Menachot 22
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Summary
Rav Mordechai reinstates the original interpretation of Shmuel’s limitation on the Mishna in Shekalim 7:7 – namely, that the court permitted the kohanim to use Temple salt for salting their sacrifices (for burning on the altar) but not for salting the meat of the sacrifices for consumption. This ruling of the court follows Ben Buchri’s opinion that kohanim are not obligated to pay the half-shekel (machatzit hashekel) used to fund communal items in the Temple. Since they did not contribute to the fund, one might have assumed they were ineligible to benefit from Temple salt; therefore, the court issued a specific stipulation to permit it.
The Mishna in Shekalim also mentions that the kohanim could use wood from the Temple for their private sacrifices. The source for this is derived from Vayikra 1:8, which mentions the wood “which is on the fire on the altar.” The phrase “on the altar” is considered superfluous, indicating that the wood shares the same status as the altar itself; just as the altar is built from communal property, so too the wood must be communal. This teaching establishes that individuals are not required to bring wood from their own homes for their voluntary offerings. Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua defines the altar differently positing that the altar must be built using stones that have never been used. This requirement would also preclude individuals from bringing wood from their own homes. Consequently, the Gemara asks: what is the practical difference between these two opinions? The answer is that the latter opinion requires the wood to be brand new and never previously used, whereas the former does not.
If a kometz, which contains one log of oil, is mixed with the mincha of a kohen or a mincha of libations, which contains three log of oil, there is a debate between the rabbis and Rabbi Yehuda. They disagree on whether the mixture may be burned on the altar or if the blending disqualifies both offerings. The concern is that the oil from the mincha becomes added to the kometz, potentially disqualifying both; the kometz would then contain an excessive amount of oil, while the mincha would be left with an insufficient amount.
The Gemara cites a Mishna in Zevachim 77b featuring a debate between the rabbis and Rabbi Yehuda regarding whether two similar substances (min be’mino) can nullify one another. Rabbi Yochanan explains that both parties derive their respective positions from the Yom Kippur service, during which the blood of the bull and the blood of the goat are mixed together. Despite the volume of the bull’s blood being significantly greater than that of the goat, the Torah continues to refer to the mixture as both “the blood of the bull” and “the blood of the goat”—indicating that the goat’s blood remains distinct and is not nullified. The rabbis derive a broad principle from this: items designated for the altar never nullify one another, regardless of their type. Conversely, Rabbi Yehuda derives a different principle: blood does not nullify blood because they are the same type of substance (min be’mino). The Gemara raises challenges against both derivations, and they are left unresolved.
Rabbi Yehuda’s opinion in our Mishna appears to contradict his ruling in the Mishna in Zevachim; if two similar substances (min be’mino) do not nullify each other, then the oil of the mincha should not be nullified by (or absorbed into) the kometz. Rava resolves this contradiction by explaining that this case is an exception, as it is considered a situation where one substance “adds to” the other rather than merely mixing with it.
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This month’s learning is dedicated for a refuah shleima for Pesha Etel bat Sarah
Today’s daf is sponsored by David and Mitzi Geffen in loving memory of David’s grandmother, Sara Hene Rabinowitz Geffen, on her 65th yahrzeit. “She and her husband Rav Tuvia Geffen, Rabbi of Sherith Israel Synagogue, brought up their eight children with love and learning. Seven of their grandchildren made Aliyah and many great grandchildren live in Israel.”
Menachot 22
כִּי זַכִּי לְהוּ רַחֲמָנָא – לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, דְּאִית לְהוּ לִשְׁכָּה. לְכֹהֲנִים, דְּלֵית לְהוּ לִשְׁכָּה – לָא זַכִּי לְהוּ רַחֲמָנָא, קָא מַשְׁמַע לַן.
when the Merciful One granted the Jewish people the right to use the salt when eating their offerings, he granted this to Israelites, who have an obligation to donate their half-shekels to the chamber, as this fund supplies the salt that is applied to the offerings. With regard to the priests, who do not have an obligation to donate their half-shekels to the chamber, the Merciful One did not grant them the right to make use of the salt. To counter this, the mishna in tractate Shekalim teaches us that the court granted to the priests the right to use the salt when eating their offerings.
וְעֵצִים, דִּפְשִׁיטָא לֵיהּ לְתַנָּא דְּמִשֶּׁל צִיבּוּר, מְנָלַן? דְּתַנְיָא: יָכוֹל הָאוֹמֵר ״הֲרֵי עָלַי עוֹלָה״ יָבִיא עֵצִים מִתּוֹךְ בֵּיתוֹ, כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁמֵּבִיא נְסָכִים מִתּוֹךְ בֵּיתוֹ? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״עַל הָעֵצִים אֲשֶׁר עַל הָאֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ״ – מָה מִזְבֵּחַ מִשֶּׁל צִיבּוּר, אַף עֵצִים וָאֵשׁ מִשֶּׁל צִיבּוּר, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בַּר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן.
