Sunday, November 11, 2018

Day Yoimie Snippets ... Menachois Pages 86,87, 88,89,90, 91 & 92


You can copy and print this without my consent, since Torah belongs to all of us..... 


"דף פ''ו .."הפקת שמן למנורת המקדש  
Page 86 Mesectas Menachois  
"Producing the Oil Used In The Menorah of the Temple" 

There was a requirement that the Menorah in the Temple were supposed to be lit with the finest olive oil.

The mishna on this daf relates that there were 3 periods throughout the year when they picked olives off the trees, and the mishna determines the degree of purity used in the menorah.

The olives that are found on top of the trees ripens first since they are exposed to the sun all day....
They would gather those olives first, crush them and place them in a basket; the oil that dripped out of those crushed olives were fit  for the menorah, since this oil is the finest quality olive oil.

After the oil dripped out of the olives, the olives were then placed in a heavy olive press and crushed under this heavy weight......
the oil produced from this production was no longer fit for the menorah, because it wasn't the finest oil, it was, however, fit for the menachois.

The crushed olives were then ground to produce more oil. 

After a while the olives found in the middle of the tree ripened and went thru the above mentioned process. The first oil produced from this middle batch was fit to be used in the menorah as well.

The olives found on the bottom of the tree, were then gathered, but these olives never properly ripened on the tree and had to be taken and spread out on a roof to be exposed to the sun so that they ripen fully.

Press "read more" immediately below to continue to the rest of the dafim!


דף פ''ז ..רבי יוסי בן חלפתא   
Page 87 Mesectas Menachois  
"Rebbe Yoisi ben Chalafta" 



Rebbe Yoisi mentioned in the mishna was Rebbe Yoisi the son of Chalafta, who was born in the town of Tzipporei and was the prime student of Rebbe Akivah.

Moments before the Romans murdered Rebbe Yehuda ben Baba, Rebbe Yehuda managed to ordain (give semicha) many Tanaim, amongst those ordained was Rebbe Yoisi ben Chalfta.

There are over 300 halachos throughout the mishnayois attributed to this Rebbe Yoisi.

The Nasi Raban Shimon ben Gamlieil hired Rebbe Yoisi as a tutor for his son Yehuda. 

Rebbe Yehuda was subsequently known as the famous Rebbe Yehuda Ha'Nasi and was the redactor of the entire Mishnayois that we have today.

Rebbe Yoisi is the author of the Briisah known as "Seder Oilom." This sefer describes and relates events from creation of the world and events that happened during the times of Tanach. 

Rebbe Yoisi left 5 sons that were great Torah scholars.
When he died the entire generation mourned him ...
The Talmud in Mesactas Moed Katan relates that on the day that Rebbe Yoisi died "blood poured out of the gutters of Tzippoei."  (I guess the Talmud was describing that the citizens of Tzipporei were so distressed by his passing that the shed tears of blood) 



"דף פ''ח.."קני המנורה   
Page 88 Mesectas Menachois  
"The Rods of the Menorah" 
Hashem commanded Aaron the High Priest, to light the menorah on a daily basis.

There was an additional mitzvah to clean and prepare the menorah everyday so that it be ready for the next lighting.

This job entailed taking out the leftover oil that didn't burn and to remove the burned wick.

But the menorah was so large and made of pure gold, so how was this done?

Rav Sheishas postulates that there were lamps on top of the rods or arms of the Menorah, that were flexible, so that the kohein was able to bend them towards himself, thereby making it easier for him to place oil into the lamps and clean them.


"דף פ''ט.."כלי מדידה בבית המקדש    
Page 89 Mesectas Menachois  
"Measurement Utensils in The Temple" 

Since there were different measurements required for the water and oil used for menachois and nesachim, they manufactured specific measurement utensils to accommodate the different measures of oil and water.

The talmud relates that there were 7 different measurement utensils in the Temple for the liquids used.

For example , there were sacrifices that required a 1/2 "Hin" of wine, so they had a utensil measured for 1/2 Hin.

The Tanna Kammah suggests that the utensil for a 1/2 hin was a full hin, but that the kohein could estimate to put wine in to that utensil for a 1/2 hin.


"דף צ .."יד הקדש על העליונה     
Page 90 Mesectas Menachois  
"The Temple Treasury Had the Upper Hand"

In order for the Temple to have all the necessary products to function, such as flour, wine, oil, animals etc., the officers appointed to the temple treasury would go out to the dealers of those products and secure the sales for the year so that the temple would not run out of products ...and the dealers would then provide the temple with the products year round.

During a normal transaction between consumer and dealer, the customer buys the product, and if the value of the  product should then (after the deal) go up or down in value, when delivered  ...it would not effect the sale .... since a deal is a deal ....

Even if the customer bought, let's say futures, he goes to the farmer and says that I want to buy 100 bushels of oranges that the farmer will harvest in a month from now at $50.00 a bushel.
If in a month, the oranges go up in value to $75.00 per bushel, the the consumer profits, if, on the other hand, the oranges at harvest goes down in value to $10.00 a bushel...the farmer profits... in either case the deal remains a deal ...

 Dealing with the Temple treasury does not work that way... the treasury always wins ... 
If when the Treasurer of the temple makes a deal with the farmer to buy oil worth $1,000.00 to be delivered in two months, and that amount of oil is now valued at $2,000.00, the farmer must still supply the agreed amount for $1,000.00...

If when the treasurer makes a deal with the farmer to buy $1,000.00 of oil for a set amount for two months later, and come two months later the set amount is now only valued at $800.00, the farmer will have to return $200.00 to the treasury.  

And that is the definition of :
The Temple Treasury Has the Upper Hand



"דף צ''א  .."הכבשה שהוקדשה והמליטה     
Page 91 Mesectas Menachois  
"The Sanctified Lamb that Gave Birth "

 Let's say that Reuben sanctifies a sheep to be sacrificed in the Temple, but left it at the shepherd to be picked up when the Holiday comes to bring it to the temple, and the sheep gives birth to another sheep, that sheep is now sanctified automatically according to our daf.

Now Reuben will have to bring both the mother and its calf to the temple to be sacrificed. 


"דף צ''ב  .."מצות סמיכה      
Page 92 Mesectas Menachois  
"The Mitzvah of Leaning "


A person that brings an animal to be sacrificed in the temple must do "smicha" "leaning" to the animal.

"Smicha"  was done by placing both hands on the head of the animal and "leaning" on it, before it gets slaughtered.

The word "smicha" come from the word "somech" to lean ...

When the owner of the animal does "leaning" on the animal, if that sacrifice is a "korban chatas" a " sinner's sacrifice" or a "korba asam" or a "korban oleh" ..
the owner says prayers of repentance.







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