According to the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

, the House of Avtinas was responsible for compounding the '' ketoret'', the incense offered on the Inner Altar in the Temple of Jerusalem.Pomegranates and golden bells: studies in biblical, Jewish, and ... - Page 143 Jacob Milgrom, David Pearson Wright, David Noel Freedman - 1995 "Just as the priests from the house of Avtinas did not want to reveal the secret of the temple incense's mixture (M.

Yoma Yoma (Aramaic: יומא, lit. "The Day") is the fifth tractate of ''Seder Moed'' ("Order of Festivals") of the ''Mishnah'' and of the ''Talmud''. It is concerned mainly with the laws of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, on which Jews atone for their ...

3:11)." The Talmud praised the Avtinas family for never permitting the family's female members to be seen wearing perfume, to avoid any possible suspicion that they might be appropriating Temple resources for their own personal use. The Talmud relates that they knew a

secret ingredient A secret ingredient is a component of a product that is closely guarded from public disclosure for competitive advantage. Sometimes the ingredient makes a noticeable difference in the way a product performs, looks or tastes; other times it is u ...

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Maaleh Ashan The Hebrew term ''maaleh ashan'' is the traditional name of an herb which according to the Talmud was an ingredient of the ''ketoret'', the incense offered in the Temple in Jerusalem. It was said to cause the smoke from the incense-offering to rise ...

''—that had the ability to make the smoke from the incense rise straight up in a column. They refused to disclose the secret and it became lost following the

Second Temple The Second Temple (, , ), later known as Herod's Temple, was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem between and 70 CE. It replaced Solomon's Temple, which had been built at the same location in the United Kingdom of Israel before being inherited ...

's destruction in 70 CE. According to the Mishna (Yoma 3:11), the Rabbis censured the House of Avtinas (among others) for their refusal to share the knowledge of the Maaleh Ashan. The Gemorah (Yoma 38a) states that the House Avtinas defended themselves to the sages that they feared that if they revealed the secret it would be used for idolatry (Yoma 38a); there are differing traditions as to whether the Rabbis accepted this defense and removed the censure from Avitnas. The Talmud relates that the officers of the Temple once attempted to replace the House of Avtinas, but the replacement workers were unable to compound the incense in a way that made the smoke from the offering rise in the expected manner. The Talmud relates said that: :When the Sages learned of the matter, they said "All that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, created, He created for His glory, as it is said (

Proverbs A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phra ...

16:4) 'Everything God made for His sake.' " The Sages sent after them, but they did not want to come back until

he Sages He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

doubled their wages.

Jerusalem Talmud The Jerusalem Talmud ( he, תַּלְמוּד יְרוּשַׁלְמִי, translit=Talmud Yerushalmi, often for short), also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century ...

Shekalim Shekel or sheqel ( akk, 𒅆𒅗𒇻 ''šiqlu'' or ''siqlu,'' he, שקל, plural he, שקלים or shekels, Phoenician: ) is an ancient Mesopotamian coin, usually of silver. A shekel was first a unit of weight—very roughly —and became c ...

5:1 (''Schottenstein Edition'' 14a) The phrase "Who created everything for His Glory" is used in the first blessing of the Sheva Brachot (Seven Blessings) at a Jewish wedding ceremony, and in the Birkat HaMazon (Grace after meals) during the 3-7 day honeymoon period afterwards. Commentators connect the use of this phrase in this Talmudic passage to its use in the marriage ceremony to illustrate interpretive ideas—that everyone has unique talents which must be recognized, that it is sage to accept with grace what one cannot change—connecting the stories of the House of Avtinas and

House of Garmu According to the Talmud, the House of Garmu was responsible for baking the Showbread offered in the Temple of Jerusalem. The Talmud praised the Garmu family for never permitting their children to be seen eating white bread, to avoid any possible sus ...

with wisdom and insight necessary to maintain a harmonious marriage. Talmud Tractate ''Sheqalim'' relates another story about the House of Avtinas: :Rabbi Akiva said: Shimon Ben Loga related the following to me: I was once collecting grasses, and I saw a child from the House of Avtinas. And I saw that he cried, and I saw that he laughed. I said to him, "My son, why did you cry?" He said, Because of the glory of my Father's house that has decreased." I asked "And why did you laugh?" He said to me "Because of the glory prepared for the righteous in the future." I asked "And what did you see?"

hat brought on these emotions A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

"The herb

is growing next to me."

References

''The Schottenstein Edition of the Talmud'', Tractate

, Mesorah Publications Ltd, 2005. Second Temple Priesthood (Judaism) Jewish families {{DEFAULTSORT:Avtinas, House of