The Gemara asks: And with regard to the wood, concerning which it is obvious to the tanna of the baraita that it is brought from communal supplies, from where do we derive this halakha? The Gemara answers: As it is taught in a baraita: One might have thought that one who says: It is incumbent upon me to bring a burnt offering, must bring wood from his home on which the burnt offering will be sacrificed, just as he brings libations from his home along with a burnt offering (see Numbers, chapter 15). Therefore, the verse states with regard to the burnt offering: “On the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar” (Leviticus 1:12); the Torah juxtaposes the wood to the altar, teaching that just as the altar was built from communal funds, so too, the wood and fire are brought from communal supplies. This is the statement of Rabbi Elazar bar Rabbi Shimon.
רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן שַׁמּוּעַ אוֹמֵר: מָה מִזְבֵּחַ – שֶׁלֹּא נִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בּוֹ הֶדְיוֹט, אַף עֵצִים וָאֵשׁ – שֶׁלֹּא נִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בָּהֶן הֶדְיוֹט. מַאי בֵּינַיְיהוּ? אִיכָּא בֵּינַיְיהוּ חַדְתֵי.
The baraita continues: Rabbi Elazar ben Shammua says: Just as the altar was not used by an ordinary person, as it was built for the purpose of serving as an altar for God, so too, the wood and fire should not have been used previously by an ordinary person, so one does not bring the wood from his home. The Gemara asks: What is the difference between the two opinions? The Gemara answers: The difference between the two is whether there is a requirement that the wood be new, i.e., that it had never been used. According to the opinion of Rabbi Elazar bar Rabbi Shimon, the wood is fit provided that it comes from communal supplies, even if it is not new wood, whereas according to Rabbi Elazar ben Shammua it must be new wood.
וְעַתִּיקֵי לָא? וְהָכְתִיב: ״וַיֹּאמֶר אֲרַוְנָה אֶל דָּוִד יִקַּח וְיַעַל אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ הַטּוֹב בְּעֵינָיו רְאֵה הַבָּקָר לָעֹלָה וְהַמֹּרִגִּים וּכְלֵי הַבָּקָר לְעֵצִים״! הָכָא נָמֵי בְּחַדְתֵי.
The Gemara asks: And is it in fact the halakha that old, i.e., previously used, wood is not fit to be burned on the altar? But isn’t it written: “And Araunah said to David: Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him; behold the oxen for the burnt offering, and the threshing instruments [morigim] and the equipment of the oxen for the wood” (II Samuel 24:22)? Despite the fact that the threshing instruments and equipment of the oxen have been used previously, apparently they are fit to be used when offering a burnt offering. The Gemara answers: Here too, the verse is speaking of new instruments and equipment that had not been previously used.
מַאי ״מוֹרִיגִּים״? אָמַר עוּלָּא: מִטָּה שֶׁל טַרְבֵּל. מַאי מִטָּה שֶׁל טַרְבֵּל? אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: עִיזָּא דְּקוּרְקְסָא דְּדָשׁוּ בַּהּ דִּשְׁתָּאֵי. אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף: מַאי קְרָאָה? ״הִנֵּה שַׂמְתִּיךְ לְמוֹרַג חָרוּץ חָדָשׁ בַּעַל פִּיפִיּוֹת תָּדוּשׁ הָרִים״.
Tangentially, the Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the term morigim mentioned in this verse? Ulla said: It is a turbal bed. This was not a known expression in Babylonia, so the Gemara asks: What is a turbal bed? Rav Yehuda said: It is referring to a serrated [dekurkesa] board that the threshers use for threshing, which is dragged over the grain by an animal in order to separate the kernels from the stalks. Rav Yosef said: What is the verse from which the meaning of morigim is derived? It is the verse that states: “Behold, I have made you a new threshing sledge [morag] having sharp teeth; you shall thresh the mountains” (Isaiah 41:15).
מַתְנִי׳ נִתְעָרֵב קוּמְצָהּ בְּקוֹמֶץ חֲבֶירְתָּהּ, בְּמִנְחַת כֹּהֲנִים, בְּמִנְחַת כֹּהֵן מָשִׁיחַ, בְּמִנְחַת נְסָכִים – כְּשֵׁרָה.
