Menachot

GEMARA. ARE EQUAL! [But is this possible?] Have you not said, ‘The first kind is fit for the candlestick and the others for meal-offerings’?1 — R. Nahman b. Isaac answered, The statement ARE EQUAL means that they are equal in respect of meal-offerings.2 BY RIGHT IT COULD BE INFERRED BY THE FOLLOWING ARGUMENT THAT MEAL-OFFERINGS etc. Our Rabbis taught:[It is written.] ‘Pure’; [and the expression] ‘pure’ means nothing else but clear.3 R. Judah says. [It is written,] Beaten; [and the expression] ‘beaten’ means nothing else but pounded.4 I might then think that this pounded oil is not valid for meal-offerings.5 therefore the text states, And a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mingled with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil.6 Why then did the text state, For the light?7 — Out of regard to the sparing [of expense]. What is meant by ‘out of regard to the sparing’? — Said R. Eleazar, The Torah wished to spare Israel unnecessary expense.8 Command the children of Israel that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light.9 R. Samuel b. Nahmani said, ‘Unto thee’, but not unto Me, for I am not in need of light. The table was on the north side and the candlestick on the south side.10 R. Zerika said in the name of R. Eleazar, I am not in need of food and l am not in need of light.11 And for the house he made windows broad and narrow;12 ‘broad’ without and ‘narrow’ within, for I am not in need of light.13 Without the veil of the testimony in the tent of meeting.14 It is a testimony to mankind that the Divine Presence rests in Israel. For how can you say He15 is in need of light, when the whole of the forty years that the Israelites travelled in the wilderness they travelled only by His16 light! But it is a testimony to mankind that the Divine Presence rests in Israel. What is the testimony?Rab said, It was the western lamp17 [of the candlestick] into which the same quantity of oil was poured as into the others,18 yet he kindled the others from it and ended with it.19 MISHNAH. FROM WHENCE DID THEY BRING THE WINE?20 KERUHIM21 AND ‘ATTULIM RANK FIRST FOR THE QUALITY OF THEIR WINE. SECOND TO THEM ARE BETH RIMMAH, BETH LABAN ON THE HILL. AND KEFAR SIGNA IN THE VALLEY. [WINE OF THE] WHOLE LAND WAS VALID BUT THEY USED TO BRING IT ONLY FROM THESE PLACES. ONE MAY NOT BRING IT FROM A MANURED FIELD OR FROM AN IRRIGATED FIELD OR FROM VINES PLANTED IN A FIELD SOWN WITH SEEDS;22 BUT IF ONE DID BRING IT [FROM THESE] IT WAS VALID. ONE MAY NOT BRING WINE FROM SUN-DRIED GRAPES,23 BUT IF ONE DID BRING IT IT WAS VALID. ONE MAY NOT BRING OLD WINE.24 SO RABBI. BUT THE SAGES PERMIT IT. ONE MAY NOT BRING SWEET WINE25 OR SMOKED WINE OR COOKED WINE, AND IF ONE DID BRING IT IT WAS INVALID. ONE MAY NOT BRING WINE FROM THE GRAPES OF THE ESPALIER, BUT ONLY FROM THE VINES GROWING FROM THE GROUND AND FROM WELL-CULTIVATED VINEYARDS. ONE DID NOT PUT [THE WINE] IN LARGE CASKS BUT IN SMALL BARRELS; AND ONE DID NOT FILL THE BARRELS TO THE BRIM SO THAT ITS SCENT MIGHT SPREAD.26 ONE MAY NOT TAKE THE WINE AT THE MOUTH OF THE BARREL BECAUSE OF kind of oil of the second crop is fit even for the candlestick! ordained pure beaten oil only for the light. human beings it is usual to place the lamp close to the table. light. placed that its branches extended to the north and to the south; or the second lamp counting from the east, assuming that the candlestick was so placed that its branches extended to the east and to the west. V. infra 98b. old wicks and putting in new wicks, and pouring oil into them ready for kindling in the evening. The western lamp (v. supra n. 2). however, although it had no more oil than any of the other lamps, miraculously continued to burn the whole day long, so that when the lamps were to be kindled in the evening they were kindled from this one. The western lamp itself was then extinguished and cleaned out, a fresh wick put in, oil poured in, and then relit. Thus this lamp provided the fire for lighting the other lamps, and yet was the last to be cleaned out. This miracle testified to the Divine Presence in Israel. According to Neubauer, Geographie p. 82ff, Keruhim = Coreae (in north of Judah), ‘Attulim = Kefer Hatla (north of Gilgal). Beth Rimmah and Laban = the present Beit Rima and Lubban (north-west of Jerusalem), and Kefar Signa = Sukneh (near Jaffa). Were the barrel to be filled to the brim its scent would be lost as soon as it was opened.