Siman - Yoma Daf 49
- חפן ומת מהו שיכנס אחר בחפינתו
Rebbe Yehoshua ben Levi inquired, חפן ומת מהו שיכנס אחר בחפינתו – If the Kohen Gadol filled his hands with ketores and placed it in the kaf, but died before burning it in the Kodesh Hakedoshim, may the Kohen Gadol who replaces him use the ketores that was scooped up by the first Kohen Gadol, or must he perform a new chafinah? Rav Pappa said that it depends on the following issue: אי חופן וחוזר וחופן – If the Kohen Gadol does chafinah before entering the Kodesh Hakedoshim and does it again inside, which means he pours the ketores back into his hands from the kaf before pouring it onto the coals, then the new Kohen Gadol can use the original chafinah since he will be doing the second chafinah. But if the Kohen Gadol only does chafinah once, before entering the Kodesh Hakedoshim, and then upon entering he pours directly from the kaf onto the coals, then it is a valid question whether the new Kohen Gadol can use the first Kohen Gadol’s chafinah and not do his own chafinah.
- Rav Huna says the question only pertains if Kohen Gadol does chafinah once
Rav Huna brei d’Rav Yehoshua told Rav Pappa that the reasoning is the opposite. If the Kohen Gadol does chafinah twice, once before entering and once after he enters, the new Kohen Gadol who replaces him may certainly not enter with the first chafinah, since אי אפשר שלא יחסר ושלא יותיר – it is impossible for him not to take less or more ketores than he needs, since his chafinah is not the same size as his predecessor’s. But if the Kohen Gadol does not do chafinah a second time upon entering but pours the ketores directly from the kaf unto the coals, then it is a question whether the new Kohen Gadol can use the first Kohen Gadol’s chafinah.
- How chafinah was performed in the Kodesh Hakedoshim
The Gemara proves that the Kohen Gadol does do a second chafinah, from the following Baraisa: כיצד הוא עושה – How does the Kohen Gadol do chafinah once he enters the Kodesh Hakedoshim? אוחז את הבזך בראשי אצבעותיו – After depositing the shovelful of coals on the ground, he grasps the front of the kaf of ketores with his fingertips, and some say with his teeth, with the handle towards the body, ומעלה בגודלו עד שמגעת לבין אצילי ידיו – and he carefully pulls it upward with his thumb, until the handle reaches between his elbows, וחוזר ומחזירה לתוך חפניו - and then he tilts the kaf and pours its contents back into his cupped hands. And he heaps it up on the coals so that the smoke should come slowly, which the Meiri says is so that the Kohen Gadol should not choke from the sudden release of smoke. Others say that he scatters it on the coals so that the smoke should come quickly, which the Meiri explains is so that the Kohen Gadol will not have time to gaze upon the Kodesh Hakedoshim. The Baraisa concludes, זו היא עבודה קשה שבמקדש – and this was the difficult avodah performed in the Beis Hamikdash. The Gemara challenges this statement, given that melikah and kemitzah are also difficult, and revises the statement to זו היא עבודה קשה מעבודות קשות שבמקדש – This was among the difficult avodos performed in the Beis Hamikdash. The Gemara concludes, שמע מינה שמע מינה חופן וחוזר וחופן – we learn from this Baraisa that the Kohen Gadol does chafinah twice.
