And these are mentioned to their dishonor: Beth Garmo refused to teach (others) the preparation of the show-bread. [The other artisans did not know how to remove it from the oven without breaking it, it being in the form of an open chest.] Beth Avtinas refused to teach the preparation of the incense. [They knew of a certain herb called "ma'aleh ashan" ("the smoke raiser") which, when added to the spices of the incense, would cause the smoke of the incense to rise as a column and not to sway in different directions.] Hugras b. Levi was expert in cantillation, but refused to teach it. Ben Kamtzar refused to teach his writing skills. [He would tie four pens to his four fingers and write the tetragrammaton at one time.] Of the first ones [Ben Gamla, Ben Katin, Monbaz, his mother, Hilni, and Nikanor] it is written (Proverbs 10:7): "The remembrance of the righteous one for a blessing."]; and, of the last ones [Beth Garmo, Beth Avtinas, Hugras b. Levi, and Ben Kamzar] it is written (Ibid.): "And may the name of the wicked rot!" [And even though Beth Garmo and Beth Avtinas gave a reason for not teaching others, viz., perhaps the skill would be learned by an unworthy person, who might use it in the service of idolatry, their defense was not accepted by the sages.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Yoma
לא רצו ללמד על מעשה לחם הפנים – for the rest of the artisans did not know how to detach the bread from [where it sticks in] the oven (see Tractate Yoma 38a), so that it would not bread, because it was made like a broken chest.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yoma
Introduction
Alas, along with those who were remembered for praise, there were those who were remembered for shame as well. Interestingly, all of those who were remembered for shame were denounced for the same transgression they refused to teach their secrets to outsiders, thereby preserving for themselves monopolies over how certain things in the Temple were run. It is clear that the rabbis were incensed by the preservation of such secrets; both for practical and I believe ideological reasons as well. Practically, their trade was in constant danger of being lost. Ideologically, it seems to me that the rabbis stood for a certain democratization of knowledge. With the exception of certain esoteric subjects, the rabbis believed that people should know the oral tradition. Those who kept its various aspects to themselves were condemning the tradition to be unjustly monopolized and even worse, forgotten.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yoma
לא רצו ללמד על מעשה הקטורת – they recognized one herb/grass whose name is a “smoke-raiser” (see Talmud Keritot 6a), that they would combine it with the ingredients of frankincense, and the smoke of the incense would raise straight up like a rod and would not turn to either side.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yoma
And these they mentioned to their shame: Those of the House of Garmu did not want to teach anything about the preparation of the showbread. The trick with the showbread, according to the Talmud, was to take it off the sides of the oven, where bread was cooked (as is pita today) without it breaking apart due to its size. The House of Garmu (probably not related to “gourmet” but who knows!) knew how to do this but did not want to teach others.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yoma
פרק בשיר – producing a pleasant sound.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yoma
Those of the House of Avtinas did not teach to anything about the preparation of the incense. The incense was a complicated mixture of spices and some other materials which caused it to turn into thick smoke. The House of Avtinas did not want to teach others how they made the incense.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yoma
על מעשה הכתב – he would tie four reeds with his four fingers and write there four letters at once.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yoma
Hugros, a Levite knew a chapter [concerning] the song but did not want to teach it. Hugros knew certain tricks on how to improve one’s voice, but to his discredit, did not wish to teach others.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yoma
על הראשונים – Ben Gamla and Ben Ketin and Munbaz and Heleni his mother and Nikanor.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yoma
Ben Kamtzar did not want teach anyone his art of writing. According to legend, Ben Kamtzar could take four styluses in one hand and write four letters at the same time.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Yoma
ועל האחרונים – the House of Garmu and the House of Abtinas, and Hugares the son of Levi and Ben Kamtzar, for even though the House of Garmu and the House of Abtinas gave reasons for their words that they did not want to teach [their special skills], lest a person who is not honest would learn and he will go and worship idolatry with this, but the Sages did not accept their words.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Yoma
Concerning the former it is said: “The memory of the righteous shall be for a blessing” (Proverbs 10:7); concerning the others it is said: “But the name of the wicked shall rot.” Concerning those listed in mishnah ten for praise we say “The memory of the righteous shall be for a blessing” but concerning those in our mishnah we say, “But the name of the wicked shall rot”, meaning let their memory be forgotten.