MISHNA: If a handful of one meal offering, which is to be burned on the altar, was intermingled with a handful of another meal offering, or with the meal offering of priests, or with the meal offering of the anointed priest, i.e., the High Priest, or with the meal offering of libations accompanying burnt offerings and peace offerings, all of which are burned in their entirety on the altar, it is fit for sacrifice, and the mixture is burned on the altar.
רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: בְּמִנְחַת כֹּהֵן מָשִׁיחַ, בְּמִנְחַת נְסָכִים – פְּסוּלָה, שֶׁזּוֹ בְּלִילָתָהּ עָבָה, וְזוֹ בְּלִילָתָהּ רַכָּה, וְהֵן בּוֹלְעוֹת זוֹ מִזּוֹ.
Rabbi Yehuda says: If the handful was intermingled with the meal offering of the anointed priest, or with the meal offering of libations, the mixture is unfit because with regard to this, the handful from the standard meal offering, its mixture is thick, one log of oil mixed with a tenth of an ephah of flour, and with regard to that, the meal offering of the anointed priest and the meal offering of libations, its mixture is loose, three log of oil mixed with a tenth of an ephah of flour. And the mixtures, which are not identical, absorb from each other, increasing the amount of oil in the handful and decreasing the amount of oil in the meal offering of the anointed priest or the meal offering of libations, thereby invalidating both.
גְּמָ׳ תְּנַן הָתָם: דָּם שֶׁנִּתְעָרֵב בְּמַיִם, אִם יֵשׁ בּוֹ מַרְאִית דָּם – כָּשֵׁר. נִתְעָרֵב בְּיַיִן – רוֹאִין אוֹתוֹ כְּאִילּוּ הוּא מַיִם. נִתְעָרֵב בְּדַם בְּהֵמָה אוֹ בְּדַם חַיָּה – רוֹאִין אוֹתוֹ כְּאִילּוּ הוּא מַיִם. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: אֵין דָּם מְבַטֵּל דָּם.
GEMARA: We learned in a mishna there (Zevaḥim 77b): In the case of blood of an offering fit for sacrifice that was mixed with water, if the mixture has the appearance of blood, it is fit for presenting on the altar, even though the majority of the mixture is water. If the blood was mixed with red wine, one views the wine as though it were water. If that amount of water would leave the mixture with the appearance of blood, it is fit for presentation. Likewise, if the blood was mixed with the blood of a non-sacred domesticated animal or the blood of a non-sacred undomesticated animal, one considers the blood as though it were water. Rabbi Yehuda says: Blood does not nullify blood. Therefore, the priest presents the blood of the mixture on the altar regardless of the ratio of sacred to non-sacred blood.
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: וּשְׁנֵיהֶם מִקְרָא אֶחָד דָּרְשׁוּ, ״וְלָקַח מִדַּם הַפָּר וּמִדַּם הַשָּׂעִיר״. הַדָּבָר יָדוּעַ שֶׁדָּמוֹ שֶׁל פַּר מְרוּבֶּה מִדָּמוֹ שֶׁל שָׂעִיר. רַבָּנַן סָבְרִי:
Rabbi Yoḥanan says: And both the first tanna and Rabbi Yehuda derived their opinions from one verse. With regard to the sacrificial rites performed by the High Priest on Yom Kippur, the Torah teaches that after sprinkling of the blood of the bull and of the goat separately between the staves of the Ark and on the Curtain, the blood of the two animals is mixed together and presented on the golden altar inside the Sanctuary. The verse states: “And he shall take of the blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat and put it on the corners of the altar” (Leviticus 16:18). It is a known matter that the blood of the bull is more than the blood of a goat. Why then is the blood of the goat not nullified? Rabbi Yoḥanan explains: The Rabbis, i.e, the first tanna, hold:
מִכָּאן לָעוֹלִין שֶׁאֵין מְבַטְּלִין זֶה אֶת זֶה, וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה סָבַר: מִכָּאן לְמִין בְּמִינוֹ שֶׁאֵינוֹ בָּטֵל.
From here it is learned that with regard to a mixture of items that ascend to the altar, e.g., the blood of the bull and the goat, the different components of the mixture do not nullify one another. And Rabbi Yehuda holds: From here it is learned that any substance in contact with the same type of substance is not nullified.
רַבָּנַן סָבְרִי מִכָּאן לָעוֹלִין שֶׁאֵין מְבַטְּלִין זֶה אֶת זֶה, וְדִלְמָא מִשּׁוּם דְּמִין בְּמִינוֹ הוּא!
