Talmud - Menachot 75a מנחות ע״ה א׳

Just as here, with regard to the deep-pan meal offering, the placement of oil in an empty utensil is required, to which the flour is added only afterward, so too there, with regard to the meal offering prepared in a shallow pan, the placement of oil in an empty utensil is required. And just as there, with regard to the meal offering prepared in a shallow pan, pouring and mixing are required, as the verse states: “Mixed with oil…and pour oil upon it” (Leviticus 2:5–6), so too here, with regard to the deep-pan meal offering, pouring and mixing are required.

§ The mishna teaches: With regard to meal offerings that come as loaves, i.e., those prepared in a shallow pan or deep pan or those baked in an oven, it is after the flour has been baked into loaves that one breaks them into pieces and mixes them with oil; this is the statement of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. And the Rabbis say: It is with fine flour, before the baking, that one mixes the oil.

The Sages taught in a baraita: With regard to the meal offering prepared in a shallow pan, the verse states: “It shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil.” This teaches that it is mixed while still flour. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says: It is after the flour has been baked into loaves that he mixes them, as it is stated: “And when you bring a meal offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil” (Leviticus 2:4). The Rabbis said to him: But is it not with regard to loaves of a thanks offering that it is stated: “Unleavened loaves mixed with oil…and loaves mixed with oil, of fine flour soaked” (Leviticus 7:12), and it is not possible to mix them when they are loaves, but only when they are fine flour?

The Gemara explains the procedure of mixing the oven-baked meal offerings according to the Rabbis. How does the priest perform the rite? He places oil in a utensil before the placement of the flour is done, and then he places the flour into the utensil. And he then places oil upon it and mixes it, and kneads it in lukewarm water, and bakes it in a shallow pan or a deep pan, in accordance with his vow. And then he breaks it into pieces, and he again places oil upon the pieces, which constitutes the required pouring, and he removes a handful for the altar.

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says: After the meal offerings have been baked into loaves, one breaks them into pieces and mixes them with oil, as it is stated: “Loaves of fine flour mixed with oil.” How does the priest perform the rite? He places oil in a utensil before the placement of the flour is done, and then he places the flour into the utensil. And then he kneads it in lukewarm water, and bakes it in a shallow pan or deep pan, and breaks the loaves into pieces, and places oil upon the pieces and mixes them, and again places oil upon the pieces, which constitutes the pouring of the oil, and removes a handful to be burned on the altar.

The Gemara asks: With regard to the difficulty that it is not possible to mix them when they are loaves, which the Rabbis said to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, what is it that makes it impossible? The Gemara answers that Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzḥak says: Since only a quarter-log of oil is used, how could it be divided among a number of loaves? As this is not sufficient oil to mix with baked offerings, it must be that the oil is mixed with the unbaked flour.

§ The mishna teaches: The loaves of the meal offering baked in an oven require mixing of their flour with oil, and wafers require only smearing. The Sages taught in a baraita: The verse specifies with regard to the oven-baked meal offering: “And when you bring a meal offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil” (Leviticus 2:4). This indicates that only the loaves are mixed, but the wafers are not mixed. This derivation is necessary, as one might have thought: Could the opposite conclusion not be derived through logical inference? And if loaves, which do not require smearing, do require mixing, then is it not logical that wafers, which require smearing, also require mixing? To counter this inference, the verse states: “Loaves of fine flour mixed,” but wafers are not mixed.

With regard to wafers, the same verse teaches that wafers are smeared with oil, but loaves are not smeared. This derivation is necessary, as one might have thought: Could the opposite conclusion not be derived through logical inference, namely: And if wafers, which do not require mixing, do require smearing, then is it not logical that loaves, which require mixing, also require smearing? To counter this inference, the verse states that wafers are smeared with oil, but loaves are not smeared.

