- One may donate three, four or six לוגין as wine for נסכים – Question if יש קבע לנסכים
The next Mishnah states that one may only donate נסכים of wine (as an independent minchah) in amounts which can be offered together with a korban. Therefore, one cannot donate נסכים of one, two, or five לוגין, since no korban is brought with these amounts, but one may donate נסכים of three, four, or six לוגין (which parallel the נסכים of a lamb, a ram, and a bull, respectively), or any amount higher than six (which can match a combination of any of the above). The Gemara asks: יש קבע לנסכים – is there a fixing for nesachim or not, i.e., is a donation of a certain amount of לוגין fixed to be brought as one offering, or can it be brought separately? Thus, if one donated five לוגין (which is not a legitimate amount for נסכים), then if a nesachim donation is not fixed, he would remove and offer four of them (paralleling a ram’s נסכים), and the remaining לוג would be used for a voluntary קרבן ציבור (the law for surplus נסכים). If a נדר of נסכים is fixed, then these five לוגין cannot be brought until a sixth is added to them.
- Machlokes if one may donate שמן as an independent offering
In the next Mishnah, Rebbe Akiva says: מתנדבין יין – one may donate wine as an independent offering, ואין מתנדבין שמן – but one may not donate oil as an independent offering. Rebbe Tarfon says that one may donate שמן alone, reasoning: מה מצינו ביין שהוא בא חובה ובא נדבה – just as we find about wine that it comes as an obligation (together with a korban) and also as an independent donation, so too שמן which comes as an obligation together with a korban may be brought as an independent donation. Rebbe Akiva argues that we cannot compare wine, שכן קרב עם חובתו בפני עצמו – which is brought by itself when offered along with its obligation, with oil, which is not brought by itself when brought along with its obligation, rather, it is combined with flour in a minchah. Rava says we can learn from both Tannaim that מתנדב אדם מנחת נסכים בכל יום – a person may donate a minchas nesachim every day, even without accompanying a korban. The Gemara asks that this seems obvious, and explains that since the Torah only revealed five types of voluntary menachos, one might think that other types (such as מנחת נסכים) may not be brought. Rava teaches that one may specify to donate a מנחת נסכים.
- A poor person who brings a minchah is considered כאלו הקריב נפשו
Rebbe Yitzchak asks, why does the Torah use the term "נפש" – soul regarding a voluntary minchah (“when a נפש offers a minchah to Hashem…”), which it does not use for any other voluntary korbanos? He explains that Hashem said: מי דרכו להביא מנחה – Whose way is it to bring a minchah (rather than an animal korban)? עני – A poor person. מעלה אני עליו כאילו הקריב נפשו לפני – I consider it for him as if he offered his own soul before Me. Rebbe Yitzchak also asks why a minchah is unique in having חמשה מיני טיגון – five different types of fried dishes (i.e., containing oil)? He explains that it is comparable to a king whose friend prepared a feast for him, but the king knows his friend is poor and cannot afford much. He tells him: עשה לי מן חמשה מיני טיגון כדי שאהנה ממך – “Prepare for me five types of fried dishes, so I will get pleasure from you.”