The Gemara examines Rabbi Yoḥanan’s explanation of the dispute between the Rabbis and Rabbi Yehuda. With regard to the first part of his explanation, that the Rabbis hold: From here it is learned that with regard to a mixture of items that ascend to the altar the different components of the mixture do not nullify one another, the Gemara suggests: But perhaps the blood of the goat is not nullified when mixed with the blood of the bull due to the fact that it is a substance in contact with the same type of substance.
אִי אַשְׁמְעִינַן מִין בְּמִינוֹ, וְלָא אַשְׁמְעִינַן עוֹלִין, כִּדְקָא אָמְרַתְּ. הַשְׁתָּא דְּאַשְׁמְעִינַן עוֹלִין, מִשּׁוּם דְּעוֹלִין.
The Gemara answers: Had the verse taught us this halakha by using an example of a substance in contact with the same type of substance, and not taught us a case of a mixture of items that ascend to the altar, the verse would be interpreted as you said. But now that the verse taught us this halakha through a case of a mixture of items that ascend to the altar, it is understood that the reason it is not nullified is due to the fact that it is part of a mixture of items that ascend to the altar, not because the substances are of the same type.
וְדִלְמָא עַד דְּאִיכָּא מִין בְּמִינוֹ וְעוֹלִין? קַשְׁיָא.
The Gemara suggests: But perhaps it is not nullified until both criteria are met, and unless the mixture is both a substance in contact with the same type of substance and a mixture of items that ascend to the altar, one nullifies the other. The Gemara concedes: This is difficult.
וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה סָבַר מִכָּאן לְמִין בְּמִינוֹ שֶׁאֵינוֹ בָּטֵל, וְדִלְמָא מִשּׁוּם דְּעוֹלִין הוּא!
With regard to the second part of Rabbi Yoḥanan’s explanation: And Rabbi Yehuda holds: From here it is learned that any substance in contact with the same type of substance is not nullified, the Gemara suggests: But perhaps the blood of the goat is not nullified when mixed with the blood of the bull due to the fact that it is a mixture of items that ascend to the altar.
אִי אַשְׁמְעִינַן עוֹלִין מִין בְּשֶׁאֵינוֹ מִינוֹ – כִּדְקָאָמְרַתְּ, הַשְׁתָּא דְּאַשְׁמְעִינַן מִין בְּמִינוֹ – מִשּׁוּם דְּמִין בְּמִינוֹ הוּא.
The Gemara answers: Had the verse taught us this halakha by using an example of a mixture of items that ascend to the altar where the substance is in contact with a different type of substance, the verse would be interpreted as you say. But now that the verse taught us this halakha in a case of a substance in contact with the same type of substance, it is understood that the reason it is not nullified is due to the fact that it is a substance in contact with the same type of substance.
וְדִילְמָא עַד דְּאִיכָּא מִין בְּמִינוֹ וְעוֹלִין? קַשְׁיָא.
The Gemara suggests: But perhaps it is not nullified until both criteria are met, and unless the mixture is both a substance in contact with the same type of substance and a mixture of items that ascend to the altar, one nullifies the other. The Gemara concedes: This is difficult.
תְּנַן: רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: בְּמִנְחַת כֹּהֲנִים, בְּמִנְחַת כֹּהֵן מָשִׁיחַ, וּבְמִנְחַת נְסָכִים – פְּסוּלָה, שֶׁזּוֹ בְּלִילָתָהּ עָבָה וְזוֹ בְּלִילָתָהּ רַכָּה, וְהֵן בּוֹלְעוֹת זוֹ מִזּוֹ. וְכִי בּוֹלְעוֹת זוֹ מִזּוֹ מָה הָוֵי? מִין בְּמִינוֹ הוּא!
The Gemara raises another objection to the explanation of Rabbi Yoḥanan: We learned in the mishna here that Rabbi Yehuda says: If the handful was intermingled with the meal offering of priests, with the meal offering of the anointed priest, or with the meal offering of libations, the mixture is unfit because with regard to this, the handful from the standard meal offering, its mixture is thick, and with regard to that, the meal offering of the anointed priest and the meal offering of libations, its mixture is loose. And the mixtures, which are not identical, absorb from each other, invalidating both. The Gemara asks: But when the mixtures absorb from each other, what of it? This is a case of a substance in contact with the same type of substance, and therefore neither oil nullifies the other and both should be sacrificed on the altar.
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I was exposed to Talmud in high school, but I was truly inspired after my daughter and I decided to attend the Women’s Siyum Shas in 2020. We knew that this was a historic moment. We were blown away, overcome with emotion at the euphoria of the revolution. Right then, I knew I would continue. My commitment deepened with the every-morning Virtual Beit Midrash on Zoom with R. Michelle.
