Parshat Tetzaveh

The verses describing the construction of mizbe'ach haktoret (the gold altar) are seemingly out of place, not listed among all the other vessels of the mishkan, despite their similarities in terms of materials, instructions, and construction. Why is this mizbe'ach listed separately? Rabbi Chanoch Waxman focuses on the nature of ketoret, placed alongside the aron ha'edut, both in the Torah and in the mishkan itself. This crucial connection teaches us about the means by which the Divine presence is brought forth by human initiative on a daily basis and about the presence of God in the world.