Menachos 19b

מנחות י״ט ע״ב

Menachot 19b

Learn Menachos 19b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Menachos 19b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Which steps of the מנחה are מעכב: רב's rule that a repeated step is מעכב, שמואל's view, and the challenges to רב from הגשה and salt.

Overview

This amud asks which steps of the מנחה are מעכב, meaning the offering is invalid without them. רב says any step the Torah repeats is מעכב. שמואל says only the גרש and שמן are. The גמרא narrows the dispute: both accept the repetition rule, and they argue only about whether taking the קומץ by hand, without a measuring utensil, is repeated. רב counts a פסוק from the משכן's inauguration as the repetition. שמואל answers that permanent rules (דורות) are not learned from a one-time event (שעה), unless that event is repeated many times, like the gifts of the twelve נשיאים. רב כהנא and רב אסי then challenge רב from הגשה, which seems repeated but is not מעכב. The גמרא answers that the second פסוק teaches where הגשה is done, and a ברייתא works out the exact corner of the מזבח. רב אשי adds that רבי אליעזר holds the whole מזבח stood in the north. Finally רב הונא challenges רב from salt, which is not repeated yet is מעכב. His proof from a ברייתא continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (21)

1. ConclusionClosing line: only groats and oil are indispensable
2. StatementThe core dispute between רב and שמואל
3. ChallengeDoes שמואל ignore a repeated verse?
4. ResolutionBoth agree, but they argue over taking the handful by hand
5. ProofThe ברייתא: no measuring utensil for the handful
6. Proofרב: the rule is repeated at the משכן's inauguration
7. Rejectionשמואל: a one-time event can't teach a permanent rule
8. ChallengeDoes שמואל really never learn the permanent rule from a one-time event?
9. ResolutionThe נשיאים passage is special because it repeats twelve times
10. Challengeרב כהנא and רב אסי challenge רב from הגשה
11. QuestionWhere is הגשה repeated?
12. ResponseThe second mention: 'This is the law of the מנחה'
13. ResolutionThe second verse teaches the location, not a repeat
14. ProofA ברייתא shows the two phrases point to different sides
15. ResolutionThe answer: the southwest corner
16. Statementרבי אליעזר's rule for two clashing verses
17. ProofWhy the south side keeps both phrases
18. ChallengeIf the South Side Is Chosen, Where Is 'Before ה׳'?
19. ResolutionThe Whole Altar Stood in the North
20. ChallengeSalt Is Not Repeated, Yet It Is Indispensable
21. ProofSource That Salt Is Indispensable