The Hebrew term ''maaleh ashan'' is the traditional name of an herb which according to the

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

was an ingredient of the '' ketoret'', the incense offered in the

Temple in Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. Accord ...

. It was said to cause the smoke from the incense-offering to rise straight up. According to the

, the House of Avtinas, which compounded the incense, kept the identity of ''maaleh ashan'' a secret which became lost following the destruction of the

Second Temple The Second Temple () was the Temple in Jerusalem that replaced Solomon's Temple, which was destroyed during the Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC), Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. It was constructed around 516 BCE and later enhanced by Herod ...

in 70 CE. According to the Temple Institute, "In our own time, some have speculated that this may be the plant '' Leptadenia pyrotechnica'', which contains nitric acid."Incense http://www.templeinstitute.org/incense.htm

References

{{Judaism-stub Incense material Jewish sacrificial law Priesthood (Judaism)

See also

References