מנחות 89:1 — Soncino English Talmud

and therefore it may be made of any kind of gold; the verse therefore teaches us [that it, too, must be of pure gold]. A HALF-LOG OF OIL FOR THE THANK-OFFERING. It was taught: R. Akiba says, Why is the expression ‘with oil’ stated twice? Had the verse stated ‘with oil’ once only, I should have said that it was like all other meal-offerings in respect of the log of oil; but now that ‘with oil’ is stated twice, there is here an amplification following an amplification, and whenever an amplification follows an amplification it implies limitation. Thus the verse has [impliedly] reduced [the quantity of oil] to a half-log. But is there here an amplification following another amplification? There is only one amplification here! — Rather the argument is this: Had not the verse stated ‘with oil’ at all, I should have said that it was like all other meal-offerings in respect of the log of oil; but now that ‘with oil’ is stated twice, there is here an amplification following an amplification. and whenever an amplification follows another amplification it implies limitation. Thus the verse has reduced [the quantity of oil] to a half-log. I might think that this half-log of oil was to be divided equally among the three kinds of cakes, namely the cakes, the wafers, and the soaked cakes; but since the verse stated ‘with oil’ with the soaked cakes, which was quite unnecessary, it thereby increased the quantity of oil for the soaked cakes. How then [was it divided]? A half-log of oil was to be brought and divided into halves, one half to be used for the cakes and wafers and the other half for the soaked cakes. Thereupon R. Eleazar b. Azariah rejoined. Akiba, even though you repeat the word ‘with oil’ the whole day long I shall not listen to you; but [the fact is that] the half-log of oil of the thank-offering, the quarter-log of oil of the Nazirite, and the eleven days between two periods of menstruation, are laws delivered to Moses on Sinai. WITH THE LOG ONE MEASURED [THE OIL FOR ALL MEAL-OFFERINGS]. Our Rabbis taught: It is written, And one tenth [part of an ephah of fine flour] mingled [with oil for a meal-offering,] and a log [of oil]. This teaches that every tenth requires a log of oil. So the Sages. But R. Nehemiah and R. Eliezer [b. Jacob] say, Even a meal-offering of sixty tenths requires but one log, for it is said, For a meal-offering and a log of oil. For what exposition do R. Nehemiah and R. Eliezer b. Jacob require the words ‘And one tenth . . . mingled . . . and a log of oil’? — They require them for their own purpose; the Divine Law ordaining thereby that he must bring one tenth [for a meal-offering]. And the others? — They say that for that purpose no verse is required. for since the Divine Law ordained in the case of a leper of affluent means that he must bring three animal-offerings and three tenths [of flour for a meal-offering], here [in the case of a leper of poor means], since he brings but one animal-offering, only one tenth [is required for a meal-offering]. And the others? — The verse is indeed necessary; for otherwise I might have said that, since the All Merciful has spared him expense by allowing him to bring a poor [man's] sacrifice, no meal-offering at all is to be brought! And the others? — We do not find [they say] that he should be [exempt] entirely [from the offering]. And for what exposition do the Rabbis require the words ‘For a meal-offering and a log of oil’? — They need them to teach that whosoever makes a freewill-offering of a meal-offering shall bring nothing less than the quantity for which one log of oil is prescribed, and that is, one tenth. And the others? — Both teachings [they say] can be derived [from these words]. SIX [LOGS] WERE REQUIRED FOR A BULLOCK, FOUR FOR A RAM, AND THREE FOR A LAMB. How do we know this?Because it is written, And their drink-offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a bullock. And a hin has twelve logs, for it is written, And of olive oil a hin; and it is also written, This [zeh] shall be a holy anointing oil unto Me throughout your generations. the numerical value of zeh being twelve. THREE LOGS AND A HALF FOR THE CANDLESTICK, A HALF-LOG FOR EACH LAMP. Whence is this derived? — Our Rabbis taught: [It is written.] To burn from evening to morning: provide it with its requisite measure so that it may burn from evening to morning. Another interpretation: ‘From evening to morning’: you have no other service that is valid from evening to morning save this alone. And the Sages have calculated that a half-log of oil [will burn] from evening to morning. Some say that they calculated it by reducing [the original quantity of oil]; while others say that they calculated it by increasing it. Those who say that they calculated it by increasing [the quantity of oil adopt the principle that] the Torah has consideration for the money of Israel; and those who say that they calculated it by reducing it [adopt the principle that] there is no poverty in the place of wealth. MISHNAH. ONE MAY MIX THE DRINK-OFFERINGS OF BULLOCKS WITH THE DRINK-OFFERINGS OF RAMS, OR THE DRINK-OFFERINGS OF LAMBS WITH THE DRINK-OFFERINGS OF OTHER LAMBS, OR THOSE OF AN INDIVIDUAL OFFERING WITH THOSE OF A COMMUNAL OFFERING,^ᵃ^ᵇ^ᶜ^ᵈ^ᵉ^ᶠ^ᵍ^ʰ^ⁱ^ʲ^ᵏ^ˡ^ᵐ^ⁿ^ᵒ^ᵖ^ᵠ^ʳ^ˢ^ᵗ^ᵘ^ᵛ^ʷ^ˣ^ʸ^ᶻ

^ᵃnote:Lev. VII, 12 with reference to the various cakes offered with the thank-offering.
