Study Yoma folio 15A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
בעידן הטבה תהא מקטר קטורת. דאי לא תימא הכי, בין הערבים, דכתיב: ״ובהעלות אהרן את הנרת בין הערבים יקטירנה״, הכי נמי דברישא מדליק נרות והדר מקטיר קטורת של בין הערבים?! וכי תימא הכי נמי, והתניא: ״מערב עד בקר״,
It means: At the time of the removal of the ashes you should burn the incense, and no later. As, if you do not say so but explain that the phrase: He should burn the incense, at the end of the verse means after cleaning the lamps, then with regard to the burning of the afternoon incense, with regard to which it is written: “And when Aaron lights the lamps in the afternoon he should burn it” (Exodus 30:8), in this case too, does it mean that initially the priest lights the lamps and only then burns the afternoon incense? And if you say indeed, that is so, wasn’t the following taught in a baraita with regard to the verse: “Aaron and his sons will set it in order to burn from evening until morning before YHWH; it should be a statute forever throughout their generations on behalf of the children of Israel” (Exodus 27:21)?
תן לה מדתה, שתהא דולקת והולכת כל הלילה מערב ועד בקר. דבר אחר: ״מערב עד בקר״, אין לך עבודה שכשרה מערב עד בקר אלא זו בלבד. אלא מאי קאמר רחמנא — בעידן הדלקה תהא מקטר קטורת, הכא נמי: בעידן הטבה תהא מקטר קטורת.
And the baraita explains: Give the candelabrum its measure of oil so that it will continue to burn all night from evening until morning. Alternatively, the phrase: From evening to morning, teaches that you have only this service that is valid when performed from evening to morning. Apparently, lighting the candelabrum is the final daily Temple service and the incense is not burned after the lamps are lit. Rather, what is God saying in the phrase: “And when Aaron lights the lamps in the afternoon he should burn it.” This teaches that at the time of the lighting of the lamps you should burn the incense, and no later. If so, here too, in the morning, at the time of the removal of the ashes you should burn the incense, and no later. This is the rationale for the opinion of the Rabbis.