Yoma 47 – Kimchit, the flour girl

The incense service continues: they bring the High Priest a shovel and a ladle. But he already used the shovel!? – That one was for coals, and this one is with incense, from which he scoops two handfuls, and whether his hands are large or small – that is the measure. Why the ladle? - He puts the incense there – and he cannot do it in any other way because he will need to carry both the incense and the shovel with the coals together into the Holy of Holies.

He takes the shovel into his right hand and the spices into the left one. Even though the incense is the main point, he carries it in the left because he needs the right hand for the heavier shovel with coals, which measured three “kav” (about three liters). This would be true even for the High Priest by the name of Ishmael, son of Kimchit, whose enormous hands held four “kav” of incense – because, in addition to being heavy, the coals are also hot.

Kimchit had seven sons, and they all served as High Priests during her lifetime – not because anyone died, but because of accidents when one was disqualified due to ritually impure saliva landing on his garment. The Sages asked Kimchit why she merited seven sons serve as High Priests, and she answered, “The beams of my house never saw the braids of my hair.” They answered, “Many did so, and it did not help them.”

What is the status of incense or flour particles that are found between the fingers of a Kohen? They are not properly inside or outside his hand, so it is unclear if they are part of the offering or the remainder. Because of this doubt, some say that only fat Kohanim could do this service. However, this opinion is not universal.

Art: Portrait of Wilhelmine with Her Hair in Braids By Lovis (Franz Heinrich Louis) Corinth