Menachot 87a — the Talmud in English

He does not bring

wine

from its mouth

of the barrel,

because of ![](pamud.bmp "

exact page location")

the flour-like particles [

the whiteness of the wine] at the mouth of the barrel.

Nor from its bottom

of the barrel

because of the sediment

that settles at the bottom of the barrel.

Rather, he brings it from its third

of the barrel

and from its middle,

that is, he pierces the barrel at the middle of the middle third of the barrel, makes a tap there, and draws the wine from there.

How does he examine it

whether sediment is coming out with the wine?

The treasurer sits, with the measuring rod [

the measure]

in his hand,

while another draws wine from the tap—

and when

the wine casts out

the

sediment,

that is, when sediment begins to emerge with the wine—

the treasurer knocks

the treasurer

with the rod

that is in his hand, against the barrel, to signal to the person drawing the wine that he should close the barrel’s tap.

Rabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Yehuda says:

Fine flour that has become worm-eaten and upon which dust has formed, or wine

that contains flour-like particles—

is unfit; as it is stated: [

Numbers 29:9] “

They shall be unblemished for you.

And their meal-offering” [

fine flour mixed with oil], and from the juxtaposition of the verses we learn that the meal-offering, too, must be unblemished.

And it is stated: [Numbers 28:31] “

They shall be unblemished for you, and their libations,”

to teach that the libations, too, must be unblemished.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna:

One may bring neither sweet wine nor

cooked nor smoked wine; and if he brought it, it is unfit:

And we raise an objection:

But did you not say in the first clause: One may not bring listiyon

—

but if he brought it, it is fit,

so it follows that sweet wine is fit after the fact!?

He said

he answered,

Ravina:

Combine

the law of listiyon in our Mishna with the law of sweet wine,

and teach [

and recite] concerning both of them: “But if he brought it, it is unfit.”

Rav Ashi said

he answered:

Indeed, listiyon, which is made from grapes that became sweetened in the sun, differs from wine made from fruits that are inherently sweet:

Sweetness caused by the sun is not repulsive [

sweetness caused by the sun is not repulsive], but

sweetness caused by the fruit is repulsive [

sweetness from the fruit itself is repulsive].

We learned in the Mishna:

One may not bring aged wine, these are the words of Rabbi; but the Sages deem it fit:

He said

he explained,

Ḥizkiya:

What is the reason of Rabbi,

who disqualifies aged wine? It is because

the verse says [

Numbers 28:14]: “And their libations… and a quarter of a hin

for a lamb, wine”; wine is juxtaposed with a lamb, to tell you:

Just as a lamb

what

is fit only when it is

in its first year [

within one year],

so too wine

is fit only when it is

in its first year.

And we raise an objection:

If

so, we should also say:

Just as a two-year-old lamb [

after its first year has elapsed]

is unfit, so too two-year-old wine is unfit,

even after the fact!?

And if you would say, this is also so,

you might say: Indeed, when Rabbi says that one may not bring aged wine, he means to disqualify it even after the fact; but this cannot be said, for

was it not taught:

One may not bring two-year-old wine, but if he brought it, it is fit;

and

whom have you heard say

that aged wine

one may not bring, if not

Rabbi

Rabbi

himself, and

he says

Rabbi

that if he brought it, it is fit

after the fact? If so, the difficulty remains: If we derive this from a lamb, it should be unfit even after the fact, like a lamb!?

Rather, Rava said: This is the reason of Rabbi,

who disqualifies aged wine ab initio: it is because

it is written [

Proverbs 23:31]: “

Do not look at wine when it is red,

when it gives its color in the cup, it goes straight,” [do not set your eyes upon it, for one who increases drunkenness regards all sins as though they were on a straight path, and all paths seem straight to him]; thus, red wine is superior, whereas aged wine, once its first year has elapsed, is no longer as red.

We learned in the Mishna:

One may not bring it from trellised vines

but only from low-growing vines, and from vineyards that are worked:

The tanna

in the beraita explaining the Mishna’s requirement that wine be brought from vineyards that are worked:

Vineyards worked twice a year.

Rav Yosef had a corner of an orchard that he plowed especially thoroughly and that produced wine which could be diluted with twice as much water [

Rav Yosef had a plot of an orchard, which he plowed extensively—that is, twice a year—and that vineyard produced wine of such superior quality that it was diluted with twice as much water as ordinary wine].

We learned in the Mishna:

They would not store them in large jars,

but rather in small barrels:

The tanna

in the beraita explains what is meant by small barrels:

Lodite jugs [

small barrels like jugs],

and medium-sized ones,

that is, medium-sized jugs from Lod.

And

they would not place them two by two

next to one another, lest one spoil and its neighbor smell it and also spoil—

rather, one by one

they would place them.

We learned in the Mishna:

How does he examine it? The treasurer sits with the rod in his hand; when the sediment is cast out, he knocks with the rod:

The tanna

in the beraita explaining the Mishna’s ruling:

When the sediment is cast out,

then

the treasurer knocks with the rod,

as explained in the Mishna.

