Menachot

THE SCUM, NOR THAT AT THE BOTTOM BECAUSE OF THE LEES; BUT ONE SHOULD TAKE IT ONLY FROM THE MIDDLE THIRD OF THE BARREL.1 HOW WAS IT TESTED?2 THE TEMPLE-TREASURER USED TO SIT NEARBY WITH HIS STICK3 IN HIS HAND; WHEN THE FROTH BURST FORTH HE WOULD KNOCK WITH HIS STICK.4 R. JOSE SON OF R. JUDAH SAYS, WINE ON WHICH THERE IS A SCUM IS INVALID, FOR IT IS WRITTEN, THEY SHALL BE UNTO YOU WITHOUT BLEMISH, AND THEIR MEAL-OFFERING;5 AND THEY SHALL BE UNTO YOU WITHOUT BLEMISH, AND THEIR DRINK-OFFERINGS.6 GEMARA. ONE MAY NOT BRING SWEET WINE OR SMOKED WINE OR COOKED WINE. AND IF ONE DID BRING IT IT WAS INVALID. But does not [the Mishnah] state in an earlier clause, ONE MAY NOT BRING WINE FROM SUN-DRIED GRAPES.7 BUT IF ONE DID BRING IT IT WAS VALID? — Rabina answered, Combine them and learn them together.8 R. Ashi answered, If the sweetness is by reason of the sun it is not nauseous, but if the sweetness is in the fruit itself it is nauseous. 9 ONE MAY NOT BRING OLD WINE. SO RABBI. BUT THE SAGES PERMIT IT. Hezekiah said, What is the reason for Rabbi's view? Because the verse reads, For a lamb wine;10 as a lamb [for an offering] may be only one year old, so wine may be only one year old. Then it should follow, should it not, that as a lamb that is two years old is invalid, so wine that is two years old is invalid? And should you say that it is indeed so, but it has been taught: One may not bring wine that is two years old, but if one did bring it it was valid. Now who is it that rules that one may not bring [old wine]? Obviously Rabbi; yet it says ‘But if one did bring it it was valid’! — Rather said Raba, this is the reason for Rabbi's view; it is written, Look not thou upon the wine when it is red. 11 ONE MAY NOT BRING WINE FROM THE GRAPES OF THE ESPALIER etc. A Tanna taught: [It must come from] vineyards that are cultivated twice in the year. R. Joseph once had a garden-plot which he used to give an extra hoeing and it produced wine that could take twice the usual amount of water.12 ONE DID NOT PUT [THE WINE] IN LARGE CASKS. A Tanna taught: [By BARRELS are meant] the medium-sized pitcher-shaped Lydian vessels.13 They should not be put away in twos but singly.14 HOW WAS IT TESTED? THE TEMPLE-TREASURER USED TO SIT NEARBY WITH HIS STICK IN HIS HAND; WHEN THE FROTH BURST FORTH HE WOULD KNOCK WITH HIS STICK. A Tanna taught: When the froth of the lees burst forth the Temple-treasurer would knock with his stick. And why did he not say so?15 — This supports R. Johanan. for R. Johanan said’, In the same way as speech is beneficial to the spices16 so is speech injurious to wine. R. JOSE SON OF R. JUDAH SAYS etc., R. Johanan17 raised the question. If a man consecrated it18 does he incur stripes for consecrating a blemished thing or not? Since it is unfit it is like a blemished animal; or [shall we say that the prohibition of] a blemished thing applies only to animals? — This question remains undecided. Our Rabbis taught: Rams [were brought] from Moab, lambs from Hebron, calves from Sharon, and doves from the Royal Mountain.19 R. Judah said, One should bring lambs whose height was equal to their breadth.20 Raba son of R. Shila said, What is the reason for R. Judah's view? — For it is written, In that day shall thy cattle feed, the broad lambs. 21 It is written, I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day nor night; ye that are the Lord's remembrancers, take ye no rest.22 What do they say? — Raba son of R. Shila said. [They say,] Thou wilt arise and have compassion upon Zion.23 R. Nahman b. Isaac said, [They say,] The Lord doth build up Jerusalem.24 And what did they say before this?25 — Raba son of R. Shila said, [They used to say.] For the Lord hath chosen Zion; He hath desired it for His habitation.26 CHAPTER X MISHNAH. THERE WERE TWO DRY-MEASURES IN THE TEMPLE: THE TENTH27 AND THE HALF-TENTH.28 R. MEIR SAYS, A TENTH, [ANOTHER] TENTH, AND A HALF-TENTH. FOR WHAT PURPOSE DID THE TENTH MEASURE SERVE? BY IT ONE USED TO MEASURE THE MEAL-OFFERINGS. ONE DID NOT MEASURE WITH A THREE-TENTHS MEASURE [THE MEAL-OFFERING] FOR A BULLOCK29 OR WITH A TWO-TENTHS MEASURE [THE MEAL-OFFERING] FOR A RAM,30 BUT ONE MEASURED THEM BY SO MANY TENTHS. FOR WHAT PURPOSE DID THE HALF-TENTH MEASURE SERVE? BY IT ONE USED TO MEASURE THE GRIDDLECAKES OF THE HIGH PRIEST31 [WHICH WAS OFFERED] THE HALF IN THE MORNING AND THE HALF TOWARDS EVENING. GEMARA. It was taught: R. Meir used to say. Wherefore does the text state, A tenth, a tenth for every lamb?32 To teach you that there were two tenth measures in the Temple, one heaped33 and the other level. With the heaped measure they used to measure all meal-offerings. the middle of the barrel. (Maim.). invalid. According to Tosaf s.v. lurf it was valid. wine could stand an admixture of water in the proportion of six parts of water to one of wine. casks or in small barrels but in medium-sized pitcher-shaped vessels. it. Cf. Ker. 6b. each size.