Menachot 51

Sugya Map

• Issue: Determining the precise amount of oil for the Kohen Gadol's Minchat Chavittin.
• Nafka Mina: Is it 1 log (like Minchat Nedavah) or 3 log (like Minchat Nesachim / Minchat Temidin)?
• Primary Sources: Leviticus 6:13-15 ("בִּשְׁמֶן", "סֹלֶת מִנְחָה תָּמִיד"), Exodus 29:40 (oil for nesachim), Leviticus 2:1 (oil for nedavah).

Text Snapshot

The baraita explores the meaning of "בִּשְׁמֶן" (Leviticus 6:14):

"...It shall be made with the oil. The fact that the verse makes reference to “the oil” rather than just oil indicates that one is supposed to add extra oil to it, but I do not know how much oil to add. Therefore I must deduce as follows: It is stated here... “Oil,” and it is stated there, with regard to the meal offering brought with the libations... “Oil”... Just as there... three log per tenth... so too here... three log... Or perhaps, go this way: It is stated here... “Oil,” and it is stated with regard to the voluntary meal offering... “Oil.” Just as there... one log... so too here, one log." (Menachot 51a) The baraita then attempts to resolve this ambiguity using simanim (תבש"ט vs. יג"ל), ultimately concluding the comparisons are equally compelling. Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yochanan ben Beroka resolves it by deriving from "סֹלֶת מִנְחָה תָּמִיד" (Leviticus 6:13). The nuance of "בִּשְׁמֶן" implies an addition beyond a baseline.

Readings

• Rabbeinu Gershom (Menachot 51a s.v. הרי היא לך כמנחת תמידין): Highlights the simanim (תבש"ט: tadir, ba'ah, shabbat, tumah; יג"ל: yachid, biglal atzma, yayin, levona) as the baraita's method for weighing competing gezeira shava arguments. This reflects a sophisticated lomdus of comparative halacha.
• Rashi (Menachot 51a s.v. רבי ישמעאל אומר): Explains that Rabbi Yishmael's derasha from "תמיד" (Leviticus 6:13) offers a direct, textual resolution when gezeira shava proves inconclusive. The explicit smacha of tamid bypasses the chakira into simanim to establish the 3 log measure.

Friction

The baraita initially states "בִּשְׁמֶן" means to "add extra oil," implying more than the standard 1 log. Yet, it immediately entertains a gezeira shava to Minchat Nedavah for 1 log. This internal contradiction is a kushya. Rav Huna bar Rav Yehoshua (Menachot 51a) provides a terutz: "בִּשְׁמֶן" prevents equating Minchat Chavittin with Minchat Choteh (which has no oil at all), thus establishing a baseline of some oil. However, it doesn't specify how much, leaving the gezeira shava ambiguity unresolved, necessitating Rabbi Yishmael's derasha from "תמיד."

Intertext

The phrase "לא יצק עליה שמן" (Numbers 5:15) regarding Minchat Soteh explicitly excludes oil. This contrasts sharply with Minchat Chavittin's "בִּשְׁמֶן"* (Leviticus 6:14), emphasizing that the Torah specifies oil requirements, or lack thereof, for each korban individually, precluding blanket assumptions.

Psak/Practice

The halacha l'maaseh is that Minchat Chavittin requires three log of oil per isaron, following the opinion of Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yochanan ben Beroka and the ultimate conclusion of the sugya. This demonstrates the weight given to direct drashot (smachot) from pesukim in resolving chakirot that gezeira shava alone cannot definitively settle.

Takeaway

Complex halachic derivations often require a multi-layered analysis of gezeira shava and direct textual smachot. When middos conflict, a direct scriptural parallel (tamid) can provide the conclusive psak.