The Chamber of Avtinas was situated in the southern part of the Court. (Alternate view.) In this chamber, the incense which was made of the 11 spices, was prepared and stored. The Avtinas family was the only family who knew the secret of how to prepare the incense and especially how to identify a particular herb called ma'aleh ashan, literally "that which causes smoke to rise." It was this ingredient that caused the smoke from the incense to rise up in a straight column. 
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Contents:   Part I,    Part II,    Part III,    Part IV,    Part V,    Part VI,    Part VII