שֶׁל בֵּית אַבְטִינָס לֹא רָצוּ לְלַמֵּד עַל מַעֲשֵׂה הַקְּטוֹרֶת. תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בֵּית אַבְטִינָס הָיוּ בְּקִיאִין בְּמַעֲשֵׂה הַקְּטוֹרֶת וְלֹא רָצוּ לְלַמֵּד, שָׁלְחוּ חֲכָמִים וְהֵבִיאוּ אוּמָּנִין מֵאֲלֶכְּסַנְדְּרִיָּא שֶׁל מִצְרַיִם. וְהָיוּ יוֹדְעִין לְפַטֵּם כְּמוֹתָם וְלֹא הָיוּ יוֹדְעִין לְהַעֲלוֹת עָשָׁן כְּמוֹתָן. שֶׁל הַלָּלוּ — מִתַּמֵּר וְעוֹלֶה כְּמַקֵּל, שֶׁל הַלָּלוּ — מַפְצִיעַ לְכָאן וּלְכָאן. וּכְשֶׁשָּׁמְעוּ חֲכָמִים בַּדָּבָר, אָמְרוּ: כֹּל מַה שֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא — לִכְבוֹדוֹ בְּרָאוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כֹּל פָּעַל ה׳ לַמַּעֲנֵהוּ״, וְחָזְרוּ בֵּית אַבְטִינָס לִמְקוֹמָן. שָׁלְחוּ לָהֶם חֲכָמִים וְלֹא בָּאוּ, כָּפְלוּ לָהֶם שְׂכָרָן וּבָאוּ. בְּכׇל יוֹם הָיוּ נוֹטְלִין שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר מָנֶה, וְהַיּוֹם עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: בְּכׇל יוֹם עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה, וְהַיּוֹם אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁמוֹנָה. אָמְרוּ לָהֶם חֲכָמִים: מָה רְאִיתֶם שֶׁלֹּא לְלַמֵּד? אָמְרוּ: יוֹדְעִין הָיוּ שֶׁל בֵּית אַבָּא שֶׁבַּיִת זֶה עָתִיד לֵיחָרֵב, אָמְרוּ: שֶׁמָּא יִלְמוֹד אָדָם שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְהוּגָּן וְיֵלֵךְ וְיַעֲבוֹד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה בְּכָךְ. וְעַל דָּבָר זֶה מַזְכִּירִין אוֹתָן לְשֶׁבַח: מֵעוֹלָם לֹא יָצָאת כַּלָּה מְבוּשֶּׂמֶת מִבָּתֵּיהֶן, וּכְשֶׁנּוֹשְׂאִין אִשָּׁה מִמָּקוֹם אַחֵר, מַתְנִין עִמָּהּ שֶׁלֹּא תִּתְבַּסֵּם, שֶׁלֹּא יֹאמְרוּ: מִמַּעֲשֵׂה הַקְּטוֹרֶת מִתְבַּסְּמִין, לְקַיֵּים מַה שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וִהְיִיתֶם נְקִיִּים מֵה׳ וּמִיִּשְׂרָאֵל״. תַּנְיָא, אָמַר רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל: פַּעַם אַחַת הָיִיתִי מְהַלֵּךְ בַּדֶּרֶךְ וּמָצָאתִי אֶחָד מִבְּנֵי בְנֵיהֶם, אָמַרְתִּי לוֹ: אֲבוֹתֶיךָ בִּקְּשׁוּ לְהַרְבּוֹת כְּבוֹדָן וְרָצוּ לְמַעֵט כְּבוֹד הַמָּקוֹם, עַכְשָׁיו כְּבוֹד מָקוֹם בִּמְקוֹמוֹ, וּמִיעֵט כְּבוֹדָם. אָמַר רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא: (פַּעַם אַחַת) סָח לִי רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן לוֹגָא: פַּעַם אַחַת יָצָאתִי אֲנִי וְאֶחָד מִבְּנֵי בְנֵיהֶם לַשָּׂדֶה לְלַקֵּט עֲשָׂבִים, וְרָאִיתִי (שֶׁשָּׂחַק וּבָכָה). אָמַרְתִּי לוֹ: מִפְּנֵי מָה בָּכִיתָ? אָמַר לִי: כְּבוֹד אֲבוֹתַי נִזְכַּרְתִּי. וּמִפְּנֵי מָה שָׂחַקְתְּ? אָמַר לִי: שֶׁעָתִיד הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְהַחְזִירָהּ לָנוּ. וּמִפְּנֵי מָה נִזְכַּרְתָּ? אָמַר לִי: מַעֲלֶה עָשָׁן כְּנֶגְדִּי. הַרְאֵהוּ לִי! אָמַר לִי: שְׁבוּעָה הִיא בְּיָדֵינוּ שֶׁאֵין מַרְאִין אוֹתוֹ לְכׇל אָדָם. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן נוּרִי: פַּעַם אַחַת מָצָאתִי זָקֵן אֶחָד וּמְגִילַת סַמְמָנִין בְּיָדוֹ. אָמַרְתִּי לוֹ: מֵאַיִן אַתָּה? אָמַר לִי: מִבֵּית אַבְטִינָס אֲנִי. וּמָה בְּיָדֶךָ? אָמַר לִי: מְגִילַּת סַמְמָנִין. הַרְאֵהוּ לִי! אָמַר לִי: כׇּל זְמַן שֶׁבֵּית אַבָּא הָיוּ קַיָּימִין, לֹא הָיוּ מוֹסְרִין אוֹתוֹ לְכׇל אָדָם, וְעַכְשָׁיו הֲרֵי הוּא לְךָ, וְהִזָּהֵר בָּהּ. וּכְשֶׁבָּאתִי וְסַחְתִּי דְּבָרַי לִפְנֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, אָמַר לִי: מֵעַתָּה אָסוּר לְסַפֵּר בִּגְנוּתָן שֶׁל אֵלּוּ.
