Commentary for Menachot 177:20

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> מערבין נסכי פרים בנסכי אילים נסכי כבשים בנסכי כבשים של יחיד בשל ציבור

- 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.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. XXVIII, 14.');">¹⁶</span> And a hin has twelve logs, for it is written, And of olive oil a hin;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XXX. 24. vz');">¹⁷</span> and it is also written, This [zeh] shall be holy anointing oil unto Me throughout your generations.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. 31. Heb. z v');">¹⁸</span> the numerical value of zeh being twelve.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' = 7 and = 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) .');">¹⁹</span> 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:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XXVII, 21.');">²⁰</span> 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<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sc. the kindling of the lights.');">²¹</span> 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];<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 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.');">²²</span> while others say that they calculated it by increasing it.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 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.');">²³</span> 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;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 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.');">²⁴</span> and those who say that they calculated it by reducing it [adopt the principle that] there is no poverty in the place of wealth. <big><b>MISHNAH: </b></big>ONE MAY MIX THE DRINK-OFFERINGS<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 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.');">²⁵</span> OF BULLOCKS WITH THE DRINK-OFFERINGS OF RAMS,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 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.');">²⁶</span> 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,

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