Commento su Esodo 30:24

וקדה AND OF CASSIA [FIVE HUNDRED SHEKEL] — קדה is the name of a root of a certain herb. In the language of our Sages it is called קציעה (cf. Onkelos).

ושמן זית הין, there can be no doubt that the small quantity of oil mentioned here could not have been sufficient to anoint all the sacred vessels mentioned here including the Tabernacle itself. This could only have been achieved if merely a minute part of each vessel had to be covered with that oil, or, if the quantity of anointing oil mentioned here had been placed in a large container with water and had first been boiled in it, so that the thinned down version was used to accomplish what is described here as “anointing.” There is a disagreement of how precisely this was done in Horiyot 11.

To coat the roots this amount would be insufficient! סיפק אינו means “not enough”.

הין ONE HIN — twelve logs. The Sages in Israel are of different opinions as to the purpose of the oil. R. Meir said: in it the roots were boiled. Whereupon R. Jehuda said to him: Surely it (the quantity of oil) was not sufficient even to smear the roots with it, but they were steeped in water so that, being saturated with it, they should not absorb the oil; the oil was then poured upon them and they were left thus until it (the oil) absorbed their scent and then they skimmed the oil off the roots (Horayot 11b; Keritot 5a).

But they soaked them in water. . . שראום means “soaking.”

Skimmed the oil off the roots. I.e., they poured and skimmed the oil off the roots.