Menachot

— Rabbah explained, Which meal-offering is it that needs two expressions to exclude it?1 You must say it is the meal-offering baked [in the oven].2 MISHNAH. THE MEAL-OFFERING3 OF AN ISRAELITE WAS FOLDED INTO TWO AND THE TWO WERE FOLDED INTO FOUR,4 AND IT WAS SEVERED5 [AT EACH BEND]; THE MEAL-OFFERING OF PRIESTS WAS FOLDED INTO TWO AND THE TWO WERE FOLDED INTO FOUR, BUT IT WAS NOT SEVERED;6 THE MEAL-OFFERING OF THE ANOINTED HIGH PRIEST WAS NOT FOLDED. R. SIMEON SAYS, NEITHER THE MEAL-OFFERING OF THE PRIESTS7 NOR THE MEAL-OFFERING OF THE ANOINTED HIGH PRIEST WAS BROKEN IN PIECES, SINCE THE HANDFUL WAS NOT TAKEN FROM THEM, AND WHENEVER THE HANDFUL IS NOT TAKEN [FROM THE OFFERING] IT IS NOT TO BE BROKEN IN PIECES. THEY MUST ALL BE BROKEN INTO PIECES THE SIZE OF AN OLIVE.8 GEMARA. Our Rabbis taught: [It is written,] Thou shalt break.9 From this expression I would say [that it must be broken] in two, the text therefore states, In pieces.9 [From the expression] ‘in pieces’ I would say that it should be broken into crumbs, the text therefore states, ‘It’:9 it10 must be broken in pieces but not the pieces into further pieces. How then must it be done? The meal-offering of an Israelite was folded into two and the two into four, and it was severed [at each bend]; the meal-offering of priests and of the anointed High Priest were folded etc. But have we not learnt: [THE MEAL-OFFERING OF THE ANOINTED HIGH PRIEST] WAS NOT FOLDED?-Rabbah said, It means it was not folded into four but it was folded into two. R. SIMEON SAYS, NEITHER THE MEAL-OFFERING OF THE PRIESTS NOR THE MEAL-OFFERING OF THE ANOINTED HIGH PRIEST WAS BROKEN IN PIECES. R. Joseph said, Over habiza11 which contains pieces of bread the size of an olive the benediction is ‘... who bringest forth bread from the earth’. If it does not contain pieces of bread the size of an olive the benediction is ‘...who createst various kinds of food’. R. Joseph said, Whence do I know this? From the following teaching: If he12 was standing and offering meal-offerings [in the Temple] in Jerusalem, he says, ‘Blessed art thou... who hast kept us in life and hast preserved us and enabled us to reach this season’. If he13 took them to eat he says the benediction ... — who bringest forth bread from the earth’.14 And we have learnt: THEY MUST ALL BE BROKEN INTO PIECES THE SIZE OF AN OLIVE.15 Abaye said to him, Then according to the Tanna of the School of R. Ishmael who said, ‘He must crumble [the meal-offerings] until they have been reduced to the fineness of the flour of which they had been made’, it would not be necessary to say the benediction ‘who bringest forth’ —16 And should you say that it is so, but it has been taught:17 If a man gathered together crumbs from all of them18 the size of an olive and ate them [on the Passover], if they were leavened he has thereby incurred the penalty of kareth,19 but if unleavened he fulfils therewith his obligation on Passover!20 -We are dealing here21 with the case where he pressed [the crumbs] into a compact mass.22 In that case, consider the comment on the above teaching: ‘Provided he ate them23 in the time it takes to eat half a loaf’.24 Now if he pressed them into a compact mass it should have stated ‘he ate it’! — Rather we are dealing here with the case where the crumbs come from a large loaf.25 What is the decision then?26 R. Shesheth said, Even though the pieces of bread [in the habiza] are not the size of an olive, [one must say the benediction ‘who bringest forth’]. Raba said, This is so provided they still have the semblance of bread.27 meal-offering. pieces must be about the size of an olive’. The exact implication of this statement is doubtful and many interpretations have been suggested: (i) After the pieces have been folded and broken into four, they must be broken into eight, and then again into sixteen and so on until each piece is reduced to the size of an olive. This statement accordingly continues the view of the first Tanna in this Mishnah (R. Gershom and Rashi). (ii) This statement is the expression of R. Simeon's view, that the pieces must be broken many times until each is reduced to an olive's size, this in opposition to the first Tanna who maintained that the cake was broken into four pieces only (Rashi in MS.). (iii) Each cake must first be broken into pieces each about the size of an olive, and then the pieces must be folded into two and then into four (Maim. in Com. on Mishnah, and Bartinoro). meal-offering for the first time in his life. forth bread from the earth’. benediction ‘who bringest forth’. be spread out over a longer space of time. less than an olive's bulk, are considered as of some worth, and when they make up an olive's bulk one must say over them the benediction ‘who bringest forth’. Where, however, the entire cake is reduced to crumbs, as in the case of the meal-offering according to the view of the Tanna of the School of R. Ishmael, one would not have to say over them the benediction ‘who bringest forth’.