And we ask:

Why did he not simply tell him [

let the treasurer say it], and why did he need to signal by knocking with the rod!?

And we answer:

It supports

our Mishna’s ruling

with the statement of Rabbi Yoḥanan, for Rabbi Yoḥanan said:

Just as speech is beneficial for spices, so harmful speech is harmful for wine.

Therefore, the treasurer did not speak when the barrel of wine was open before him.

We learned in the Mishna:

Rabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Yehuda says,

wine that contains flour-like particles is unfit:

Rava raised a dilemma

he was uncertain,

Rava:

If he consecrated it—

wine containing flour-like particles—for libations,

what is the law: does he receive lashes because of

consecrating

an animal with a defect

for the altar?

And the sides of the dilemma are:

Since

this wine

is unfit,

then

it is comparable to an animal with a defect,

and he receives lashes for consecrating an animal with a defect for the altar—

or perhaps: an animal with a defect applies only to an animal.

And we conclude:

Teyku!

The Sages taught:

Rams

for offerings they would bring

from Moab,

as they were the choicest;

sheep

they would bring

from Hebron; calves

they would bring

from

the

Sharon;

young birds [turtledoves and fledglings of doves] they would bring

from Mount HaMelekh.

Rabbi Yehuda says:

They bring sheep whose backs are as broad as their width,

that is, they should be broad because of their fat.

Rava bar Rav Sheila said: What is the reason of Rabbi Yehuda?

It is because

it is written [

Isaiah 30:23]: “And He shall give the rain of your seed, which you sow the ground with, and bread from the produce of the ground; it shall be fat and rich [until]

[не станет так, что]

your livestock shall graze on that day in a broad pasture” [

until the flocks—sheep—are fat and broad]. Thus, broad ones are superior.

It is written [

Isaiah 62]: “For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be still, until her righteousness emerges like brightness and her salvation burns like a torch… She shall no longer be called Forsaken, and your land shall no longer be called Desolate…

For as a young man marries a maiden, so shall your children marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices over a bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

Upon your walls, Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen [

I have appointed angels who mention the Lord concerning her destruction],

all day and all night, continually; those who mention the Lord shall not be silent;

there shall be no silence for you.

And give Him no silence, until He establishes and until He makes Jerusalem a praise in the land.”

What do they say,

those who mention the Lord, of whom the verse says that they shall not be silent?

This is what Rava bar Rav Sheila said:

They would say: “

You will arise and have mercy upon Zion,

for it is time to favor her, for the appointed time has come.”

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said:

This is what they would say: “

The Builder of Jerusalem, the Lord,

shall gather the dispersed of Israel.”

The Gemara proceeds to explain:

And initially, what would they say [

and before the destruction, what would they say]?

Rava bar Rav Sheila said:

This is what they would say: “

For the Lord has chosen

Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling.”

We will return to you, chapter: All the Public Offerings

Mishna:

There were two dry measures,

measures designated for measuring dry matter

in the Temple:

One containing

an issaron,

with which he measured an issaron of fine flour for all the meal-offerings,

and

one containing

half an issaron

for the griddle-cakes of the High Priest, as all this will be explained later in the Mishna.

Rabbi Meir says:

One containing

an issaron,

and another containing

an issaron,

and in the beraita in the Gemara it will be explained what the difference between them was and what they were used for

; and

another measure of

half an issaron

for the griddle-cakes of the High Priest. The measure of

“

an issaron,”

what was it used for?

With it he measured

issarons of fine flour

for all the meal-offerings.

And

he did not measure: neither with

a measure containing

three

issarons for the libation meal-offering

for a bull, nor

even

with

a measure

of two for a ram,

whose libation meal-offering is two issarons,

but he measured them with

issarons

, meaning, he measured three times with the measure of an issaron for the bull, and twice with the measure of an issaron for the ram’s libation meal-offering. —

“Half an issaron” —

what was it used for?

With it he measured the griddle-cakes of the High Priest

“the griddle-cake meal-offering”]:

half

an issaron

in the morning,

from which he made six cakes,

and half

an issaron

between the evenings,

from which he made six cakes, as the verse says [Leviticus 6]: “This is the offering of Aaron and his sons, which they shall offer to the Lord… a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a continual meal-offering; half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening.”

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: Rabbi Meir says: an issaron, an issaron, and half an issaron:

It was taught: Rabbi Meir would say: What does the verse teach [Numbers 28:29; 29:10]:

Numbers 28:29; and 29:10 ]:

“An issaron, an issaron for each lamb,”

why was the word “issaron” repeated? “

It teaches that two

measures of

issarons were in the Temple:

One

which was smaller and was

heaped

over its rim,

and one —

larger — which was

level.

The heaped one

what was it used for?

With it he measured

an issaron

for all the meal-offerings.