to be fully understood. This would not be the
first time such an idea has been entertainedone great 19th-century
Rabbi and scholar even suggested that the very same Temple priests
had discovered a method of mechanical printing 1,500 years before
Gutenberg invented moveable type.18 Perhaps in addition to their
printing discoveries, the Temple priests had also discovered the
methods of sonic extraction.
Indeed, we may conjecture furtherperhaps the discovery that
the olfactory and auditory sensations are actually combined was just
one more bit of knowledge that the Temple priests kept secret. In
Midrashim and the Talmud, as alluded to in the opening paragraphs
of this article, we learn that the precise method of preparing the
spices was a closely guarded secret kept by the Avtinas family.19 Is it
more clever than convincing to suggest that there were other bits of
ancient wisdom known only to the Avtinas family? With the new
scientific research, have we come upon one of those secrets lost for
nearly 2,000 years?
Inveterate rationalist that I am, I must confess my doubts about
this proposition. As stated, even today we are not fully aware of
any close connection between smell and sound. It seems too much
to believe that the Temple priests could have known that much
about it, even if only by experience, so long ago. Moreover, in our
conversation Dr. Yechiel conceded that while the concept of soundmediated extraction might be state of the art, it is not commonly
used because it is not cost-effective, and extraction solvents such as
liquid carbon dioxide or boiling alcohol are just as or nearly as
good. And even with sound, one still needs solvents to extract the
aroma. Moreover, it appears from the midrashic sources that the
secrets of the Avtinas family had more to do with the smoke col18

19

See the comments of the Maharatz Hajes to Yoma 38b. The suggestion of
Maharatz Hajes was anticipated even earlier, though not quite as clearly,
by the 17th-century Rabbi Yonah Landsofer in his Bnei Yonah (p. 14, second column).
Yoma 38b; Shir Hashirim Rabbah 3:4.

154 : Hakirah, the Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought

umn arising from the incense, than the method used for extracting
the smell from the spices.20 Thus, although it obviously has at least
some knowledgeable proponents behind it, it seems doubtful to me
that this could be the solution to the age-old riddle.

Conclusion
At this point the reader might be tearing his hair out. If the metaphysical reasons are unacceptable, and the rational reasons are dubious, and the scientific explanations doubtfulthen what does the
passage mean? How could a kol be beneficial for spices?
Im afraid I don't have a Sherlock Holmestype of answer that
will magically resolve the questions, leaving the reader gasping in
amazement at the sheer genius of it all. After studying this passage
closely, and after reviewing scores and scores of sources (including
many not cited herein) I cannot say with certainty what it means.
We may, however, make an educated guess.
Earlier we said that the formula could not simply be for encouragement, as if this were the case the grinder himself would not
be uttering it, and moreover, sound alone would not be sufficient to
encourage the grinding process. But perhaps the words were necessary, not so much to encourage the spice making process, but to get
rhythm. One could indeed grow weary of pounding and grinding all
the numerous spices that were used in making the Temple incense.
As the beat of a drum was used in ancient times to assist the galley
slaves in the ships, perhaps a rhythm could also help with the incense preparation.21 At least one individual posits this theory, and

20
21

Ibid.
The extent and treatment of galley slaves in ancient Rome is hotly debated, but it is universally acknowledged both that such slaves existed, and
that they rowed to the rhythm of a regulators drum beat. Much discussion centers on the statement of Paul (1 Corinthians 4:1) urging men to
regard themselves as servants for the founder of Christianity. The word
servants in the original Greek is huperetes, which literally means under
rowers, i.e., galley slaves.
For a full discussion about the use of rhythm and work songs in ancient
times, see Work Songs (E. Gioia) Duke University Press 2006.