The Gemara asks: What is the biblical derivation? Why are the terms “mixed” and “smeared” not interpreted to be referring to both varieties of oven-baked meal offerings? The Gemara answers: Rava said: If this were the intention, then the Torah should not omit this description completely, and let it write in some other verse: Smeared loaves and mixed wafers. The fact that the Torah never describes the loaves as smeared and wafers as mixed indicates that loaves are not smeared and wafers are not mixed.

§ The mishna teaches: How does one smear oil on them? He does so in a shape similar to chi, and the rest of the oil is eaten by priests. The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of: Similar to chi? Rav Kahana said: It is smeared in a shape similar to the Greek letter chi, Χ.

§ Concerning the mixing of oil into the loaves and the smearing of oil upon the wafers, the Sages taught in a baraita: An oven-baked meal offering that comes as half loaves and half wafers, i.e., five of each, may be brought according to the opinion of Rabbi Shimon, who does not require ten items of a uniform type. How is the oil applied to this offering? According to one opinion, he brings a log of oil, which is the requisite quantity to accompany a tenth of an ephah of flour, and divides it into two parts. Half of the oil is used for the loaves, and half of the oil is used for the wafers.

As for the loaves, he mixes them with the oil, and as for the wafers, he smears them. And he smears the oil on the wafer over the entire surface, not in the shape of the letter chi, and he returns the rest of the oil to mix into the loaves. Rabbi Shimon ben Yehuda says in the name of Rabbi Shimon: He smears them in a shape similar to the letter chi, and the rest of the oil is eaten by the priests.

It is taught in another baraita: In the case of ten wafers that come by themselves as a meal offering baked in the oven, and not as part of another offering, he brings a log of oil and smears them, and he again smears them repeatedly until all the oil in the log is finished. Rabbi Shimon ben Yehuda says in the name of Rabbi Shimon: He smears them in a shape similar to the letter chi, and the rest of the oil is eaten by the priests.

MISHNA: All the meal offerings that are prepared in a vessel require breaking into pieces.

GEMARA: The Gemara asks: To exclude what does the mishna state that this halakha applies specifically to meal offerings prepared in vessels? Rav Pappa said: The mishna serves to exclude the two loaves, i.e., the public offering on Shavuot of two loaves baked from new wheat, and the shewbread, the twelve loaves that were placed on the Table in the Sanctuary each Shabbat. Since these are baked in an oven and not prepared in vessels, they do not require breaking into pieces.

§ The Sages taught in a baraita that the verse discussing a meal offering prepared in a pan states: “You shall break it in pieces, and pour oil upon it; it is a meal offering” (Leviticus 2:6). The fact that the verse concludes with the phrase: “It is a meal offering,” indicates that the Torah means to include all the meal offerings in the requirement of breaking into pieces. One might have thought that I should include even the two loaves and the shewbread. Therefore, the verse states: “You shall break it in pieces”; i.e., the meal offering baked in a pan, but not the two loaves and the shewbread.

The baraita continues that the same verse states: “And you shall pour oil upon it; it is a meal offering.” The fact that the verse concludes with the phrase “It is a meal offering” indicates that the Torah means to include all the meal offerings in the requirement of pouring. One might have thought that I should include even the oven-baked meal offering. Therefore, the verse states: “And you shall pour oil upon it,” i.e., upon this meal offering, but not upon the oven-baked meal offering.

The baraita concludes: Perhaps I should exclude only the loaves from the requirement of pouring, but I should not exclude the wafers. Therefore, the verse states: “It is a meal offering,” indicating that wafers are also excluded. The Gemara asks: What is the biblical derivation, by which the term “it” excludes wafers specifically? Perhaps I will say: The term serves to exclude the meal offering of priests from the requirement of pouring.

Traduction : The William Davidson digital edition of the Koren Noé Talmud, with commentary by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz.

Menachot 75a examines whether oil is mixed into flour before or after baking meal offerings, debating Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi's view against the Rabbis' interpretation.