Commentary for Exodus 30:20

בבאם אל אהל מועד WHEN THEY COME INTO THE APPOINTED TENT to burn incense in the morning and at evening, or to sprinkle of the blood of the bullock offered by the anointed High-Priest (Leviticus 4:5, 7) and of the he-goats offered as atonement for the sin of idolatry (all of which services were performed in the interior of the Sanctuary) (Zevachim 19b).

The incense, morning and afternoon. . . Rashi [mentions burning the incense because he] holds that there is no death penalty for merely entering [the Tent of Meeting without washing,] if they do not perform service. And so it says in Zevachim 19b, that the words “for Divine service” in our verse refer [also] to “Entering the Tent of Meeting.” (Nachalas Yaakov)

ירחצו מים, “they shall wash with water;” this has been repeated as they had to wash themselves both before going in or even when approaching the golden altar to offer incense.

ולא ימתו THAT THEY DIE NOT — thus it follows that if they do not wash they will die: You may rightly draw this conclusion for in the Torah laws are sometimes stated only by implication: consequently from what is said here in the negative (that they die not) you may derive the positive (that they will die if they do not observe the law here laid down).

In the Torah there were said things intended to be understood by inference. . . It seems that Rashi is answering the question: Why does the verse not say, “And if they do not wash, they will die”? This is a stronger exhortation than saying, “They will not die.” Thus Rashi explains [that this indeed is the intent]: “But, if they do not wash, they will die, for in the Torah there were said things intended to be understood by inference.” Re”m explains: It is the way of Scripture to state the punishment that a person is liable for, not that which he is not liable for. This brought Rashi to explain, “In the Torah there were said things intended to be understood by inference, hence from the inference of the negative you may derive the positive.” Question: If so, is not the verse in effect saying, “If they do not wash, they will die”? Perhaps [the answer is:] Re”m indeed meant what I wrote above.

אל המזבח [OR WHEN THEY STEP] NEAR THE ALTAR — i. e. the outer altar, in which case there is no entering into the appointed tent but the service is performed in the court.

The outer. . . Rashi is answering the question: Since it is forbidden to enter the Tent of Meeting without washing, is it not obvious that one may not go to the [incense] altar? Therefore Rashi explains, “The outer altar.”