- When a full עשרון is brought for the morning חביתין (without a כה"ג), is another brought בין הערבים?
The Mishnah taught that when the Kohen Gadol died and was not replaced, a full עשרון was offered for the morning חביתין (not half, as a Kohen Gadol offers). Rebbe Yochanan asked if another עשרון was offered בין הערבים, or were the חביתין suspended בין הערבים? Rava suggested a proof from a Mishnah listing the thirteen Kohanim involved in the daily תמידין, the eighth of which brings the חביתין onto the מזבח. If חביתין are not brought בין הערבים when there is no Kohen Gadol, this eighth Kohen would be left out, yet the Mishnah makes no exceptions!? Rebbe Yirmiyah reacted to this proof: בבלאי טפשאי – “Foolish Babylonians! משום דיתבו באתרא דחשוכא אמרי שמעתתא דמחשכן – Because they live in a dark land (a valley), they say “dark” (i.e., weak) teachings!” Just as that Mishnah did not mention exceptions for Kohanim bringing the נסכים, which can be brought on a later date, it also did not mention this exception! Rava commented on his reply: מבישותין אמרי קמייהו – “They only tell [the Rabbonim of Eretz Yisroel] our inferior [teachings]; מטיבותין לא אמרי קמייהו – they do not tell them our superior [teachings].” Ultimately, however, Rava found a proof, and a Baraisa teaches, that another עשרון was brought בין הערבים.
- Machlokes how much לבונה was brought in חביתי כהן גדול
Rebbe Yochanan related a machlokes about the standard חביתי כהן גדול. Abba Yose ben Dostai says: מפריש לה שני קמצים של לבונה – he separates two kematzin of frankincense, one which he offers with the morning חביתין, and the other which he offers with the afternoon חביתין. The Rabbonon say he separates one קומץ, and offers half with the morning חביתין, and half in the afternoon. The Gemara explains that Abba Yose holds לא אשכחן חצי קומץ דקריב – we never find a half-kometz offered with a minchah, so a full kometz must be brought with each minchah. The Rabbonon hold לא אשכחן עשרון דבעי שני קמצים – we never find an עשרון of flour which requires two kematzin of לבונה. Rebbe Yochanan asks, if the Kohen Gadol died and was not replaced, which requires a full עשרון to be brought in the morning and בין הערבים, are the לבונה and שמן doubled as well, or perhaps we only double that which the Torah taught to double? The Gemara concludes that they are not doubled.
פרק ה – כל המנחות באות מצה
- Most מנחות are offered as מצה; how the שאור is added to מנחות of חמץ
The fifth Perek begins: כל המנחות באות מצה – all menachos are brought as matzah (unleavened bread), חוץ מחמץ שבתודה ושתי הלחם שהן באות חמץ – except for the leavened bread of the todah (ten of its forty loaves), and the two loaves (brought on Shavuos), which are brought as chametz. Tannaim discuss how to add sourdough to a minchah of chametz (to hasten the leavening process) without deviating from the correct volume. Rebbe Meir says: השאור בודה להן מתוכן ומחמצן – he removes the sourdough from within [the menachos themselves] and it leavens them. Meaning, he removes some of the measured flour, mixes it with water, and leavens the remaining flour with it. Rebbe Yehudah says: אף היא אינה מן המובחר – even that would not be preferable, because such שאור is not sufficiently leavened. Rather, one should bring his own fully-fermented שאור, put it into a measuring vessel, and fill it with flour, thereby avoiding having too much flour. However, they said to him: אף היא היתה חסרה או יתרה – even that would be either deficient or excessive, depending on the שאור’s water content.