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At the beginning of Parshat Ki Tisa, God commands Moshe about the ketoret, the incense offering that Aharon is to perform twice daily at the altar, which stood before the partition where the Ten Commandments were housed. And the Torah describes the ingredients for the incense: "Take for yourself spices—stacte, onycha, and galbanum spices, and pure frankincense. These shall be equal one to another. You shall make it into incense… thoroughly mixed, pure, and holy” (Shemot 30:34).
Among all the spices listed for the incense, one stands out as unusual: galbanum. Rashi notes that galbanum has a foul smell, and while he offers an explanation from the Gemara in Kritut as to why this unpleasant ingredient is included, I believe that its inclusion offers us a profound insight into life itself.
Shlomo HaMelech, in Kohelet, teaches us that life is not merely composed of sweet-smelling, inspiring moments. Instead, life is often a mix of conflicting emotions, challenging experiences, and painful extremes—moments that may seem contradictory but are ultimately all part of a greater whole. As Shlomo HaMelech writes, "There is a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to wreck and a time to build; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to grieve and a time to dance" (Kohelet 3:3-4).
Just as the ketoret cannot be offered without galbanum, there is no such thing as a life without its own "foul-smelling spice"—a life without obstacles, without challenges, without pain and hardship. These difficult moments are not optional; they are an inseparable part of the human experience.
However, the real challenge in life is learning to integrate these unpleasant moments with the more joyful and uplifting ones. We are only who we are today because we are able to incorporate both the good and the difficult into a single, cohesive whole. The key is to see each experience, whether sweet or bitter, as equally valuable. Just as the spices of the ketoret are "thoroughly mixed," our lives too must be a blend of both joy and hardship. When we can accept and weave these moments together, we create something pure and holy—both for ourselves and for our communities. This, in turn, is pleasing to God.
By accepting the galbanum—the challenges, the discomforts, and the hardships—we learn to live lives that are not just "thoroughly mixed" but also "pure and holy." We see that even the difficult moments, when integrated properly, add depth, meaning, and holiness to our existence.
Shabbat Shalom!
-Rabbi Dan
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