Numbers 15

Sugya Map

• Issue: The chiyuv (obligation) of nesakhim (wine libations) and menachot (grain offerings) accompanying animal sacrifices (olah and shelamim) upon entering Eretz Yisrael. A key question arises regarding the nature of nisuch ha'yayin (wine libation) – specifically, is it considered an isheh (fire offering)?
• Nafka Mina(s): Determines whether wine libations are subject to the halakhic strictures of ishei Hashem, such as pigul or notar, or if they count towards the minyan of ishei Hashem brought on a given day.
• Primary Sources: Numbers 15:1-10.

Text Snapshot

Numbers 15:10: "וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם נֶסֶךְ יַיִן שְׁלִשִׁית הַהִין אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ לַה'."

• Dikduk/Leshon Nuance: The phrase "אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ לַה'" directly follows the mention of "נֶסֶךְ יַיִן" (wine libation), seemingly implying the wine itself is an isheh.

Readings

Rashi's Chiddush

Rashi clarifies the seemingly direct inference: "אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ — This refers only to the meal-offering and the oil mentioned in v. 9, but the wine is not a fire-offering, since it is not put on the fire."¹ Rashi's chiddush is that despite the textual juxtaposition, the wine libation is conceptually distinct from an isheh because it is poured, not burned.

Friction

The strongest kushya is the text's apparent syntax in Numbers 15:10, where "אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ" seems to modify the wine libation. How can Rashi sever this connection?

• Terutz: Rashi interprets "אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ" as applying retroactively to the flour and oil mentioned in the preceding verse (15:9), which are burnt. This is a classic example of semichut parshiot being interpreted not as immediate modification but as a broader descriptor of the entire minchah component, where the nisuch is an accompaniment but not itself an isheh in the literal sense of being consumed by fire.

Intertext

The concept of isheh is fundamental throughout Vayikra (e.g., Leviticus 1:9), consistently referring to offerings consumed by fire. The nisuch ha'yayin is unique in its non-combustion, yet it is an indispensable part of the korbanot. This distinction is echoed in Bamidbar chapters 28-29, detailing musafim, where nesakhim are always specified alongside ishei Hashem.

Psak/Practice

This distinction is foundational in Halakha. The nisuch ha'yayin is a distinct avodah (service) performed at the mizbe'ach (altar), but its non-fiery nature means it's not subject to certain halakhot specific to substances offered b'eish (by fire), such as the requirement for kemitza (taking a handful) from a menachah prior to burning.

Takeaway

The Torah's precise language, as illuminated by Chazal, reveals that not all elements associated with "fire offerings" are themselves consumed by fire, demanding careful analysis beyond simple textual proximity.

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¹ Rashi on Numbers 15:10:1 s.v. isheh reiach nichoach