You shall make an Incense Altar for offering incense... and *Aharon* shall burn incense upon it; each morning, when he prepares the lamps [of the Golden Menorah], he shall bring it. And when *Aharon* kindles the lamps in the afternoon he shall bring the daily incense offering before Hashem.

(Shmot 30:1,7,8)

Outside the Curtain of Testimony, in the Mishkan [= Tabernacle], *Aharon* shall arrange [the Golden Menorah] to burn from evening to morning before Hashem, every day.

(Vayikra 24:3)

In the Mishkan, outside the Curtain which conceals the Holy Ark, Aharon *and his sons* shall arrange [the Golden Menorah] to burn from evening to morning, before Hashem.

(Shmot 27:21)

The Ramban leaves his question unanswered. Elsewhere, however, he and others offer possible solutions to this question.

The Ba'alei HaTosefot suggest that after this incident, Aharon never again permitted his sons to go into the Mishkan unaccompanied -- he always escorted them when services were to be done inside the Mishkan. It is true that Aharon's sons *may* light the Menorah or offer incense inside the Mishkan. In practice, however, once the Mishkan was built Aharon always accompanied them when services were performed inside the Mishkan. That is why two verses single out Aharon as the one who will actually light the Menorah and offer incense in the Mishkan. (Pane'ach Raza, Shmot 27:21; Moshav Zekenim, Vayikra 24:3; Ba'al HaTurim, Vayikra 24:3)

2) In a similar vein, the Ramban (Bamidbar 8:3) explains that according to the Kabbalists, lighting the Menorah alludes to an exalted holy matter. For that reason, although it was permissible for any Kohen to light the Menorah, nonetheless, as long as Aharon was alive Hashem asked him alone to perform this especially holy Mitzvah. (The same can perhaps be said of the offering of the incense -- as long as Aharon was alive, Hashem chose him as the one to offer incense because of the extreme holiness of the task.)

If so, the verse in the beginning of Tetzaveh states that Aharon's *sons* may light the Menorah because any Kohen is in fact permitted to do so. But since Aharon himself performed those services as long as he was alive, the other two verses mention his name.

3) The Sforno (Vayikra 24:3) adds insight to the words of the Ramban. He, too, explains that while the Bnei Yisroel were in the Midbar, the Kohen Gadol was selected to perform the services of lighting the Menorah and offering the incense. The reason for this was, the Sforno contends, because the holiness that the Jewish People experienced in the years that they wandered through the desert can be compared to the holiness of Yom Kippur. The sanctity of Yom Kippur stems from the fact that on that day, Hashem "appears in a cloud upon the Kapporet (cover of the Holy Ark)." Similarly, while the Jews were wandering through the desert "Hashem's Presence rested upon the Mishkan by day, and there was fire therein by night" (Shmot 40:38). Just as all the services of Yom Kippur must be done by the Kohen Gadol himself (Yoma 32b), so too, as long as the Bnei Yisroel were in the desert it was Aharon, the Kohen Gadol, who lit the Menorah and offered incense in the Mishkan.

(Even during that period, however, other Kohanim were allowed to participate in services that were performed in the courtyard of the Mishkan, such as offering sacrifices. This is most readily understood according to the Rambam (see Kesef Mishnah to Hil. Avodat Yom Hakippurim, 1:2), who contends that a Kohen Hedyot may take part in the Yom Kippur services that are not performed inside the Beit Hamikdash and are not unique to the holiness of the day.)

It is interesting to note that the Sages describe how on Yom Kippur, the Jews are elevated to such a high spiritual level that they may be compared to angels (Midrash, cited by Tur O.C. #606). Similarly, throughout the forty years during which the Jews wandered through the desert they ate the Manna which fell from Heaven. Our sages tell us (Yoma 75b) that Manna is referred to as Lechem Abirim ("the bread of the mighty" - Tehillim 78:25) because it is "the bread that angels eat." (What exactly this means is a matter which merits its own discussion -- see what we wrote for Parashat Mishpatim 5756.) During their trek to Eretz Yisrael, the Jews ate food appropriate for those that were on the spiritual status of angels.

The Gemara tells us (Yoma 71a) that although all of the other verses describing the services of Yom Kippur are in their correct order, the verse regarding the recovery of the incense shovel is out of sequence. Aharon is actually to first proceed with the afternoon Musaf sacrifices, and only afterwards is he to don linen garments once again and return to the Holy of Holies to recover the incense shovel. Why did the Torah write the verse out of order?

The Vilna Gaon explains that according to the Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 21:6), Hashem told Moshe that Aharon is not to be excluded from the Holy of Holies -- he may enter whenever he wishes. When he does so, however, he must perform the services just as they are done on Yom Kippur. Although any other Kohen Gadol can enter the Holy of Holies only on Yom Kippur, Aharon was permitted to enter any day of the year, provided that he repeat the Yom Kippur ceremony.

The Gaon explains that if Aharon did, in fact, enter on other days of the year, he would withdraw the incense shovel from the Holy of Holies immediately, prior to performing the noon services. This is why the portion which begins by telling us "This is how Aharon shall enter the Sanctuary" (Vayikra 16:3), prescribes the removal of the shovel *before* the noon sacrifice are brought! The verse is out of sequence only insofar as the services of *Yom Kippur* is concerned -- on that day, the Kohen Gadol must remove the incense shovel at a later point, after bringing the sacrifices. (Vilna Gaon, recorded in Kol Eliyahu, #83. A similar idea is proposed by the Netziv in Ha'amek Davar to Vayikra 16:2,23,34.)

The logic of this scheme is clear. On Yom Kippur, it was the Divine Will that the shovel should remain in the Holy of Holies throughout the special services of that holy day. If Aharon were to enter the Holy of Holies during the rest of the year, however, obviously he would bring no Musaf offerings, since these are related to the *holiday* of Yom Kippur (which occurred only once per year), and not to its *sanctity* (which may have its match in every day of Aharon's service). Since Aharon did not bring a Korban Musaf during the rest of the year, there was no need for him to leave the incense inside any longer than the time it took to offer the incense and sprinkle the bloods that were to be sprinkled.

Why, indeed, was Aharon given the special privilege of entering the Holy of Holies at will? Citing the above-mentioned words of the Sforno, Rav Meir Simcha offers a gratifying explanation. As long as the Cloud of the Divine Presence rested on the Mishkan, it was as if it were Yom Kippur with all its holiness. Thus, on any given day of the year Aharon experienced the same sanctity that any other Kohen Gadol could only have experienced on Yom Kippur itself!