Talmud - Menachot 86a מנחות פ״ו א׳

but if one did bring a meal offering made of such oil, it is not valid. But isn’t it taught in a baraita that if one did bring it, it is valid, because it is regarded merely as sap and not as oil? This contradicts this mishna, which assumes that it is regarded as oil.

Rav Yosef said: It is not difficult to resolve this contradiction. This baraita expresses the opinion of Rabbi Ḥiyya, and that mishna expresses the opinion of Rabbi Shimon, son of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. As Rabbi Ḥiyya would toss such oil away, as he did not consider it to be oil, and Rabbi Shimon, son of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, would dip his food into it, as he considered it to be oil. The Gemara concludes: And your mnemonic by which to remember their respective opinions is: The wealthy are parsimonious, i.e., Rabbi Shimon, son of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, was wealthy, and he did not toss the oil away.

§ The Gemara digresses to discuss oil of myrrh: In describing the treatments provided to the women in preparation for their meeting with King Ahasuerus, the verse states: “For so were the days of their anointing accomplished: Six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odors and with other ointments of the women” (Esther 2:12). The Gemara asks: What is “oil of myrrh”? Rav Huna bar Ḥiyya says: It is the aromatic oil called setakhta. Rav Yirmeya bar Abba says: It is an oil derived from olives that have not yet reached one-third of their growth; the acidic oil is effective as a depilatory.

The Gemara notes: This explanation of Rav Yirmeya bar Abba is also taught in a baraita: Rabbi Yehuda says: The term anpikanon is referring to olive oil produced from olives that have not yet reached one-third of their growth. And why do women spread it on their bodies? They do so because it removes the hair and pampers the skin.

§ The mishna teaches: One may not bring meal offerings containing oil from olives that were soaked in water, nor from pickled olives, nor from boiled olives, and even if one did bring it, it is not valid. The Sages taught in a baraita: Olive oil produced from pickled olives, boiled olives, or olives soaked in water, and oil made from olive sediment, and oil with a foul odor may not be brought as part of a meal offering, and even if one did bring it, it is not valid.

Rava asks: If one consecrated one of these unfit oils for use in meal offerings, what is the halakha with regard to whether he should be flogged for consecrating it due to the prohibition against consecrating a flawed item as an offering? Does one say that since it is unfit, it is comparable to a blemished animal? Or perhaps the prohibition against consecrating a flawed item applies only to an animal. The Gemara concludes: The dilemma shall stand unresolved.

MISHNA: There are three harvests of olives each year, and in each of them, three different grades of oils are produced.

How is the first olive harvest processed? One picks the ripe olives at the top of the olive tree, as those are the first to ripen, and crushes them in a mortar and places them inside the bottom of a wicker basket that has many small holes in it. The oil will then drip from the olives through those holes into a vessel placed underneath the basket. Rabbi Yehuda says: One positions the olives on the walls, surrounding the basket. This produces more refined oil, as the dregs stick to the walls of the basket. This is the first grade of oil produced from the first harvest.

After the oil ceases to seep from the crushed olives, one then presses down with a wooden beam upon them, causing additional oil to flow from the basket into the vessel. Rabbi Yehuda says: The excessive pressure produced by pressing down with a beam would cause some of the flesh of the olives to get mixed in with the oil, compromising its quality. Rather, one applies pressure by placing stones upon the olives. This is the second grade of oil.

One then ground the olives with a millstone and pressed down with a beam on those olives to extract any remaining oil; this is the third grade of oil.

The first grade is fit for kindling the Candelabrum, which requires: “Refined olive oil” (Leviticus 24:2), and the rest are fit for use in meal offerings.

How is the second olive harvest processed? One picks the crop of olives that is accessible while one is standing on the rooftop. This was the second lot of olives to ripen. And one crushes it in a mortar and places those olives into a wicker basket, allowing the oil to drip through the holes into a vessel underneath. Rabbi Yehuda says: One positions the olives on the walls, surrounding the basket. This is the first grade of oil from the second harvest.

One then presses down upon those olives with a wooden beam, thereby producing more oil. And Rabbi Yehuda says: One applies pressure only by placing stones upon them. This is the second grade of oil.

One then ground the olives with a millstone and pressed down upon them with a beam, thereby extracting any remaining oil; this is the third grade of oil.

The first grade is fit for kindling the Candelabrum, and the rest are fit for use in meal offerings.

How is the third olive harvest processed? This harvest consists of all the olives that still remain on trees. One packs it into a vat [oteno] in the building that houses the olive press [beit habbad] where it remains until it softens, and then one raises it up to the roof and dries it on the rooftop to remove the foul-smelling liquid secreted from the olives while in the vat. Then, one crushes the olives in a mortar and places them into a wicker basket, allowing the oil to drip through the holes into a vessel underneath. Rabbi Yehuda says: One positions them on the walls, surrounding the basket. This is the first grade of oil.