§ Similarly, the mishna related: The craftsmen of the House of Avtinas did not want to teach about the secret of the preparation of the incense, at which they were particularly adept. The Sages taught in a baraita: The members of the House of Avtinas were expert in the technique of preparing the incense, and they did not want to teach others. The Sages dismissed them and sent for and brought craftsmen from Alexandria in Egypt. And the Alexandrian craftsmen knew how to blend the spices like they did, but they did not know how to cause the smoke to rise like the House of Avtinas did. The smoke of the incense blended by these members of the House of Avtinas rises in a column like a stick; the smoke of the incense blended by these Alexandrians branched out to here and to there and did not rise in a straight line. When the Sages heard of the matter, they said: Whatever the Holy One, Blessed be He, created, He created in His honor, as it is stated: “God made everything for His sake” (Proverbs 16:4), and they let the House of Avtinas return to their original station. The Sages sent for the members of the House of Avtinas to reassume their previous position, and they did not come. They doubled their wages and they came. Each day until then they would take wages of twelve maneh, and today they take wages of twenty-four maneh. Rabbi Yehuda says: Each day they took twenty-four maneh, and today they take forty-eight. The Sages said to them: What did you see that led you not to teach others this craft? They said: The members of our father’s house knew that this house, the Temple, is destined to be destroyed, and they were concerned lest an unworthy man learn our skill of preparing incense and go and engage in idol worship with that skill. Therefore, they attempted to prevent this skill from spreading beyond their family. The Gemara comments: And for this matter they are mentioned favorably: Never did a perfumed bride emerge from their homes. And when they marry a woman from a different place, they stipulate with her that she will not perfume herself, so that cynics would not say that it is with the work of the incense that they perfume themselves, to fulfill that which is stated: “And you shall be clear before the Lord and before Israel” (Numbers 32:22). It was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yishmael said: One time I was walking along the road and I found one of the descendants of the House of Avtinas. I said to him: Your fathers sought to enhance their honor and sought to diminish God’s honor by not revealing their secret to others. Now, although the Temple was destroyed, the honor of God remains as it was, and He diminished their honor, as their significance stemmed from their Temple service. Rabbi Akiva said: One time Rabbi Yishmael ben Loga related to me: One time I and one of the descendants of the House of Avtinas went out to the field to collect herbs, and I saw that he laughed and he cried. I said to him: Why did you cry? He said to me: I was reminded of the honor of my forefathers, how important they were in the Temple. I said to him: And why did you laugh? He said to me: The Holy One, Blessed be He, is going to restore it to us in the future and we will be honored again. I said to him: And why are you reminded of this now? He said to me: The smoke-raising herb is before me, here in the field, reminding me of the past. I said to him: Show it to me; which one is it? He said to me: We are bound by oath not to show it to any person other than the members of our family. Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Nuri said: One time I found an old man who had in his hand a scroll with the location and formula for blending of spices. I said to him: Where are you from? What is your ancestry? He said to me: I am from the House of Avtinas. I asked him: And what is in your hand? He said to me: A scroll of spices. I said to him: Show it to me. He said to me: As long as the House of Avtinas, my forefathers, was extant, they would not pass it on to anyone. And now, here it is; and be careful with it not to give it to anyone. And when I came and related my statement before Rabbi Akiva, he said to me: And now that they have surrendered the scroll to worthy recipients since they are unable to maintain its sanctity, it is prohibited to mention them unfavorably, as even their earlier reticence was apparently for the glory of God.