Twice daily, they burned incense in the Temple. Additionally, two handfuls of this incense were burned by the High Priest on Yom Kippur. If some of it remained after the end of the year in Nissan, when new shekels were brought, the old incense would become unfit. What did they do with it?
They would first exchange it against the money donated for the Temple's upkeep and designated it as payment for the artisans. Now the incense was completely deconsecrated. Then they would give the incense to the artisans as wages. They could not (and should not) use it because it is prohibited for personal use. Instead, it was bought from them with the new shekels. Thus, they bought the incense with the new money, and it became consecrated for use in the new year.
Art: An artisan's family in an interior by Giuseppe Constantini
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