According to the Talmud

Talmud

The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....

, the House of Avtinas was responsible for compounding the ketoret

Ketoret

The use of incense in Judaism was related to perfumed offerings on the altar of incense in the time of the Tabernacle and the First and Second Temple period, and was an important component of priestly liturgy in the Temple in Jerusalem....

, the incense offered on the Inner Altar in the Temple of Jerusalem.

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

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 used for advertising puffery...

 -- Maaleh Ashan

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...

-- 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

Second Temple

The Jewish Second Temple was an important shrine which stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem between 516 BCE and 70 CE. It replaced the First Temple which was destroyed in 586 BCE, when the Jewish nation was exiled to Babylon...

's destruction in 70 CE.

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

Korban

The term offering as found in the Hebrew Bible in relation to the worship of Ancient Israel is mainly represented by the Hebrew noun korban whether for an animal or other 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

Book of Proverbs

The Book of Proverbs , commonly referred to simply as Proverbs, is a book of the Hebrew Bible.The original Hebrew title of the book of Proverbs is "Míshlê Shlomoh" . When translated into Greek and Latin, the title took on different forms. In the Greek Septuagint the title became "paroimai paroimiae"...

 16:4) 'Everything God made for His sake.' " The Sages sent after them, but they did not want to come back until [the Sages] doubled their wages. Jerusalem Talmud

Jerusalem Talmud

The Jerusalem Talmud, talmud meaning "instruction", "learning", , is a collection of Rabbinic notes on the 2nd-century Mishnah which was compiled in the Land of Israel during the 4th-5th century. The voluminous text is also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud de-Eretz Yisrael...

 Shekalim 5:1 (Schottenstein Edition 14a)

The phrase "Who created everything for His Glory" is used in the first blessing of the Sheva Brachot

Sheva Brachot

Sheva Brachot literally "the seven blessings" also known as birkot Nesuim , "the wedding blessings" in Jewish religious law are blessings that are recited for a bride and her groom as part of nissuim...

 (Seven Blessings) at a Jewish wedding ceremony, and in the Birkat HaMazon

Birkat Hamazon

Birkat Hamazon or Birkath Hammazon, , known in English as the Grace After Meals, , is a set of Hebrew blessings that Jewish Law prescribes following a meal that includes bread or matzoh made from one or all of wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt...

 (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

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 suspicion that they might be appropriating Temple...

 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?" [that brought on these emotions]. "The herb Maaleh Ashan

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...

is growing next to me."