פירוש על ויקרא 24:7

ונתת על המערכת AND THOU SHALT PUT UPON THE ROW — i. e. upon each of the two rows [PURE FRANKINCENSE]; there were two bowls for this frankincense, each filled with a handful of it.

ונתת על המערכת לבונה זכה, “You shall put on (each) stack frankincense, etc.” The twelve loaves of bread mentioned here and the frankincense were both mandatory so that the absence of either invalidated the whole procedure (compare Menachot 27). They related to each other just like the etrog and the lulav, or the blue wool thread and the white threads on the tzitzit. (according to an opinion expressed in Menachot 38 that when תכלת, the blue colour needed for that thread is available, a garment which has only white tzitiyot is not fit to be worn).
The reason that the מנחה offering of a Sotah (woman suspected of marital infidelity) or the מנחה offering of any sinner was unaccompanied by such frankincense as is mentioned here as mandatory is that the Torah expressly forbade it (Leviticus 5,11 and Numbers 5,15) in order to express G’d’s disapproval of the persons having to bring these offerings, i.e. that at that time and until atonement has been obtained the attribute of Justice is poised to strike such a woman.

On each one of the two stacks. Explanation: This is derived from a gezeroh shovoh. It is written “stack” here, and it is written “stack” regarding the showbread. Just as [the word] “stack” stated by the showbread refers to two, so here also, [meaning] he put down two bowls of frankincense, i.e., he put frankincense next to each stack. The bowls were not placed on the bread but next to each stack, so that the bread should not break from the bowls’ weight. When the verse says “on (על) [each] stack” it means next to and close to the stack, similar to, “And spread the paroches (partition) over (על) the ark.”

ונתת על המערכת, “you are to place next to each row, which were one handbreadth apart, frankincense.” The word על here is to be understood as in Number 2,20 עליו where it mans “next to” (the next tribe).

והיתה THAT IT — this frankincense — MAY BE

והיתה ללחם לאזכרה, “it will serve as a remembrance for the bread.” Seeing that normally some parts of a sacrifice always wind up on the Altar and in the case of the show-breads this is not the case, the frankincense is the only reminder to G’d that a sacrifice has been offered. Once the frankincense has been offered up this triggers remembrance of the show-breads which had been presented on the Table. Following this, the blessing of our sources of food which is the objective of this procedure can be applied by G’d. This is also the significance of there being twelve such show-breads, i.e. that all the twelve angels surrounding the celestial throne receive Divine input in the form of such blessing. These twelve angels are also known as the four camps of the Shechinah. The encampments of the Jewish people in the desert around the Tabernacle were patterned after what is known about similar procedures in the celestial regions. The four “camps” in the celestial regions serve as the point of departure for directing G’d’s blessing to the four directions on earth, i.e. North, East, South, and West. Three of these angels face each direction. The whole concept is like the significance of the four flags of the four camps of the Israelites in the desert. This concept was later on illustrated in the throne of King Solomon which featured 12 lions (Kings I 10,20). The total amount of flour comprised by the twelve show-breads was “24 tenths” (of the epha). This was an allusion to the twelve tribes of Israelites on earth and the twelve angels in the celestial regions.

על המערכת, “frankincense would be placed on the surface of the table next to each row.”[The reader will find an illustration at the end of the last volume. Ed.

ללחם לאזכרה ON THE BREAD FOR A MEMORIAL — because of the bread itself nothing was offered to the Lord, but the frankincense was burnt when the former was removed from the golden table every Sabbath. It (the frankincense) thus served as a memorial for the bread, because through it, it (the bread) was recalled to memory Above (the bread itself was not offered) just as the “handful” of flour and of oil (Leviticus 2:2) was “the memorial portion” of the meal offering being the only part offered, while the remainder was eaten by the priests just as this bread was.

והיתה ללחם אזכרתה, ”so that the frankincense may serve the loaves as a symbol of it.” Rabbi Shimon states that the expression אזכרה here, as well as in Leviticus 2,2, refers to the partial fistful used. In other words, two partial fistfuls of frankincense were required, one for each row of six showbreads.

That is that he commanded us to place the bread of display always in front of Him. And that is His, may He be exalted, saying, "And on the table shall you set the bread of display, to be before Me always" (Exodus 25:30). And you already know the language of the Torah about placing new bread every Shabbat, and that frankincense be with it and that the priests eat the bread made for the previous Shabbat (Leviticus 23:8,7,9). And the regulations of this commandment have already been explained in Chapter 11 of Menachot. (See Parashat Terumah; Mishneh Torah, Daily Offerings and Additional Offerings 2).