Menachot 17

(במדבר יח, י) בקדש הקדשים תאכלנו

In the most holy place shalt thou eat thereof.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. XVIII, 10.');">¹</span> Now why is the verse necessary to teach this?

והא למה לי קרא לימא בחצר אהל מועד יאכלוה ולא יהא טפל חמור מן העיקר

One could say, it is sufficient that it is written, In the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. VI, 9.');">²</span> and the accessory surely cannot be more important than the principal!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And if the most holy meat may be eaten in the Temple court, how much more so on the argument of R. Johanan in the Temple proper! Surely then no verse is necessary to permit this.');">³</span>

עבודה דאדם עובד במקום רבו אמרינן שלא יהא טפל חמור מן העיקר אכילה שאין אדם אוכל במקום רבו טעמא דכתב קרא הא לא כתב קרא לא יהא טפל חמור מן העיקר לא אמרי'

- With regard to acts of service, since a man would perform services in the presence of his master, we apply the principle 'Surely the accessory cannot be more important than the principal'. But with regard to eating, since a man would not eat in the presence of his master, [it is permitted]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To eat in the Temple proper.');">⁴</span>

איתמר בללה חוץ לחומת עזרה ר' יוחנן אמר פסולה ר"ל אמר כשרה ר"ל אמר כשרה דכתיב ויצק עליה שמן ונתן עליה לבונה והדר והביאה אל בני אהרן הכהנים וקמץ

only because the verse expressly says so, but had not the verse said so we would not have applied the principle 'Surely the accessory cannot be more important than the principal'. It was stated: If the meal-offering was mingled<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' With the oil.');">⁵</span>

מקמיצה ואילך מצות כהונה לימד על יציקה ובלילה שכשרין בזר ומדכהונה לא בעיא פנים נמי לא בעיא

outside the walls of the Temple court, R'Johanan says, It is invalid; Resh Lakish says, It is valid.' Resh Lakish says, it is valid', for it is written, And he shall pour upon it, and put frankincense thereon, and then, And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests; and he shall take thereout his handful;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. II, 1, 2.');">⁶</span>

ורבי יוחנן אמר פסולה כיון דעשייתה בכלי הוא נהי דכהונה לא בעיא פנים מיהת בעיא תניא כוותיה דר' יוחנן בללה זר כשרה חוץ לחומת העזרה פסולה:

hence from the taking of the handful begins the duty of the priesthood. This therefore teaches us that the pouring [of the oil upon the meal-offering] and the mingling [of the oil with the flour] are valid [even if done] by non-priests.

איתמר מנחה שחסרה קודם קמיצה ר' יוחנן אמר יביא מתוך ביתו וימלאנה ריש לקיש אמר לא יביא מתוך ביתו וימלאנה

Now since [the mingling] does not require the services of the priesthood, it likewise need not be performed within [the Temple court]. R'Johanan says, it is invalid', for since it must be prepared in a vessel [of ministry],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Or, according to the reading of MS.M and Sh. Mek., 'since it is hallowed (by being put) in a vessel of ministry'.');">⁷</span>

ר' יוחנן אמר מביא מתוך ביתו וימלאנה קמיצה קבעה ליה ריש לקיש אמר לא יביא מתוך ביתו וימלאנה קדושת כלי קבעה ליה

even though it does not require the services of the priesthood, it must nevertheless be performed within [the Temple court]. There is a Baraitha in support of R'Johanan's view; for it has been taught: If a non-priest mingled it it is valid; if it was mingled outside the walls of the Temple court it is invalid.

