Menachot 64b (סד:) — the Talmud in English

Although in our Mishna Rabbi Yishmael said that it is preferable to minimize the quantity of grain harvested, and therefore one brings an issaron from three se’a rather than harvesting five se’a and bringing an issaron from them, even though it is advantageous to do so, nevertheless, this is not comparable to our matter, because

Rabbi Yishmael made his statement there only

in our Mishna, that one should

minimize the quantity harvested,

but when he minimizes the consumption

[when he harvests less “food,” namely, only three se’a],

he minimizes

the quantity of the

harvesting

by this, since he harvests fewer se’a.

But here, when he minimizes the

consumption,

he increases the harvesting

[he increases the harvesting], for if he were told to prefer the two dried figs on two stalks, in order to minimize the quantity of food he harvests, he would increase the number of harvestings, since he would harvest twice. In this case Rabbi Yishmael did not say that one should minimize the food; rather,

certainly we bring three

, meaning that he should cut in a single act the stalk containing three dried figs, rather than cut the two stalks, even though this minimizes the quantity harvested.

Mishna:

The mitzva

of the meal-offering of

the omer is to bring

it

from the

grain that is in the place

closest

to Jerusalem—

and if the grain

closest has not ripened

[has not fully ripened] ,

it is brought from anywhere.

And

it happened

that

the omer came from

Gagot Tzerifin,

which is a place very far from Jerusalem,

and

it also happened that

the two loaves

[which are brought on Shavuot to permit the new grain in the Temple]

came from

the Valley of Ein Sokher,

which is likewise a distant place from Jerusalem, because they had no grain near Jerusalem, as will be explained in the Gemara.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: The mitzva of the omer is to bring it from the closest place:

The Gemara asks:

What is the reason?

If you wish, say:

because it is stated concerning the omer meal-offering: “And if you bring a meal-offering of first fruits to the Lord, fresh ears roasted with fire, crushed grain,

you shall bring

the meal-offering of your first fruits.” And “fresh ears” means that the grain should be soft and easily rubbed by hand. If it is brought from a distant place, the wind blows upon it and it hardens on the way.

And if you wish, say: Because

“one does not pass over mitzvot,”

and therefore it is a mitzva to harvest the omer in the place closest to Jerusalem, so as not to pass over the nearer omer and bring the more distant one.

We learned in the Mishna:

It happened that the omer came from Gagot Tzerifin

, and the two loaves from the Valley of Ein Sokher:

The Sages taught:

When the Hasmonean kings were besieging one another,

when two brothers from the Hasmonean family were fighting one another over the kingship,

Hyrcanus

[one of the brothers] was

outside

the wall of Jerusalem, besieging Jerusalem and bringing Roman troops with him,

and Aristobulus

[his brother] was

inside

the wall.

Every day they would

the people of Jerusalem who were under siege

lower to them

to those besieging them

dinars

from the Chamber collection

by

means of a basket,

and

they would

raise up for them

those besieging them from outside

the daily offerings

so that they could offer them on the altar.

There was

inside, among the people of Jerusalem,

one elder who was familiar with Greek wisdom,

and

he taunted them

those outside

with Greek wisdom,

and

he said to them:

As long as those

inside

are engaged

in the Temple

service, they will not be delivered into your hands!”

And following his words,

the next day they lowered dinars into the basket, and those outside raised for them

the people inside

—a pig.

When the pig reached

the

middle

of the

wall,

the pig

embedded its claws in the wall

as a pig does when it is dragged,

and the Land of Israel trembled

because of the king, who burned with anger over the profanation of his name,

four hundred parasangs by four hundred parasangs.

At that time they said:

a.

Cursed is

the man

who raises pigs.

b.

And cursed is

the man

who teaches

his

son Greek wisdom.

And concerning that time

when they besieged the city and destroyed the crops in the fields surrounding Jerusalem,

we learned: “

It happened that the omer came from Gagot Tzerifin, and the two loaves from the Valley of Ein Sokher.”

