Menachot 64b — the Talmud in English

And although in our Mishna Rabbi Yishmael said that it is preferable to reduce the quantity of grain that is reaped, and therefore he does not bring an issaron except from three se'a, and he does not reap five se'a in order to bring from them the issaron, even though “the matter is advantageous” to do so, nevertheless this is not comparable to our matter, because

Rabbi Yishmael said this only there

in our Mishna, that there is

a reduction in the quantity reaped,

but when he reduces the eating

[when he reaps less “food,” that is, only three se'a],

he reduces

the quantity of the

reaping,

for he reaps fewer se'a.

But here, when he reduces the

eating,

he increases the reaping

[he increases the reaping], for if he is told to prefer the two dried figs on the two stalks in order to reduce the quantity of food that he reaps, he increases the number of reapings, since he reaps twice; and in this Rabbi Yishmael did not say that he should reduce the food, but

certainly we bring three,

he cuts in one time the stalk that has three dried figs, and he does not cut the two stalks, even though he reduces the quantity reaped.

Mishna:

The mitzva

of the meal-offering of

the omer is to bring it

from

the

grain that is

near

to Jerusalem—

and if the

nearby

[has not ripened fully]

near Jerusalem has still not ripened, they bring it from anywhere.

And

it happened

that

the omer came from

Gagot Tzerifin,

which is a place very far from Jerusalem,

and

it happened that

the two loaves

[which come on Shavuot to permit the new produce in the Temple]

came from

the Valley of Ein Sokher,

which is also a distant place from Jerusalem, because they did not have grain near Jerusalem, as will be explained in the Gemara.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: It is a mitzva concerning the omer to bring it from the nearby 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, roasted on the fire, crushed

full ears you shall bring

your meal-offering of first fruits.” And “full ears” means that the grain should be soft and easily rubbed by hand, but if he brings it 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 reap the omer in a place near Jerusalem, so as not to pass over the nearby omer and bring the 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 quarreling among themselves over the kingship,

Hyrcanus was

[one of the brothers]

outside

the wall of Jerusalem, for he was besieging Jerusalem and had brought 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 who were besieging them,

dinars

from the chamber collection

by

means

of a box, and they would

they would

raise up for them

those who were besieging from outside,

daily offerings

in order to sacrifice them on the altar.

There was

inside, among the people of Jerusalem,

one elder who was acquainted with Greek wisdom,

and

he signaled to them

to those outside

in Greek wisdom,

and

he said to them:

As long as they are occupied

those inside

with the service, they are not

to be

delivered into your hands!”

And following his words:

On the following day, they lowered dinars into the box, and they raised up for them

those outside—

a pig.

When

the pig

reached halfway

up

the wall, it drove

the pig

its claws into the wall,

as a pig does when it is dragged,

and the Land of Israel trembled

because of the king, who was inflamed over the desecration 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 of 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.”

And 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 proclaimed,

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

That deaf-mute man came,

a deaf-mute, who hears but does not speak,

placed one hand on a roof, and one

of his hands

hand

on a hut,

he placed one hand on the roof and his other hand on the hut, which is a structure made of willow branches and has no roof—the Sages did not understand his intention.

Mordecai said to them

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

Is there a place

is there a place

whose name

is

Gagot Tzerifin

or

Tzerifin Gagot?

They examined and found,

and indeed they examined and found that there was grain there.

And something similar occurred also on Shavuot with the two loaves, which come from wheat, unlike the omer, which comes from barley:

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

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

they proclaimed: Anyone who knows should come and inform us!

That deaf-mute man came, placed one hand over his eye and one hand on the bolt-hole

[he placed one hand over his eye and his other hand on the sikra, the hole in the doorpost into which the door bolt is inserted]; and 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 examined and found.

Indeed, they examined and found.

And apropos of this incident, the Gemara brings further statements about Mordecai, who deciphered obscure matters:

a. A “great zava,” who is a woman from whom menstrual blood flowed during a period that is “not the time of her menstruation” [for three days], must count seven clean days from seeing the blood, and afterward she brings a “nest” [two birds] as an offering, one for a sin-offering and one for a burnt-offering.

b. A person may voluntarily consecrate a nest of birds as a burnt-offering, but he may not voluntarily consecrate a bird sin-offering, because it does not come as a voluntary offering.

And the Gemara brings an incident that occurred with

those

three

women who brought three nests,

for each one brought a “nest” of two birds to be sacrificed in the Temple—

One

of them

said:

I am bringing this nest

for my discharge!

To fulfill my obligation according to the law of a zava who comes to purify herself, who brings a nest of two birds, one for a burnt-offering and one for a sin-offering.

And one

of them

said:

I am bringing this nest

for

my sea.

And one said: For my season

I am bringing this nest.

They understood from this,

the listeners understood their words according to their plain meanings, that

“my discharge”

meant

an actual discharge, and that

“my sea”

meant

my actual sea, and that

“for my season”

meant

an actual season,

for in all three nests there was

one sin-offering and one burnt-offering

of the three nests.

That is, the first was bringing the nest for her purification from her discharge, and the second too was bringing a nest for the purification from her discharge, and she called her discharge “sea,” because she flowed blood like the sea. And the third was also bringing it for her discharge, and she called it “season,” after “the season of the offering of my discharge,” meaning that the eighth day from my discharge had arrived.

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

Mordecai said to them:

How do you know this? It is possible that they 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,

her intention being to say that she had been a zava and had been endangered at the time of the discharge, and therefore she is now bringing a nest as a gift, containing two birds for 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 in her eye,

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

For all of them are burnt-offerings.

Examine and find

[they examined and found that this indeed was what had occurred].

that this was indeed what had happened.