^ᵇnote:Sc. the thank-offering.
^ᶜnote:For the words ‘with oil’ stated the first time are essential to teach that oil is required.
^ᵈnote:Since we know of no meal-offering consisting of cakes and wafers that is brought without oil.
^ᵉnote:The leavened cakes of the thank-offering required no oil.
^ᶠnote:For from Lev. VI, 14 we already learn that soaked cakes required oil.
^ᵍnote:Any discharge of blood during these intervening eleven days is deemed a flux (vchz), and under no circumstances can it be accounted as menstrual blood (vshb). For full details v. Nid. 71b ff. V. Pes., Sonc. ed., p 422, n. 5.
^ʰnote:Cur. edd. insert. here: ‘with reference to the offering of a leper of poor means. This is clearly an explanatory gloss and is omitted in all MSS.
^ⁱnote:Lev. XIV, 21.
^ʲnote:Ibid. No matter how large the meal-offering is only one log of oil is required.
^ᵏnote:The Sages. Do they not agree that these words of the verse are necessary for their own purpose; how then can they interpret the verse otherwise so as to derive their teaching that for every tenth one log of oil is required?
^ˡnote:R. Nehemiah and R. Eliezer b. Jacob.
^ᵐnote:The Sages.
^ⁿnote:The Divine Law has reduced the number and cost of the offerings for a man of poor means, but by no means has it exempted him entirely therefrom.
^ᵒnote:Do not R. Nehemiah and R. Eliezer b. Jacob agree that the verse is required for this last teaching; how then can they interpret the verse otherwise so as to derive therefrom their ruling that only one log is required for the meal-offering, no matter how large it is?
^ᵖnote:Num. XXVIII, 14.
^ᵠnote:Ex. XXX. 24.
^ʳnote:Ibid. 31. Heb. vz.
^ˢnote:z = 7 and v = 5. Thus it is established that the hin consists of twelve logs, for the log is the smallest unit of liquid measure mentioned in the Torah (Rashi).
^ᵗnote:Ex. XXVII, 21.
^ᵘnote:Sc. the kindling of the lights.
^ᵛnote:Lit., ‘from above downwards’. They first filled each lamp with a large quantity of oil and on finding in the morning that the lamp was still alight and that there was still oil in the lamp, they gradually reduced the quantity until they arrived at a half-log. This measure was found to be sufficient for the longest night of the winter; in the summer a thicker wick was used so that the oil was consumed more quickly.
^ʷnote:Lit., ‘from below upwards’. They first filled the lamp with a small quantity of oil and on finding in the morning that it had burnt out, the next evening they increased the quantity of oil and so on until they arrived at the standard of the half-log.
^ˣnote:And to calculate by using the larger quantity of oil in the first instance entailed the waste of the oil that was still in the lamp by the morning.
^ʸnote:This term includes the meal-offering, i.e., the quantities of flour and oil, as well as the wine-offering. It is assumed for the present that the Mishnah is dealing with the meal-offerings.
^ᶻnote:For the mixture of each meal-offering was of equal consistency, the meal-offering of the bullock consisting of three tenths flour and a half-hin (six logs) of oil, and that of a ram of two tenths flour and a third-hin (four logs) of oil, thus in each case there were two logs of oil to every tenth of flour. The meal-offering of a lamb, however, was of a thinner consistency, consisting of one tenth of flour and a quarter-hin (three logs) of oil.