Page:Philip Birnbaum - ha-Siddur ha-Shalem (The Daily Prayer Book,1949).pdf/55

30 strong drink unto the Lord. The other lamb you shall offer towards evening, with the same meal-offering and the same oblation as in the morning, to be a burnt-offering of sweet savor to the Lord.

He shall slaughter it on the north side of the altar before the Lord; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle its blood all around the altar.

May it be thy will, Lord our God and God of our fathers, that this recital be favorably regarded and accepted by thee as if we offered the daily offering at its proper time, its right place, and according to rule.

Thou art the Lord our God before whom our forefathers burned the incense of fragrant spices when the Temple was in existence, as thou didst command them through Moses thy prophet, as it is written in thy Torah:

The Lord said to Moses: “Take fragrant spices, stacte, onycha, and galbanum, aromatics along with pure frankincense; of each shall there be a like weight. And you shall make of it incense, a compound after the art of the apothecary, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. You shall pulverize some of it very fine, and place some of it in front of the ark in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you; it shall be to you most holy.” It is also said; Aaron shall burn the incense of fragrant spices on the altar every morning; when he trims the lamps, he shall burn it. And when Aaron lights the lamps toward evening, he shall again burn it; this is a regular incense-offering before the Lord throughout your generations.”

The Rabbis have taught: How was the compounding of the incense performed? The [annual amount of] incense weighed three hundred and sixty-eight minas: three hundred and sixty-five corresponding to the number of the days of the solar year, one mina for each day—half a mina of incense being offered in the morning and half in the afternoon—and of the surplus three minas the high priest took two handfuls [to the Holy of Holies] on the Day of Atonement. These were ground again in a mortar on the eve