Midrash for Shekalim 5:1

אֵלּוּ הֵן הַמְמֻנִּין שֶׁהָיוּ בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ, יוֹחָנָן בֶּן פִּנְחָס עַל הַחוֹתָמוֹת, אֲחִיָּה עַל הַנְּסָכִים, מַתִּתְיָה בֶּן שְׁמוּאֵל עַל הַפְּיָסוֹת, פְּתַחְיָה עַל הַקִּנִּין. פְּתַחְיָה, זֶה מָרְדְּכָי. לָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ פְּתַחְיָה. שֶׁהָיָה פּוֹתֵחַ בִּדְבָרִים וְדוֹרְשָׁן, וְיוֹדֵעַ שִׁבְעִים לָשׁוֹן. בֶּן אֲחִיָּה עַל חוֹלֵי מֵעַיִם, נְחוּנְיָא חוֹפֵר שִׁיחִין, גְּבִינֵי כָרוֹז, בֶּן גֶּבֶר עַל נְעִילַת שְׁעָרִים, בֶּן בֵּבָי עַל הַפָּקִיעַ, בֶּן אַרְזָה עַל הַצִּלְצָל, הֻגְרַס בֶּן לֵוִי עַל הַשִּׁיר, בֵּית גַּרְמוּ עַל מַעֲשֵׂה לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים, בֵּית אַבְטִינָס עַל מַעֲשֵׂה הַקְּטֹרֶת, אֶלְעָזָר עַל הַפָּרוֹכוֹת, וּפִנְחָס עַל הַמַּלְבּוּשׁ:

These are the appointees that were designated in the Temple [The fifteen varieties of appointment and station mentioned in our Mishnah always obtained in the Temple. The men mentioned here did not all live at the same time; the saintliest and the best of all the generations are mentioned. Our rabbis explained that because the first appointees were thus called, all who came after them were called by their name]: Yochanan b. Pinchas over the seals and over the flour [to be explained below in the Mishnah], Achiyah over the libations, Matitya b. Shmuel over the lots [to teach the order of the lots; who performs this service, who the other, as explained in Yoma], Petachyah over the kinin (birds), — [Those lacking atonement, who bring obligatory bird-offerings, turtle-doves and young pigeons, put their money into the shofroth in the Temple, and the appointees over the shofroth take the money and buy kinin for it. The one appointed over the kinin had to be a great sage and expert, as stated in Avoth (3:18): "Kinin and the (determination of) the onset of niddah (the menstrual period) are the essentials of halachah."] Petachyah is Mordecai. Why was he called "Petachyah"? Because he would "open" words and expound them and was fluent in seventy languages. [This is "Mordecai Bilshan" (Ezra 2:2), who went up from the exile. He was thus called ("Bilshan") because he assimilated (balal) many languages (leshonoth)], Ben Achiyah over those suffering intestinal disorders [Because the Cohanim walked barefoot on the floor and ate much meat and drank water, they were subject to intestinal disorder and they were always in need of a doctor to prescribe for them.], Nechuniah over the pits [He was appointed over the digging of pits and caves to provide drinking water for the festival pilgrims], Gevini over the proclamations [Gevini would proclaim every morning in the Temple: "Arise, Cohanim, for your service," and his voice could be heard from Jericho.] Ben Gever over the closing of the doors [closing them in the evening and opening them in the morning], Ben Bevai over the pekia [a strap with which to lash Cohanim and Levites found sleeping on their Temple watches at night, as stated in Middoth 1: "Whoever was found sleeping would be lashed and his garment burned. The Yerushalmi explains "pekia" as wicks for the altar and beth hashoevah, as stated (Succah 5:3): "From the worn-out breeches of the Cohanim and from their sashes they made wicks (mafki'im pethiloth)"], Ben Arzah over the tziltzal (cymbal) [as in (I Samuel 3:11): "His two ears shall 'tingle'" (tetzilenah). When the Levites heard it sounding, they would begin their song.], Hugras b. Levi over the song [to begin the song; and when he would conclude, they all would conclude], Beth Garmo over the preparation of the show-bread, [which was in the form of an open chest. They were artists in its preparation and its baking, (expert in) removing it from the oven without breaking it and processing it so that it not mould.], Beth Avtinas over the preparation of the incense [They were expert in the compounding of the incense and were privy to an herb called "ma'aleh ashan" ("the smoke raiser"), which, when added to the spices of the incense would cause the smoke to rise in a column.], Elazar over the parocheth (the Temple curtains) [to make new curtains when the need arose], and Pinchas over the wardrobe [He was appointed to attire the Cohanim for the service and to remove the priestly garments after the service and secure them in the compartments assigned to them.]

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