Zichron Yaakov, Israel
I LOVE learning the Daf. I started with Shabbat. I join the morning Zoom with Reb Michelle and it totally grounds my day. When Corona hit us in Israel, I decided that I would use the Daf to keep myself sane, especially during the days when we could not venture out more than 300 m from our home. Now my husband and I have so much new material to talk about! It really is the best part of my day!
Hashmonaim, Israel
I started learning at the beginning of this Daf Yomi cycle because I heard a lot about the previous cycle coming to an end and thought it would be a good thing to start doing. My husband had already bought several of the Koren Talmud Bavli books and they were just sitting on the shelf, not being used, so here was an opportunity to start using them and find out exactly what was in them. Loving it!
Borehamwood, United Kingdom
Hadran entered my life after the last Siyum Hashaas, January 2020. I was inspired and challenged simultaneously, having never thought of learning Gemara. With my family’s encouragement, I googled “daf yomi for women”. A perfecr fit!
I especially enjoy when Rabbanit Michelle connects the daf to contemporary issues to share at the shabbat table e.g: looking at the Kohen during duchaning. Toda rabba
Jerusalem, Israel
Since I started in January of 2020, Daf Yomi has changed my life. It connects me to Jews all over the world, especially learned women. It makes cooking, gardening, and folding laundry into acts of Torah study. Daf Yomi enables me to participate in a conversation with and about our heritage that has been going on for more than 2000 years.
Skokie, IL, United States
I am a Reform rabbi and took Talmud courses in rabbinical school, but I knew there was so much more to learn. It felt inauthentic to serve as a rabbi without having read the entire Talmud, so when the opportunity arose to start Daf Yomi in 2020, I dove in! Thanks to Hadran, Daf Yomi has enriched my understanding of rabbinic Judaism and deepened my love of Jewish text & tradition. Todah rabbah!
California, United States
I have joined the community of daf yomi learners at the start of this cycle. I have studied in different ways – by reading the page, translating the page, attending a local shiur and listening to Rabbanit Farber’s podcasts, depending on circumstances and where I was at the time. The reactions have been positive throughout – with no exception!
Guildford, United Kingdom
I attended the Siyum so that I could tell my granddaughter that I had been there. Then I decided to listen on Spotify and after the siyum of Brachot, Covid and zoom began. It gave structure to my day. I learn with people from all over the world who are now my friends – yet most of us have never met. I can’t imagine life without it. Thank you Rabbanit Michelle.
Raanana, Israel
When we heard that R. Michelle was starting daf yomi, my 11-year-old suggested that I go. Little did she know that she would lose me every morning from then on. I remember standing at the Farbers’ door, almost too shy to enter. After that first class, I said that I would come the next day but couldn’t commit to more. A decade later, I still look forward to learning from R. Michelle every morning.
Ra’anana, Israel
Shortly after the death of my father, David Malik z”l, I made the commitment to Daf Yomi. While riding to Ben Gurion airport in January, Siyum HaShas was playing on the radio; that was the nudge I needed to get started. The “everyday-ness” of the Daf has been a meaningful spiritual practice, especial after COVID began & I was temporarily unable to say Kaddish at daily in-person minyanim.
Wynnewood, United States
I started learning with rabbis. I needed to know more than the stories. My first teacher to show me “the way of the Talmud” as well as the stories was Samara Schwartz.
Michelle Farber started the new cycle 2 yrs ago and I jumped on for the ride.
I do not look back.
Houston, United States
I started learning daf yomi at the beginning of this cycle. As the pandemic evolved, it’s been so helpful to me to have this discipline every morning to listen to the daf podcast after I’ve read the daf; learning about the relationships between the rabbis and the ways they were constructing our Jewish religion after the destruction of the Temple. I’m grateful to be on this journey!
Teaneck NJ, United States
Menachot 22
כִּי זַכִּי לְהוּ רַחֲמָנָא – לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, דְּאִית לְהוּ לִשְׁכָּה. לְכֹהֲנִים, דְּלֵית לְהוּ לִשְׁכָּה – לָא זַכִּי לְהוּ רַחֲמָנָא, קָא מַשְׁמַע לַן.
when the Merciful One granted the Jewish people the right to use the salt when eating their offerings, he granted this to Israelites, who have an obligation to donate their half-shekels to the chamber, as this fund supplies the salt that is applied to the offerings. With regard to the priests, who do not have an obligation to donate their half-shekels to the chamber, the Merciful One did not grant them the right to make use of the salt. To counter this, the mishna in tractate Shekalim teaches us that the court granted to the priests the right to use the salt when eating their offerings.
