Lishkat Osei Chavitin (Chamber of the "Griddle-Cake Makers") Located on either side of the Nicanor Gate, there were two chambers in the Ezrat Yisrael built into the eastern wall. The chamber to the north of the Nicanor Gate was called the Lishkat Pinchas HaMalbish - the "Chamber of Pinchas - the Keeper of the Priestly Garments", where the priestly garments were stored here. The chamber to the south of the Nicanor Gate was called the Lishkat Osei Chavitin - the "Chamber of the Griddle-Cake Makers". The Chavitin, 12 unleavened loaves offered daily by the Kohein Gadol, were prepared in this chamber (Midot 1:4). Twelve Chavitin were offered with the morning Tamid - the obligatory morning sacrifice and twelve more were offered with the afternoon Tamid. (This is according to the ruling of Rambam. He posits that twelve loaves were completed and then each loaf was divided into two making 24. Half of the 24 loaves (12) accompanied the morning Tamid and the other half accompanied the afternoon Tamid [Hil. Ma'asei Korbanot 13:4]. Tif'eret Yisrael in his Chomer BaKodesh (2:48) follows in wake of the Rambam. However, in his Hasagot - critical commentaries on the Rambam - the Ra'avad [R. Abraham ben David of Posquieres (1125-1198)] maintains that half of the divided flour (Menachot 4:5) was used to prepare six Chavitin which accompanied the morning Tamid and the other half of the flour was reserved for the six Chavitin which would accompany the afternoon Tamid. He asserts that the Rambam "had no root (in the sources) anywhere" for his ruling that each of the completed 12 loaves was divided in two.) The Biblical source for the Chavitin is: And G-d said to Moses... 'This is the offering of Aaron and his sons, which they shall offer to G-d on the day that he (Aaron) is inaugurated: a tenth of an Eifa of fine flour as a continual meal offering; half of it in the morning and half of it in the afternoon. It should be made on a pan with oil; it shall be scalding, you shall offer it in broken pieces as a sweet savor to G-d. And the priest who is anointed -i.e. the Kohen Gadol - that shall be in his stead among his sons shall offer it - it is an eternal law before G-d. It shall be wholly burnt (on the Mizbei'ach). And every meal offering of the priest shall be burnt (on the Mizbei'ach): it shall not be eaten'" (Vayikra 6:12-16). The Sages interpreted these P'sukim to mean that a novice Kohein Hedyot (a common priest) brought the offering described on the first day that he served in the Mikdash. Called Minchat Chinuch, the Kohein Hedyot brought this offering only once in his lifetime. However, the Kohein Gadol offered his Chavitin on the Mizbei'ach daily. Another difference was that the Chavitin of the Kohein Gadol's offerings were offered in two stages, half in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. The Kohein Hedyot offered the Chavitin of the Minchat Chinuch at one time. The Gemara records the oral tradition elucidating the 12-loaf Chavitin offering. "All meal offerings consist of ten cakes each except for the Lechem HaPanim (showbread) and the Chavitin of the Kohein Gadol which consist of twelve loaves each. The number of loaves for the Lechem HaPanim is expressly stated (12, Vayikra 24:5-8). With regard to the Chavitin of the Kohein Gadol, it is not written, but we can infer it by the Scriptural utilization of the word "statue" - CHOK - both here and with the Lechem HaPanim" (Menachot 76a. This inference is done by means of the verbal analogy, Gezeira Shava (lit. equal cut"). The Gezeira Shava is utilized only when there is a tradition, which asserts that two legal expressions compliment each other. The Gezeira Shava is the second of the thirteen hermeneutic principles promulgated by the Tana R. Ishmael. Rav Dr. Eli Munk in his The World of Prayer summarizes the traditional point of view. "These principles revealed simultaneously with the Torah itself, makes it possible to deduce the whole depth and breadth of meaning hidden in the epigrammatic brevity of the written word.") The Gemara asks, "How was the dough of the Chavitin divided into the (twelve) loaves? Was it done by hand or by using a utensil? Surely, it is obvious that it was done by hand. Because if you maintain that it was done by use of a utensil - would you bring a scale to weigh bread into the Mikdash? But why not (bring a scale in)? (It is not proper to do so) because weighing bread is connected with curses" (Menachot 87b). Vayikra 26: 14-43 records the frightful punishments that Am Yisrael would experience if they refused to live up to their Divine calling. One of the curses is that "ten women will bake your bread in one oven and they will bring back your bread by weight; you will eat and not be satisfied (ibid. 14: 26). Eating bread by weight is considered a curse.) Like most other Menachot - meal offerings - the Chavitin of the Kohein Gadol were prepared from the finest wheat flour (Menachot 4:5) and oil and accompanied by frankincense. (Menachot is the generic term for all meal offerings. With two exceptions - the Korban Omer (Vayikra 23: 9-13) brought on Shavu'ot and the offering of the Sotah (Bamidbar 5:15), the suspected adulteress - all Menachot consisted of fine (wheat) flour. The Korban Omer and the offering of the Sotah consisted of barley flour.) Early every morning, several Kohanim were assigned to heat up the water necessary for the preparation of the Chavitin (Tamid 1:3 and Tamid 28b). The Kohein Gadol either paid for the flour himself or brought it from home since the offering of the Chavitin was his personal offering. The Chavitin offering was not considered a communal offering (Menachot 5:4, Torat Kohanim, Parshat Tzav 3). <to be continued> Catriel's book in progress: The Temple of Jerusalem, A Pilgrim’s Perspective; A Guided Tour through the Temple and the Divine Service [The
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