Menachot

I am in doubt. How am I to regard it? Shall I say that the man intended to offer the drink-offerings of two bullocks,1 and therefore these may not be offered until this quantity has been made up? Or [shall I rather say that] ‘he intended to bring the drink-offerings of two rams and one lamb? [In other words, the question is:] Do we say that he meant to bring the drink-offerings corresponding to two quantities of one kind and one of the other or not?2 The question remains unsolved. MISHNAH. ONE MAY OFFER WINE3 BUT NOT OIL. THIS IS THE OPINION OF R. AKIBA. BUT R. TARFON SAYS, ONE MAY ALSO OFFER OIL.4 R. TARFON SAID, AS WE FIND THAT WINE WHICH IS OFFERED AS AN OBLIGATION5 MAY BE OFFERED AS A FREEWILL-OFFERING,6 SO OIL WHICH IS OFFERED AS AN OBLIGATION MAY BE OFFERED AS A FREEWILL-OFFERING. R. AKIBA SAID TO HIM, NO, IF YOU SAY SO OF WINE IT IS BECAUSE IT IS OFFERED BY ITSELF EVEN WHEN OFFERED AS AN OBLIGATION;7 CAN YOU SAY THE SAME OF OIL WHICH IS NOT OFFERED BY ITSELF WHEN OFFERED AS AN OBLIGATION?7 TWO [MEN] MAY NOT JOINTLY OFFER ONE TENTH; BUT THEY MAY JOINTLY OFFER A BURNT-OFFERING OR A PEACE-OFFERING, AND OF BIRDS EVEN A SINGLE BIRD. GEMARA. Raba said, From the opinions of both we may infer that a man may offer every day the meal-offerings of the drink-offerings.8 But is not this obvious? [No,] for I might have thought that in regard to the freewill meal-offering the Divine Law has specified but five kinds of meal-offerings9 and no more; we are therefore taught that that is so only where [the kind of the meal-offering] was not expressed,10 but where it was expressly stated11 then it was so stated. TWO [MEN] MAY NOT JOINTLY OFFER [ONE TENTH]. What is the reason? Shall I say because there is written, Bringeth?12 But with the burnt-offering too there is written, Bringeth!13 But you will say that the reason this is so with the burnt-offering14 is that there is written, Your burnt-offerings;15 then with the meal-offering too there is written, And your meal-offerings!15 — The reason is that there is written in connection with [the meal-offering] the word ‘soul’.16 And so too it was taught in a Baraitha: Rabbi says, It is written, [Whosoever he be of the house of Israel] that bringeth his offering, whether it be any of their vows, or any of their freewill-offerings, which they bring unto the Lord:17 thus every offering may be brought jointly, and the verse excluded only the meal-offering in connection with which the expression ‘soul’ is used. R. Isaac said, Why is the meal-offering distinguished in that the expression ‘soul’ is used therewith? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘Who is it that usually brings a meal-offering? It is the poor man. I account it as though he had offered his own soul to Me’. R. Isaac said, Why is the meal-offering distinguished in that five kinds of oil dishes18 are stated in connection with it? This can be likened to the case of a human king for whom his friend had prepared a feast. As the king knew that [his friend] was poor, he said to him, ‘prepare it19 for me in five kinds of dishes so that I will derive pleasure from you’. MISHNAH. [IF A MAN SAID], ‘I TAKE UPON MYSELF TO BRING A TENTH’, HE MUST BRING ONE [TENTH]; IF ‘TENTHS’, HE MUST BRING TWO [TENTHS]. [IF HE SAID,] ‘I SPECIFIED [A CERTAIN NUMBER OF TENTHS] BUT I DO NOT KNOW WHAT NUMBER I SPECIFIED’, HE MUST BRING SIXTY TENTHS20 [IF HE SAID,] ‘I TAKE UPON MYSELF TO BRING A MEAL-OFFERING’, HE MAY BRING WHICHEVER KIND HE CHOOSES.21 R. JUDAH SAYS, HE MUST BRING A MEAL-OFFERING OF FINE FLOUR, FOR THAT IS THE PRINCIPAL MEAL-OFFERING. [IF HE SAID] A MEAL-OFFERING’ OR ‘A KIND OF MEAL-OFFERING’, HE MUST BRING ONE [OF ANY KIND]; IF ‘MEAL-OFFERINGS’ OR A KIND OF MEAL-OFFERINGS’, HE MUST BRING TWO [OF ANY ONE KIND]; [IF HE SAID,] ‘I SPECIFIED [A CERTAIN KIND], BUT I DO NOT KNOW WHAT KIND I SPECIFIED’, HE MUST BRING THE FIVE KINDS [IF HE SAID,] ‘I SPECIFIED A MEAL-OFFERING OF [A CERTAIN NUMBER OF] TENTHS22 BUT I DO NOT KNOW WHAT NUMBER I SPECIFIED, HE MUST BRING SIXTY TENTHS. BUT RABBI SAYS, HE MUST BRING MEAL-OFFERINGS [OF EVERY NUMBER] OF TENTHS FROM ONE TO SIXTY.23 GEMARA. This24 is obvious! — It was necessary to state the next clause: IF ‘TENTHS’, HE MUST BRING TWO [TENTHS]. But this too is obvious, for the minimum of ‘tenths’ is two! — It was necessary to state the following clause: [IF HE SAID,] ‘I SPECIFIED [A CERTAIN NUMBER OF TENTHS] BUT I DO NOT KNOW WHAT NUMBER I SPECIFIED’, HE MUST BRING SIXTY TENTHS.25 Whose view is taught here? Said Hezekiah: It is not that of Rabbi, for Rabbi has said, HE MUST BRING MEAL-OFFERINGS [OF EVERY NUMBER] OF TENTHS FROM ONE TO SIXTY. R. Johanan said, You may even say that it sets forth the view of Rabbi, but [we must assume that] the man said, ‘I specified [a certain number of] tenths but I had not determined them for one vessel’, in which case he must bring sixty tenths in sixty vessels.26 [IF HE SAID.] ‘I TAKE UPON MYSELF TO BRING A MEAL-OFFERING’, HE MAY BRING WHICHEVER KIND HE CHOOSES, etc. A Tanna taught: It is because Holy Writ stated it first.27 In that case, if a man said, ‘I take upon myself to bring a burnt-offering’. he should have to bring a bullock,28 since Holy Writ stated that offered, v. Zeb. 91b. animal-offerings, may be brought at any time as an entire and separate offering even without an animal-offering. The dispute between R. Akiba and R. Tarfon refers only to the offering of oil by itself, but certainly not to the offering of oil which is part of the meal-offering of the drink-offerings. meal-offering prepared on a griddle, (iii) the meal-offering prepared in a pan, (iv) the meal-offering baked in the oven and made into cakes, and (v) that baked in the oven and made into wafers. to bring one of the five kinds described in the Torah. two persons jointly. was less it matters nought, for when bringing this quantity he should stipulate that what is over and above the amount he promised shall be reckoned as a freewill meal-offering. to Rabbi, were he to bring the maximum quantity, namely sixty tenths, in one vessel, for Rabbi is of the opinion that once a certain number of tenths have been determined for one vessel that vessel may contain neither more nor less than the number specified. Accordingly the only possible solution is to bring sixty meal-offerings, each containing a different number of tenths; in this way he will certainly have brought the meal-offering he specified. SPECIFIED etc.’ is erroneously placed — as a fresh quotation from our Mishnah introducing a new passage. whether he would bring them in one or more vessels; whereas in the last clause of our Mishnah the doubt is as to the correct number of tenths to be brought in one vessel.