{"id":13526,"date":"2011-03-17T00:32:18","date_gmt":"2011-03-17T00:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/production.ou.org\/life\/other\/masechet_menahot_9a15b\/"},"modified":"2015-10-09T05:43:50","modified_gmt":"2015-10-09T10:43:50","slug":"masechet_menahot_9a15b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/masechet_menahot_9a15b\/","title":{"rendered":"Masechet Menachot 9a-15b"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Coming Week’s Daf Yomi by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz<\/em><\/p>\n

This essay is based upon the insights and chidushim (original ideas) of Talmudic scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, as published in the Hebrew version of the Steinsaltz Edition of the Talmud.<\/em><\/p>\n

Menachot 9a-b: Mixing the meal-offering outside the Temple<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

As we have learned, meal-offerings are usually mixtures that include flour, oil and frankincense. What if these ingredients were mixed outside of the Temple<\/a> courtyard? Would they become invalid or is the mixing stage not yet part of the formal process of preparing the mincha<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Rabbi Yochanan<\/a> rules that such a meal-offering is invalid; Reish Lakish<\/a> says that there is no problem with it.<\/p>\n

Reish Lakish explains his position by pointing to the passage in Sefer<\/a> Vayikra<\/a><\/em> (2:2<\/a>) that teaches that the oil and frankincense are added to the flour and that only afterwards does the kohen<\/a><\/em> take the fistful of the mixture that is to be sacrificed on the altar. He concludes that since there is no need for the kohen<\/em> to be involved in the original mixing of the ingredients, it is clear that it does not need to be done within the precincts of the Temple. \u00a0Rabbi Yochanan argues that since the meal-offering mixture is prepared in a kli sharet<\/em> \u2013 a unique Temple vessel \u2013 it is clear that it needs to be made in the Temple, even if it does not need to be prepared by a kohen<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Tosafot<\/a> point out that according to the continuation of the Gemara<\/a> (on daf 18a<\/a><\/em>) in the event that the ingredients of the meal-offering are placed in the kli sharet<\/em> but are not mixed at all, nevertheless the mincha<\/em> is valid. If so, we have to explain that Rabbi Yochanan believes that if the mixing is done in an improper manner it is worse than not being done at all.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, Reish Lakish’s argument that the fact that a kohen<\/em> does not need to be involved in preparing the mincha<\/em> indicates that it need not be done in the Temple, seems to be contradicted by the fact that in an ordinary animal sacrifice, shechita<\/em> \u2013 slaughtering the animal \u2013 can be done by anyone, yet it must be done in the Temple courtyard. The Chazon Ish<\/a><\/em> explains that there is a basic difference between shechita<\/em> and mixing the mincha<\/em>. While shechita<\/em> is one of the basic Temple services essential to every animal sacrifice, mixing the ingredients for the mincha<\/em> does not have that level of importance, so it would only be considered significant if it was part of the priestly service.<\/p>\n

\n

Menachot 10a-b: Commandments meant for the right hand (or foot, or ear)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the Mishnah<\/a>, if the kemitzah<\/em> – taking a fistful from the meal-offering for placement on the altar – was done by the kohen<\/a><\/em> with his left hand, the sacrifice is invalid. In the Gemara<\/a> on today’s daf<\/em> Rava<\/a> presents the source for this law. Regarding the laws of a metzorah<\/em> – someone suffering from biblical leprosy – who recovers from his condition and brings various sacrifices, we find that the blood of the sacrifice as well as the oil brought together with the sacrifice is to be placed by the kohen<\/em> on the body of the recovered metzorah<\/em> on three specific places – on his right ear, the thumb of his right hand and the big toe on his right foot (see Sefer<\/a> Vayikra<\/a><\/em> Chapter 14<\/a>, and, in particular, pesukim<\/em> or verses 14<\/a>, 17<\/a>, 25<\/a>, 28<\/a>). The repetition of these requirements leads Rava to conclude that the Torah<\/a> is emphasizing that there are other laws in the Torah that are to be modeled after these actions and they must be done in a similar fashion. They are:<\/p>\n