Julian Ungar-Sargon

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Daf Ditty

A wide-ranging commentary on the daily page of Talmud.

Leptadenia pyrotechnica (Hindi: खींप; Punjabi: ਿਖੱਪ) is the botanical name of a desert herb of the family Apocynaceae.

Yoma 38: Leptinemia Pyrotechnica

jyungar May 19, 2021

For the source text click/tap here: Yoma 38

To download, click/tap here: PDF

The Mishna on our daf lists individuals whose behavior was criticized by the Sages.

Among them are two families of kohanim – Bet Garmu, who were responsible for baking the lehem ha-panim (shewbread) and Bet Avtinas, who were responsible for the ketoret and succeed in creating an incense whose smoke would rise in a straight line to the heavens

The plant seen by the descendant of Bet Avtinas is referred to as ma’aleh ashan.

Although the tradition identifying this plant has apparently been lost over the centuries, the generally accepted identification is with a weed called leptadenia pyrotechnica, a plant that grows in the southern part of the Jordan Valley and in the northern Sinai.

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Julian Ungar-Sargon

This is Julian Ungar-Sargon's personal website. It contains poems, essays, and podcasts for the spiritual seeker and interdisciplinary aficionado.​