וְעֵצִים, דִּפְשִׁיטָא לֵיהּ לְתַנָּא דְּמִשֶּׁל צִיבּוּר, מְנָלַן? דְּתַנְיָא: יָכוֹל הָאוֹמֵר ״הֲרֵי עָלַי עוֹלָה״ יָבִיא עֵצִים מִתּוֹךְ בֵּיתוֹ, כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁמֵּבִיא נְסָכִים מִתּוֹךְ בֵּיתוֹ? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״עַל הָעֵצִים אֲשֶׁר עַל הָאֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ״ – מָה מִזְבֵּחַ מִשֶּׁל צִיבּוּר, אַף עֵצִים וָאֵשׁ מִשֶּׁל צִיבּוּר, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בַּר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן.
The Gemara asks: And with regard to the wood, concerning which it is obvious to the tanna of the baraita that it is brought from communal supplies, from where do we derive this halakha? The Gemara answers: As it is taught in a baraita: One might have thought that one who says: It is incumbent upon me to bring a burnt offering, must bring wood from his home on which the burnt offering will be sacrificed, just as he brings libations from his home along with a burnt offering (see Numbers, chapter 15). Therefore, the verse states with regard to the burnt offering: “On the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar” (Leviticus 1:12); the Torah juxtaposes the wood to the altar, teaching that just as the altar was built from communal funds, so too, the wood and fire are brought from communal supplies. This is the statement of Rabbi Elazar bar Rabbi Shimon.
רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן שַׁמּוּעַ אוֹמֵר: מָה מִזְבֵּחַ – שֶׁלֹּא נִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בּוֹ הֶדְיוֹט, אַף עֵצִים וָאֵשׁ – שֶׁלֹּא נִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בָּהֶן הֶדְיוֹט. מַאי בֵּינַיְיהוּ? אִיכָּא בֵּינַיְיהוּ חַדְתֵי.
The baraita continues: Rabbi Elazar ben Shammua says: Just as the altar was not used by an ordinary person, as it was built for the purpose of serving as an altar for God, so too, the wood and fire should not have been used previously by an ordinary person, so one does not bring the wood from his home. The Gemara asks: What is the difference between the two opinions? The Gemara answers: The difference between the two is whether there is a requirement that the wood be new, i.e., that it had never been used. According to the opinion of Rabbi Elazar bar Rabbi Shimon, the wood is fit provided that it comes from communal supplies, even if it is not new wood, whereas according to Rabbi Elazar ben Shammua it must be new wood.
וְעַתִּיקֵי לָא? וְהָכְתִיב: ״וַיֹּאמֶר אֲרַוְנָה אֶל דָּוִד יִקַּח וְיַעַל אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ הַטּוֹב בְּעֵינָיו רְאֵה הַבָּקָר לָעֹלָה וְהַמֹּרִגִּים וּכְלֵי הַבָּקָר לְעֵצִים״! הָכָא נָמֵי בְּחַדְתֵי.
The Gemara asks: And is it in fact the halakha that old, i.e., previously used, wood is not fit to be burned on the altar? But isn’t it written: “And Araunah said to David: Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him; behold the oxen for the burnt offering, and the threshing instruments [morigim] and the equipment of the oxen for the wood” (II Samuel 24:22)? Despite the fact that the threshing instruments and equipment of the oxen have been used previously, apparently they are fit to be used when offering a burnt offering. The Gemara answers: Here too, the verse is speaking of new instruments and equipment that had not been previously used.
מַאי ״מוֹרִיגִּים״? אָמַר עוּלָּא: מִטָּה שֶׁל טַרְבֵּל. מַאי מִטָּה שֶׁל טַרְבֵּל? אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: עִיזָּא דְּקוּרְקְסָא דְּדָשׁוּ בַּהּ דִּשְׁתָּאֵי. אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף: מַאי קְרָאָה? ״הִנֵּה שַׂמְתִּיךְ לְמוֹרַג חָרוּץ חָדָשׁ בַּעַל פִּיפִיּוֹת תָּדוּשׁ הָרִים״.
Tangentially, the Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the term morigim mentioned in this verse? Ulla said: It is a turbal bed. This was not a known expression in Babylonia, so the Gemara asks: What is a turbal bed? Rav Yehuda said: It is referring to a serrated [dekurkesa] board that the threshers use for threshing, which is dragged over the grain by an animal in order to separate the kernels from the stalks. Rav Yosef said: What is the verse from which the meaning of morigim is derived? It is the verse that states: “Behold, I have made you a new threshing sledge [morag] having sharp teeth; you shall thresh the mountains” (Isaiah 41:15).
