Ki Tisa: Rambam: Mitzvah 101 – Concept 377

“Upon it shall Aaron bring the spice incense up in smoke, every morning, when he cleans the lamps shall he bring it up in smoke.” (Exodus 30:7) We are commanded to burn the incense offering every day. (Rambam, Hilchot Temidim U’Mussafim – The Laws of Constant and Additional Offerings)

This is done for “Awe of the Sanctuary, for if it had not had a pleasant smell, and all the more if the contrary were the case, the result would have been the opposite of glorification. For the soul is greatly solaced and attracted by pleasant smells and shrinks from stench and avoids it. (Rambam, The Guide of the Perplexed III 45)

I hear the Rambam’s words as a challenge to build our Synagogues, Study Halls, and, especially classrooms, as places that will provide solace and attraction for the soul.