The Gemara recounts how the incident occurred:

When the time for the omer arrived, they did not know from where it could be brought

[when the time for the omer arrived, they did not know where there was grain from which to bring the omer]—

They announced,

proclaiming: Anyone who knows where there is grain should come and inform us!

A certain deaf-mute came,

a deaf-mute who could hear but could not speak,

placed one hand on a roof and one

of his hands

hand

on a hut,

placing one hand on the roof and the other on a hut, a structure made of willow branches without a roof. The Sages did not understand his intention.

Mordecai said to them

[Mordecai the Jew, from the days of Ahasuerus, who lived at that time], having understood the gesture of that deaf-mute:

Is there a place

is there such a place

whose name is

called

Gagot Tzerifin,

or

Tzerifin Gagot?

They investigated and found

, and indeed they investigated and found that there was grain there.

A similar incident also occurred on Shavuot concerning the two loaves, which are brought from wheat, unlike the omer, which is brought from barley:

When they wanted to bring the two loaves, they did not know from where they could bring them

[when they wanted to bring the two loaves, which are brought from wheat, they did not know where there was grain from which to bring them]—

They announced: Anyone who knows should come and inform us!

A certain deaf-mute came, placed one hand on his eye and one hand on the sokhera

[he placed one hand on his eye and the other on the sokhera, the hole in the doorpost into which the door bolt is inserted]. The Sages did not know the meaning of his gestures:

Mordecai said to them: Is there a place whose name is

Ein Sokher

or

Sokher Ein?

They investigated and found.

They indeed investigated and found it.

Incidentally, apropos of this incident, the Gemara cites another matter involving Mordecai, who deciphered obscure statements:

a. A “major zavah” is a woman from whom menstrual blood flowed during the period when it was “not the time of her menstruation” [for three consecutive days]. She must then count seven clean days from seeing blood, after which she brings a “nest” [two birds] as an offering: one as a sin-offering and one as a burnt-offering.

b. A person may voluntarily donate a nest of birds as a burnt-offering, but he may not voluntarily donate a bird sin-offering, since it is not brought as a voluntary offering.

The Gemara recounts an incident that occurred with

those

three

women who brought three nests,

each bringing a “nest” of two birds to be offered in the Temple—

One

of them

said:

I am bringing this nest

for my discharge!

To fulfill my obligation as a zavah who comes to purify herself, who brings a nest of two birds, one as a burnt-offering and one as a sin-offering.

And another

of them

said:

I am bringing this nest

for

my sea.

And another said: For my season,

I am bringing this nest.

They understood from this

that the listeners understood their words literally: that

“my discharge”

meant

an actual zavah,

that

“my sea”

meant

an actual sea,

and that

“for my season”

meant

an actual season, and all of them

in all three nests

one was a sin-offering and one a burnt-offering.

That is, the first woman was bringing the nest for purification from her discharge, and the second was likewise bringing a nest for purification from her discharge, calling her discharge “sea” because she flows with blood like the sea. The third, too, was bringing it for her discharge, calling it “season” on account of “the time of the offering for my discharge”—namely, that the eighth day from my discharge had arrived.

Therefore, from each nest one bird should be offered as a sin-offering and one as a burnt-offering.

Mordecai said to them:

How do you know that this is so? It is possible that these are voluntary nests, and that both birds are burnt-offerings, because

perhaps

the first woman, who said, “For my discharge,”

was endangered by a discharge;

she intended to say that she had experienced a discharge and had been endangered during the time of the discharge, and therefore she was now bringing a nest as a gift, containing two burnt-offerings. And the second, who said, “For my sea,”

perhaps she was endangered at sea,

and she is now bringing a voluntary offering because she was saved from the danger at sea. And this one who said, “For my season,”

perhaps she was endangered because of her eye,

and she is bringing a voluntary offering because her eye was saved.

They are all burnt-offerings.

Investigate and find out

[they investigated and found that this was indeed what had happened].