The incense on Yom Kippur
The passuk in acharei mos says: וְכָל אָדָם לֹא יִהְיֶה בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד בְּבֹאוֹ לְכַפֵּר בַּקֹּדֶשׁ עַד צֵאתוֹ “Nobody should be in the ohel moed when the kohen gadol comes to atone in holiness until he goes out.” Rabbi Tzaddok haCohen asks, why does the passuk say “ וְכָל אָדָם ” – “and any man should not be in the ohel moed ”? Why does the passuk not just say “ וְאָדָם לֹא יִהְיֶה בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד ” or “ וְאיש לֹא יִהְיֶה בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד ” – “a man should not be in the ohel moed ”? The gemara says in Yoma (44a): ותנא דבי ר ' ישמעאל על מה קטורת מכפרת? על לשון הרע. יבא דבר שבחשאי ויכפר על מעשה חשאי. “We have learnt in the beis hamedrash of Rebbi Yishmoel, ketores atones for lashon hara . Let something come which is done in secret (no other person may be in the kodesh ha’kedashim when the ketores is brought) and let it atone for something that is done secretly. (Rashi explains that most lashon hara is spoken secretly.)” · ...