It is notable that Aharon would burn the ketores, incense, daily at the same time as he would clean and kindle the Menorah. What is the significance of the juxtaposition of these various forms of service? Horav Moshe Feinstein, z.l., offers two lessons to be derived from this relationship. The Menorah symbolizes Torah scholars who illuminate the world by virtue of their Torah study and dissemination. The ketores gave off a fragrant smell. The connection between these avodos is that a Torah scholar should possess an acute sense of smell. He should have the capacity to “sniff out” which philosophies and ideas are compatible with Torah ideology.
Often the actions of those who are opposed to the Torah way of life are veiled by lofty reasons that seem to justify their deeds. Only someone who is extremely erudite in Torah knowledge is able to ferret out these charlatans. It is, consequently, crucial that a talmid chachom who is making decisions for the Klal be proficient in sensing the hidden deceit/duplicity behind their intentions. It takes someone whose Torah knowledge has imbued him with a profound perception of “what’s going on” to be able to discern between those who claim to act for the furtherance of Torah and those who truly do.
Horav Feinstein cites Chazal in the Talmud Sanhedrin 93b who state that Moshiach will “smell and judge,” meaning that he will possess the sensitivity necessary to scrutinize each individual and cull the deceitful from the sincere. He explains that Moshiach’s ability to judge will not stem from any prophetic vision, but from his exemplary Torah scholarship. People will be judged in accordance with the laws of the Torah, not by Heavenly interference. Likewise, every G-d fearing individual who devotes himself to Torah study can achieve this gift to some degree. Indeed, through the darkest times of our galus, the gedolei Yisrael illuminated the path of life for us with their keen perception.
Horav Feinstein infers another valuable lesson from the proximity of the ketores to the Menorah service in the parsha. The avodas ha’ketores was a service that was performed in private without fanfare and public spectacle. Yet, this covert service had far-reaching effects in that its pleasant odor permeated throughout Yerushalayim all the way to Yericho (Yuma 39b). The lesson is simple: He who devotes himself to Torah study and maintains a lifestyle consistent with Torah dictate, will, despite his insular mode of living, have an effect far beyond his immediate surroundings. The efficacy of the obscure service of the ketores parallels the spiritual influence imparted by the Menorah, whose light illuminated for a distance.