איתיביה ר' יוחנן לרשב"ל חסר הלוג אם עד שלא יצק ימלאנו תיובתא:

It was stated: If the meal-offering had diminished before the handful was taken from it, R'Johanan says, He may bring [flour] from his house to fill up the measure; Resh Lakish says, He may not bring [flour] from his house to fill up the measure. R'Johanan says, He may bring [flour] from his house to fill up the measure, for it is the taking of the handful that determines it [for a meal-offering].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And so long as the handful has not been taken one may add to the flour of the meal-offering.');">⁸</span>

איתמר שירים שחסרו בין קמיצה להקטרה רבי יוחנן אמר מקטיר קומץ עליהן וריש לקיש אמר אין מקטיר קומץ עליהן אליבא דר' אליעזר כ"ע לא פלוגי כי פליגי אליבא דר' יהושע

'Resh Lakish says, He may not bring [flour] from his house to fill up the measure', for it is the hallowing of the vessel that determines it [ a meal-offering].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And once it has been determined for a meal-offering, if it had diminished there is no remedy for it, and it is invalid.');">⁹</span> R'Johanan then raised this objection against Resh Lakish: We have learnt: If the [oil in the log was found to be lacking before it was poured out,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., before the priest had poured the oil into the palm of his own left hand for the purification of the leper. cf. Lev. XIV, 15.');">¹⁰</span>

דתנן נטמאו שיריה נשרפו שיריה אבדו שיריה כמדת ר' אליעזר כשרה כמדת רבי יהושע פסולה

he may fill up the measure.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Neg. XIV, 10. We thus see that the defective measure may be filled up even though it had already been hallowed in a vessel of ministry, contra Resh Lakish.');">¹¹</span> This is indeed a refutation.

מאן דפסל כר' יהושע ומאן דמכשר עד כאן לא אמר רבי יהושע התם אלא דלא אישתייר אבל היכא דאישתייר אפי' ר' יהושע מודה ליה

It was stated: If the remainder of the meal-offering was found to be lacking between the taking of the handful and the burning thereof, R'Johanan says, He may burn the handful on account of it; Resh Lakish says, He may not burn the handful on account of it. According to R'Eliezer's view there can be no difference of opinion;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For if where the remainder was lost entirely the handful may still be burnt, how much more so where only a part of the remainder was lacking!');">¹²</span>

דתניא ר' יהושע אומר כל הזבחים שבתורה שנשתייר מהם כזית בשר או כזית חלב זורק הדם כחצי זית בשר כחצי זית חלב אינו זורק את הדם

they differ only according to R'Joshua's view. For we have learnt:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. infra 26a, Pes. 77b.');">¹³</span>

ובעולה אפי' כחצי זית בשר וכחצי זית חלב זורק את הדם מפני שבעולה כולה כליל ובמנחה אף על פי שכולה קיימת לא יזרוק

If the remainder of the meal-offering became unclean or was burnt or lost, according to the rule of R'Eliezer<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who held (Pes. 77a) that the blood of the sacrifice may be sprinkled even though the meat is not available (either because it was rendered unclean or was burnt or lost) ; likewise with the meal-offering, he would hold that the handful may be burnt upon the altar even though the remainder is no longer available, and needless to say where only a portion of the remainder was wanting.');">¹⁴</span> it is lawful [to burn the handful], but according to the rule of R'Joshua<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who held that where the meat of the sacrifice was not available it is not lawful to sprinkle the blood.');">¹⁵</span> It is unlawful. Now he who says it is unlawful [to burn the handful], clearly agrees with R'Joshua; but he who says it is lawful, [distinguishes the cases thus]: only in that case did R'Joshua say [that it was unlawful], since nothing [of the meat] remained available, but here where some [of the meal-offering] remained available, even R'Joshua admits [that it is lawful to burn the handful]. For it has been so taught: R'Joshua says, If of any animal-offering mentioned in the Torah there remained an olive's bulk of flesh or an olive's bulk of fat, one may sprinkle the blood; if there remained a half-olive's bulk of flesh and a half-olive's bulk of fat, one may not sprinkle the blood.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For in order to sprinkle the blood there must remain a whole olive's bulk either of what may be eaten by man (i.e., the flesh) or of what may be consumed by the altar; (i.e., the fat) .');">¹⁶</span> In the case of a burnt-offering, however, even if there remained a half-olive's bulk of flesh and a half-olive's bulk of fat, one may sprinkle the blood, since it is wholly burnt.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And both the flesh and the fat are burnt upon the altar; hence a half-olive's bulk of the one may be joined with a half-olive's bulk of the other.');">¹⁷</span> And in the case of a meal-offering, even though all of it remains, one may not sprinkle the blood.