מַתְנִי׳ נִתְעָרֵב קוּמְצָהּ בְּקוֹמֶץ חֲבֶירְתָּהּ, בְּמִנְחַת כֹּהֲנִים, בְּמִנְחַת כֹּהֵן מָשִׁיחַ, בְּמִנְחַת נְסָכִים – כְּשֵׁרָה.
MISHNA: If a handful of one meal offering, which is to be burned on the altar, was intermingled with a handful of another meal offering, or with the meal offering of priests, or with the meal offering of the anointed priest, i.e., the High Priest, or with the meal offering of libations accompanying burnt offerings and peace offerings, all of which are burned in their entirety on the altar, it is fit for sacrifice, and the mixture is burned on the altar.
רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: בְּמִנְחַת כֹּהֵן מָשִׁיחַ, בְּמִנְחַת נְסָכִים – פְּסוּלָה, שֶׁזּוֹ בְּלִילָתָהּ עָבָה, וְזוֹ בְּלִילָתָהּ רַכָּה, וְהֵן בּוֹלְעוֹת זוֹ מִזּוֹ.
Rabbi Yehuda says: If the handful was intermingled with the meal offering of the anointed priest, or with the meal offering of libations, the mixture is unfit because with regard to this, the handful from the standard meal offering, its mixture is thick, one log of oil mixed with a tenth of an ephah of flour, and with regard to that, the meal offering of the anointed priest and the meal offering of libations, its mixture is loose, three log of oil mixed with a tenth of an ephah of flour. And the mixtures, which are not identical, absorb from each other, increasing the amount of oil in the handful and decreasing the amount of oil in the meal offering of the anointed priest or the meal offering of libations, thereby invalidating both.
גְּמָ׳ תְּנַן הָתָם: דָּם שֶׁנִּתְעָרֵב בְּמַיִם, אִם יֵשׁ בּוֹ מַרְאִית דָּם – כָּשֵׁר. נִתְעָרֵב בְּיַיִן – רוֹאִין אוֹתוֹ כְּאִילּוּ הוּא מַיִם. נִתְעָרֵב בְּדַם בְּהֵמָה אוֹ בְּדַם חַיָּה – רוֹאִין אוֹתוֹ כְּאִילּוּ הוּא מַיִם. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: אֵין דָּם מְבַטֵּל דָּם.
GEMARA: We learned in a mishna there (Zevaḥim 77b): In the case of blood of an offering fit for sacrifice that was mixed with water, if the mixture has the appearance of blood, it is fit for presenting on the altar, even though the majority of the mixture is water. If the blood was mixed with red wine, one views the wine as though it were water. If that amount of water would leave the mixture with the appearance of blood, it is fit for presentation. Likewise, if the blood was mixed with the blood of a non-sacred domesticated animal or the blood of a non-sacred undomesticated animal, one considers the blood as though it were water. Rabbi Yehuda says: Blood does not nullify blood. Therefore, the priest presents the blood of the mixture on the altar regardless of the ratio of sacred to non-sacred blood.
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: וּשְׁנֵיהֶם מִקְרָא אֶחָד דָּרְשׁוּ, ״וְלָקַח מִדַּם הַפָּר וּמִדַּם הַשָּׂעִיר״. הַדָּבָר יָדוּעַ שֶׁדָּמוֹ שֶׁל פַּר מְרוּבֶּה מִדָּמוֹ שֶׁל שָׂעִיר. רַבָּנַן סָבְרִי:
Rabbi Yoḥanan says: And both the first tanna and Rabbi Yehuda derived their opinions from one verse. With regard to the sacrificial rites performed by the High Priest on Yom Kippur, the Torah teaches that after sprinkling of the blood of the bull and of the goat separately between the staves of the Ark and on the Curtain, the blood of the two animals is mixed together and presented on the golden altar inside the Sanctuary. The verse states: “And he shall take of the blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat and put it on the corners of the altar” (Leviticus 16:18). It is a known matter that the blood of the bull is more than the blood of a goat. Why then is the blood of the goat not nullified? Rabbi Yoḥanan explains: The Rabbis, i.e, the first tanna, hold:
מִכָּאן לָעוֹלִין שֶׁאֵין מְבַטְּלִין זֶה אֶת זֶה, וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה סָבַר: מִכָּאן לְמִין בְּמִינוֹ שֶׁאֵינוֹ בָּטֵל.
From here it is learned that with regard to a mixture of items that ascend to the altar, e.g., the blood of the bull and the goat, the different components of the mixture do not nullify one another. And Rabbi Yehuda holds: From here it is learned that any substance in contact with the same type of substance is not nullified.
