Menachot 98

אלא פשיטא דלית ליה ואי דיומיה אמאי תדיר ומקודש תדיר עדיף

Obviously then there are not sufficient means [for the two kinds of offerings]; now if both are required for to-day how [can it be said that either the one or the other may be offered]?

אלא לאו דלמחר וקתני אין מעכבין זה את זה אלמא כי הדדי נינהו

Surely what is more frequent and holy takes precedence!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And that is the Daily Offering.');">¹</span>

אמר ליה אביי לעולם דאית להו ולקדם ודקא קשיא לך שלא יהא דבר קודם מצוה בעלמא הוא

We must say, therefore, [that one is required] for the morrow, and yet it states, that [the absence of] one does invalidate the other, thus proving that they are on a par.

ת"ש אין פוחתין מששה טלאים המבוקרין בלשכת הטלאים כדי לשבת ולשני ימים טובים של ראש השנה

Thereupon Abaye said to him, I can still say that [both kinds of offerings] are available and it is only a question of precedence and as for your objection that nothing should be offered prior to [the Daily Offering, I say that] that is only a recommendation.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But in fact offerings may be sacrificed before the morning Daily Offering.');">²</span>

היכי דמי אילימ' דאית ליה תמידין ומוספין טובא הוו

Come and hear: We have learnt:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 'Ar. 13a.');">³</span>

אלא לאו דלית ליה ושמע מינה תמידין עדיפי

There must never be less than six inspected<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., examined and found free from all physical blemishes.');">⁴</span>

לא לעולם דאית ליה והכי קא אמר אין פוחתין מששה טלאים המבוקרין בלשכת הטלאים ד' ימים קודם שחיטה ומני בן בג בג היא

lambs in the chamber of lambs, sufficient for a Sabbath and the two Festival days of the New Year.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When the three fall on consecutive days six lambs would be required for the Daily Offerings; v. 'Ar. 13a.');">⁵</span>

דתניא בן בג בג אומר מנין לתמיד שטעון ביקור ד' ימים קודם שחיטה תלמוד לומר (במדבר כח, ב) תשמרו להקריב לי במועדו ולהלן הוא אומר (שמות יב, ו) והיה לכם למשמרת עד ארבעה עשר יום

Now what are the circumstances?

מה להלן טעון ביקור ארבעה ימים קודם שחיטה אף כאן טעון ביקור ארבעה ימים קודם שחיטה

Shall I say that [lambs] are available, then surely many more are required for the Daily Offerings and the Additional Offerings!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Actually twenty two lambs would be required for these three days, six for the Daily Offerings and sixteen for the Additional Offerings.');">⁶</span>

אמר ליה רבינא לרב אשי הני ששה שבעה הוו דהא איכא דצפרא דתלתא בשבתא

Obviously there are not sufficient lambs; we thus see that the Daily Offerings take precedence!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since all the six lambs are reserved for the Daily Offerings in preference to the Additional Offerings.');">⁷</span>

ולטעמיך תמניא הוו דהאיכא דפניא דמעלי שבתא

- This is not so, for actually lambs are available [for all the offerings], but this is what [tha Mishnah] says: There must never be less than six lambs, inspected four days before the slaughtering,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This requirement was essential for the Daily Offerings only.');">⁸</span>

הא לא קשיא דלבתר דאקריב קאמר

in the chamber of lambs. And the author [of that Mishnah] is Ben Bag Bag. For Ben Bag Bag says, Whence do we know that the lamb for the Daily Offering must be inspected four days before the slaughtering? Because it is written here, Ye shall observe to offer unto Me in its due season<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. XXVIII, 2. rna');">⁹</span> , and there it is written, And ye shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XII, 6. In both these verses a form of the root 'to keep' 'observe' is used.');">¹⁰</span> as in the latter case the lamb was inspected four days before the slaughtering,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For the lamb was taken on the tenth of the month of Nisan and slaughtered on the fourteenth of the same month. Cf. ibid. 3,6.');">¹¹</span> so in the former case the lamb must be inspected four days before the slaughtering. Rabina said to R'Ashi, Why six? Surely seven are necessary, for one must reckon also the lamb for the morning [Daily Offering] on Tuesday!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When the New Year falls on Sunday and Monday, the six inspected lambs would, it is true, serve for the Daily Offerings of the three days, namely the Sabbath, Sunday and Monday, but surely another lamb must be had in readiness for the morning Daily Offering on Tuesday, since there is no opportunity to obtain one during the preceding three days. There is another reading: 'for the morning Daily Offering on Sunday'. The interpretation is similar but the assumption is that the New Year preceded the Sabbath and fell on Thursday and Friday.');">¹²</span> And according to your argument, [retorted the other], are not eight necessary? For one must also reckon the lamb for the evening Daily Offering on Friday!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It being assumed that the evening offering on Friday had not yet been offered, consequently the number of lambs stated by the Tanna would have to include this lamb too.');">¹³</span> - This is no difficulty, for [the Tanna] assumed that [the Friday evening Daily Offering] had been offered.