One then presses down on those olives with a wooden beam, thereby producing more oil. And Rabbi Yehuda says: One applies pressure only by placing stones upon them. This is the second grade of oil.

One would then grind the olives with a millstone and press down upon them with a beam, thereby extracting any remaining oil; this is the third grade of oil.

The first grade is fit for kindling the Candelabrum, and the rest are fit for use in meal offerings.

GEMARA: A dilemma was raised before the Sages: What is the correct text of the mishna? Do we learn that one picks the olives at the top [megargero], i.e., one selects those that are ripe, or do we learn that one allows all the olives to ripen [megalgelo], and then picks them all?

The Gemara answers: Come and hear the resolution to this dilemma from that which is taught in a baraita. The verse states that the olive oil used for the kindling of the Candelabrum is to be: “Refined oil of an olive” (Exodus 27:20), which is interpreted to mean that the olives should be so ripe that the oil drips from them while they are still hanging on their olive tree, without them needing to be pressed. From here the Sages said that for the first olive harvest, one allows all the olives to ripen [megalgelo], picks the entire crop and brings it into the olive press, and he grinds it with a millstone and places it in wicker baskets, and this oil that would flow from it would be the first grade of oil.

The baraita continues: Then one presses down upon the olives with a wooden beam. As for the oil that flows from it, this would be the second grade of oil. And then one would remove the crushed olives from the baskets and grind them, and press down upon them with a beam or stones, thereby extracting any remaining oil; this would be the third grade of oil. The first grade is fit for kindling the Candelabrum, and the rest are fit for use in meal offerings. And the same process was similarly used for the second olive harvest.

The baraita continues: And for the third olive harvest, the entire crop is packed into a vat in the building that houses the olive press, where it remains until it softens, and then one raises it up to the roof and makes it into a sort of heap, wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, and leaves it there until the fluid it produced while in the vat flows away. And then one brings it to the olive press and grinds it with a millstone and places it into wicker baskets. As for the oil that would then flow from it, this would be the first grade of oil.

Then one presses down upon it with a wooden beam. As for the oil that would then flow from it, this would be the second grade of oil. And then one would remove the crushed olives from the baskets and grind them, and press down upon them with a beam or stones, thereby extracting any remaining oil; this would be the third grade of oil. The first grade is fit for kindling the Candelabrum, and the rest are fit for use in meal offerings.

The baraita concludes: Rabbi Yehuda disagrees with the Rabbis and says: One does not grind the crop of olives with a millstone; rather, one crushes it in a mortar. And one does not press down upon the olives with a wooden beam; rather, one presses on them with stones. And one does not place the olives into the bottom of the wicker baskets; rather, one positions them on the inner walls of the basket, all around the basket. In this baraita, the term: One allows all the olives to ripen [megalgelo], is used.

Having resolved the dilemma based on the baraita, the Gemara now clarifies the ruling of the mishna in light of it. The Gemara asks: This mishna itself is difficult, as the first tanna teaches that the olives should be crushed. From the baraita it is evident that whose opinion is it that the olives are crushed? It is the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda. Yet, when the first tanna states that the olives are placed inside the bottom of the basket, and not on its walls, we arrive at the opinion of the Rabbis who disagree with Rabbi Yehuda in the baraita.

The Gemara explains: This tanna of the mishna holds in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda with regard to one issue, i.e., the need to crush the olives, but disagrees with him with regard to another issue, i.e., he holds that the olives should be placed inside the basket, not on its walls.

MISHNA: Having enumerated the nine grades of oils in the previous mishna, this mishna proceeds to rank them by their quality: As for the first grade of oil that is produced from the first harvest, there is none superior to it. The second grade of oil that is produced from the first harvest and the first grade of oil that is produced from the second harvest are of equal quality; there is no reason to choose one over the other. The third grade of oil that is produced from the first harvest and the second grade of oil that is produced from the second harvest and the first grade of oil that is produced from the third harvest are of equal quality. The third grade of oil that is produced from the second harvest and the second grade of oil that is produced from the third harvest are of equal quality. As for the third grade of oil that is produced from the third harvest, there is none inferior to it.

Also, with regard to all the meal offerings, it was logical that they should require the highest quality of refined olive oil, just like the Candelabrum. Because if the Candelabrum, whose oil is not to be consumed on the altar, requires refined olive oil, then meal offerings, which are to be consumed on the altar, is it not logical that they should require refined olive oil? To dispel this notion, the verse states: “Refined pounded olive oil for illumination” (Leviticus 24:2), which indicates that the high-quality, refined, pounded oil is required for the Candelabrum, but there is no need for refined pounded olive oil for meal offerings.

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

Menachot 86a examines whether resin-like olive oil qualifies as valid oil for meal offerings, then explores the identity of myrrh oil used in Esther's preparations.