רַבָּנַן סָבְרִי מִכָּאן לָעוֹלִין שֶׁאֵין מְבַטְּלִין זֶה אֶת זֶה, וְדִלְמָא מִשּׁוּם דְּמִין בְּמִינוֹ הוּא!
The Gemara examines Rabbi Yoḥanan’s explanation of the dispute between the Rabbis and Rabbi Yehuda. With regard to the first part of his explanation, that the Rabbis hold: From here it is learned that with regard to a mixture of items that ascend to the altar the different components of the mixture do not nullify one another, the Gemara suggests: But perhaps the blood of the goat is not nullified when mixed with the blood of the bull due to the fact that it is a substance in contact with the same type of substance.
אִי אַשְׁמְעִינַן מִין בְּמִינוֹ, וְלָא אַשְׁמְעִינַן עוֹלִין, כִּדְקָא אָמְרַתְּ. הַשְׁתָּא דְּאַשְׁמְעִינַן עוֹלִין, מִשּׁוּם דְּעוֹלִין.
The Gemara answers: Had the verse taught us this halakha by using an example of a substance in contact with the same type of substance, and not taught us a case of a mixture of items that ascend to the altar, the verse would be interpreted as you said. But now that the verse taught us this halakha through a case of a mixture of items that ascend to the altar, it is understood that the reason it is not nullified is due to the fact that it is part of a mixture of items that ascend to the altar, not because the substances are of the same type.
וְדִלְמָא עַד דְּאִיכָּא מִין בְּמִינוֹ וְעוֹלִין? קַשְׁיָא.
The Gemara suggests: But perhaps it is not nullified until both criteria are met, and unless the mixture is both a substance in contact with the same type of substance and a mixture of items that ascend to the altar, one nullifies the other. The Gemara concedes: This is difficult.
וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה סָבַר מִכָּאן לְמִין בְּמִינוֹ שֶׁאֵינוֹ בָּטֵל, וְדִלְמָא מִשּׁוּם דְּעוֹלִין הוּא!
With regard to the second part of Rabbi Yoḥanan’s explanation: And Rabbi Yehuda holds: From here it is learned that any substance in contact with the same type of substance is not nullified, the Gemara suggests: But perhaps the blood of the goat is not nullified when mixed with the blood of the bull due to the fact that it is a mixture of items that ascend to the altar.
אִי אַשְׁמְעִינַן עוֹלִין מִין בְּשֶׁאֵינוֹ מִינוֹ – כִּדְקָאָמְרַתְּ, הַשְׁתָּא דְּאַשְׁמְעִינַן מִין בְּמִינוֹ – מִשּׁוּם דְּמִין בְּמִינוֹ הוּא.
The Gemara answers: Had the verse taught us this halakha by using an example of a mixture of items that ascend to the altar where the substance is in contact with a different type of substance, the verse would be interpreted as you say. But now that the verse taught us this halakha in a case of a substance in contact with the same type of substance, it is understood that the reason it is not nullified is due to the fact that it is a substance in contact with the same type of substance.
וְדִילְמָא עַד דְּאִיכָּא מִין בְּמִינוֹ וְעוֹלִין? קַשְׁיָא.
The Gemara suggests: But perhaps it is not nullified until both criteria are met, and unless the mixture is both a substance in contact with the same type of substance and a mixture of items that ascend to the altar, one nullifies the other. The Gemara concedes: This is difficult.
תְּנַן: רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: בְּמִנְחַת כֹּהֲנִים, בְּמִנְחַת כֹּהֵן מָשִׁיחַ, וּבְמִנְחַת נְסָכִים – פְּסוּלָה, שֶׁזּוֹ בְּלִילָתָהּ עָבָה וְזוֹ בְּלִילָתָהּ רַכָּה, וְהֵן בּוֹלְעוֹת זוֹ מִזּוֹ. וְכִי בּוֹלְעוֹת זוֹ מִזּוֹ מָה הָוֵי? מִין בְּמִינוֹ הוּא!
The Gemara raises another objection to the explanation of Rabbi Yoḥanan: We learned in the mishna here that Rabbi Yehuda says: If the handful was intermingled with the meal offering of priests, with the meal offering of the anointed priest, or with the meal offering of libations, the mixture is unfit because with regard to this, the handful from the standard meal offering, its mixture is thick, and with regard to that, the meal offering of the anointed priest and the meal offering of libations, its mixture is loose. And the mixtures, which are not identical, absorb from each other, invalidating both. The Gemara asks: But when the mixtures absorb from each other, what of it? This is a case of a substance in contact with the same type of substance, and therefore neither oil nullifies the other and both should be sacrificed on the altar.
