Parshat Tzav
March 22, 2003

Among the many offerings described in the book of VAYIKRA, one classification is the Menachot, the offerings made of grain. In this way, all of creation, from the animal to the vegetable, is brought to serve Hashem.

One passage regarding the Menachot poses particular difficulties:
And Hashem spoke to Moshe saying: “This is the sacrifice of Aharon and his sons which they shall bring near to Hashem on the day of his being anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a daily grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening. In a pan, with oil shall it be made, scalded shall you bring it, well baked, grain offering of pieces shall you offer, for a sweet savor to Hashem. And the Kohen that is anointed, from his sons in his stead, shall do it, an everlasting statute to Hashem; wholly burnt shall it be caused to go up in smoke. And every grain-offering of a Kohen shall be wholly burnt, it shall not be eaten” (Vayikra 6:13-16).

A number of questions arise here:

• Who offers this Minchah? Is it for all Kohanim (Aharon and his sons), or only the Kohen Gadol (his being anointed)? Or, perhaps only his successor (from his sons in his stead) offers it?
• Is it offered upon initiation into the priesthood (on his being anointed), or is it offered regularly (daily)?
• How is the Minchah prepared? If it is in a pan, then, it must be fried; then why does the Torah add with oil? Is it to be scalded or well-baked? Is it whole, or of pieces?

With the benefit of the Torah shb’al peh, we are taught the meaning of these difficult verses. In actuality, the passage refers to two separate, although similar grain offerings:

1. Minchat chinuach – the Minchah offered by each Kohen on the day that he begins his service in the Sanctuary. As well, on the day that the Kohen Gadol is elevated to that status, he offers this Minchah. The Kohen prepares the Minchah himself, using his own flour and oil. (Rambam, Laws of the Sanctuary Vessels 5:16,17).
2. Chavite: Kohen Gadol – the “griddle-cakes” offered by the Kohen Gadol twice daily. In terms of the counting of the mitzvot, the Minchat chinuach is not a separate commandment; it is part of the general commandment to offer the grain-offerings, each one according to its details. The Chavite: Kohen Gadol, on the other hand, is regarded as a distinct mitzvah (Rambam, Book of the Commandments, Positive Commandment #40; Sefer HaChinuch, #136).

It is noteworthy that the Kohen Gadol was obligated to bring a grain offering each day. Despite his exalted status, the only sacrifice that he was duty-bound to bring was not of animals, but of humble grain. Furthermore, in the same way that the community brought a twice-daily burnt offering (Tamid), the Kohen Gadol himself offered a twice-daily offering of grain. Before he can serve as the “messenger” of the people of Israel, the Kohen must first purify himself through the atonement of this Minchah. Also, it is significant that the Torah draws a comparison between the daily Minchah of the Kohen Gadol and the initiation Minchah of every other Kohen: Each day, the Kohen Gadol must dedicate himself anew, as if it were the day of his first consecration.

Here is what the Kohen Gadol would do each day: First, he would take an issaron (tenth of an ephah) of whole flour that belonged to him and, using the measurements of the Sanctuary, divide it into two, preparing one part for the morning and one part for the afternoon. Then he would mix the flour with three logs (a liquid measure) of oil, because the Torah commanded with oil, meaning extra oil. The mixture was then scalded in boiling water and the Kohen Gadol would knead six loaves out of each half – issaron. This means that, each day, the Kohen Gadol would offer a total of twelve loaves, corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel, which he must represent.

Afterwards, the Kohen Gadol would bake each loaf partially, and then fry it in a pan using his own oil, but again not cooking it too much. Then he would divide each loaf into two, so he could offer half in the morning and half in the afternoon. Each half was bent and then broken into pieces. The six halves were burnt completely on the altar, together with a handful of frankincense, in the morning, at the community’s burnt-offering (Tamid shel shachar); the other six loaves were similarly offered with the community’s afternoon burnt offering (Tamid shel bein ha’arbayim), which closed the day’s sacrificial order.

Abravanel suggests ten different explanations for the Kohen Gadol’s daily Minchah sacrifice. We have already alluded to a number of them, but some others should be mentioned here:

5) “In order to enter before Hashem with humility and with signs of poverty, like a poor and deprived person who stands before the Master of the whole earth,”
This is because the Minchah is usually the offering of the poor. The Kohen Gadol is elevated above all of Israel, but he must remember his lowliness before the Master of the Universe. Indeed, the greater the individual is, the more he must be reminded of his humility before Hashem. (Nevertheless, the Kohen Gadol’s grain offering is “rich” in the sense that it contains extra oil. This says Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsh, is to remind him that, as Kohen Gadol, he is not a private individual, but represents the entire nation, which must be blessed with richness.)
6) “Since each day the Kohen Gadol and his sons eat the remainders of the Minchah – offerings of Israel,…Hashem wanted him [the Kohen Gadol, who also represents the entire priesthood] to offer a Minchah from his own goods everyday and to burn it in its entirety, to show that the eating of [the people’s] Minchah is not to satisfy [the Kohen’s] hunger gratis, but to fulfill His command…”

7) “To thank Hashem…for all the priestly gifts that He granted to [the Kohanim]…”

8) “Since the Kohanim would regularly take a handful from the Minchah offerings, and perhaps they may have erred… and they stole from the fire-offerings of Hashem. Therefore, Hashem wanted the Kohen Gadol to compensate for all that was lacking…”

9) “Because Hashem wanted that every day there would be offered before Him [at least one] private sacrifice and a community sacrifice. Behold, the community sacrifices were the Temidim…and in order that there be a private sacrifice, He commanded the pan Minchah of the Kohen Gadol, who is the most sanctified individual in the community [emphasis added]. That there be half in the morning and half in the evening, so that there be in the morning a private sacrifice, and likewise in the evening. So that there be praise of Hashem via the collective and via the individual had this been assigned to some other individual in Israel, perhaps there might be a day or two that a Minchah would not be offered at all.”

The Kohen Gadol teaches us about the responsibilities of leadership. He stands before the people, and before the members of his own “constituency,” the Kohanim, as a superior; however, before Hashem he must be humble. He represents the totality of the nation, and at the same time he is “citizen number one” among his people. He must be concerned about the needs of his people. He must be concerned about the needs of his people, and take responsibility for any unintentional injustice that may have been committed under his administration.

Leadership is both a privilege and duty. It exalts the person holding office, and at the same time should humble him before Hashem. May all our leaders be inspired by the example of the Kohen Gad.

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