## Ba'al Shem Tov, Ki Tisa

###### Ba'al Shem Tov, Ki Tisa 3:1
[Ba'al Shem Tov, Ki Tisa 3:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ba%27al%20Shem%20Tov/s/Ki%20Tisa/r/3:1)

**איש אשר יעשה כמוה וגו'**שמעתי ממורי זלה"ה פירוש הפסוק איש אשר יעשה כמוה להריח בה, שיהיה ריחו נודף שיצא לו שם כאנשי חסידים, שנקרא קטורת, שמקשרין ומייחדין קודשא בריך הוא ושכינתיה, ואם עושים להריח בה ונכרת מעמיו ודפח"ח: (צפנת פענח דנ"ו ע"ב).

**Ami Silver, 2020:**
**A person who makes [incense] similar to it, to enjoy its fragrance, shall be cut off [spiritually] from his people.** (ibid. 30:37)
This refers to a person who wants his own good “fragrance” to spread; i.e. he wants to gain a reputation as being one of the pious, who are called “incense” (*ketores*), in that they bind and unite the Holy One and the Shechinah.¹ – is similar to the Hebrew word for “incense” – *ketores.* However, if he does this for the sake of the “fragrance,”² he shall be cut off from his people.
*Tzafnah Paneach*, p. 84b³, p. 70a.

footnotes:
¹ The Aramaic word for “knot” – ketorah
² That is, for ulterior motives, such as prestige and personal gain.
³ See, also, Toldos Yaakov Yosef