Because the Sound is Good for the Spices : 155

even cites a little-known article by Yechiel Michal Pines (1843
1913) the writer and religious Zionist leader, in support.
In 1877, Pines accepted an invitation from the Moses Montefiore Testimonial Fund to serve as its representative in Palestine.
As part of his position, or perhaps out of natural curiosity, Pines
made it his business to befriend the local Arab inhabitants, and on
occasion noted some of his findings. In a volume of Yerhushlayim, a
yearly anthology published in Israel (Palestine) between 1882 and
1919, Pines noted that the Arabs, always famed for their hospitality,
had a curious custom regarding the serving of coffee to guests.22 The
Arabs, Pines observed, would not simply serve coffee from an existing batch, but would prepare a new batch of coffee specifically for
the guest. If the guest was particularly important, the one grinding
the spices would sing in honor of the guest, while those around him
would accompany the singing by beating a rhythm. Pines cites the
passage from Keritot (and even the parallel passages indicating the
existence of bells in the mortar) and says that what he saw could
explain the otherwise incomprehensible passages. It is not altogether clear, but apparently he saw a connection between the chanting of the Arabs and the Temple preparation. Perhaps he too, understood the passage to mean simply that a rhythm was good for
the spices.23
What may be the best proof for this suggestion is the one obvious question that we have not addressed until nowwhy the
switch? Whether it was the grinder or the foreman that uttered the
words, why switch between hadek heitev to heitev hadek? Even
according to the opinions who argue that these are laryngeal words,
capable of expelling the dust from the lungs, why should the speak-

22
23

Yerushalayim (Volume for 1887, p. 160).

This suggestion was presented to me by a learned friend, Mr. Shimon
Steinmetz. This suggestion may also have the support of the Chief Rabbi
of the British Commonwealth. Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, in the Koren
translation of the siddur, translates the relevant phrase as grind finely,
finely grind, because the [rhythmic] sound is good for spices. With the
insertion of the bracketed word rhythmic, without any footnote or
commentary, Rabbi Sacks may be signaling his agreement with this approach.

156 : Hakirah, the Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought

er rotate the words? Surprisingly, none of the commentators above
address this seemingly obvious question.24
Perhaps, and it is just perhaps, the answer may have come to me
one morning when I was reciting the ketoret towards the end of the
service. The various difficulties discussed in this article were very
much on my mind as I read the words aloud. Suddenly I stopped
cold as I heard myself pronounce the words hadek heitev, heitev
hadek. It sounded to my ears like a tribal drumbeata true
rhythm. I then tried it again, out loud, repeating only the same two
words, hadek heitev, hadek heitev. It did not sound nearly the
same. The chanting effect is not the same when one repeats the
same two words over and over, as it is when one switches back and
forth, back and forth, during the chant. In other words, I came to
realize, when R. Nathan said
he was not merely explaining why speech was necessary at
all; he was explaining why it was necessary to rotate the words. The
reason is because chanting is good for spices, and rotating the
phrases, rather than simply repeating them, makes for a better
chant.
Is it possible that this is all R. Nathan intended in the passage so
many of us recite every day? Absolutely. But is it certain? No.
Sometimes no answer is better than a wrong answer, and sometimes
one should be content to leave a matter unresolved.
our sages have said. It is worthwhile studying Torah even if one
cannot reach a practical or definitive result. If we are left with a
mystery, so be it. When the Temple is restored in Gods good time,

24

In the Batei Kenisiot, supra, Ibn Ezra notes that the Biblical phrase
hadek, used in Exodus 30:36, precedes the Talmudic phrase heitev. He
makes no attempt to explain, however, why the speaker would rotate the
phrases. R. Baruch Epstein in Barukh she-Amar (Tel Aviv, no date) suggests, in accordance with I Kings (20:18), that primary or more important
goals are to be mentioned before secondary goals. Thus, when the spices
are still whole, the goal is for them simply to be crushed, and so the word
hadek comes first. But once the crushing process has begun, the goal is
to refine the crushing, and so heitev comes first. R. Epstein offers this
suggestion only in the form of perhaps (efsher) and indeed, its weakness
is apparent.

Because the Sound is Good for the Spices : 157

and the incense service is once again part of our lives, we will surely
learn the truth.25 G

25

My sincere thanks to the Hakirah editors and the anonymous editor of

the outstanding online scholarly Onthemainline blog for their invaluable
assistance. Also, a special thank-you to Dr. Shnayer Leiman, an inspiration to so many, for his review of an earlier draft of this article and for his
suggestions.