Gemara Clarity

Menachos 26a

מנחות כ״ו ע״א

Menachot 26a

Learn Menachos 26a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Menachos 26a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Leftovers of a מנחה and of animal offerings, and whether a קומץ needs a כלי שרת

Overview

The amud opens by finishing a challenge against רב שילא. A ברייתא seems to say that impure blood sprinkled on purpose is not accepted, but the גמרא reads 'on purpose' as describing how the blood became impure. A new משנה teaches that if the שיריים of a מנחה become impure, burned, or lost, the offering is valid by רבי אליעזר and invalid by רבי יהושע. רב limits this to a case where all the שיריים are ruined. The גמרא concludes that a remainder counts (שיורא מילתא היא), and supports this with רבי יהושע's rule that a כזית of meat or fat is enough to sprinkle the blood. It then learns from ״חֵלֶב״ and ״לְרֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ״ that any part of the animal burned on the מזבח counts, but the accompanying מנחה does not. A second משנה discusses a קומץ that was not handled with a כלי שרת, where רבי שמעון is lenient. The גמרא explains his view, defends רבי יהודה בריה דרבי חייא and רב נחמן בר יצחק against several ברייתות, and begins a new ברייתא that continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

תָּא שְׁמַע:

Come and hear:

דָּם שֶׁנִּטְמָא וּזְרָקוֹ

Blood that became impure and he sprinkled it

בְּשׁוֹגֵג הוּרְצָה,

if by mistake — it is accepted;

בְּמֵזִיד לֹא הוּרְצָה –

if on purpose — it is not accepted.

The steps (31)

  1. ChallengeA ברייתא seems to contradict רב שילא
  2. ResolutionMistake or purpose refers to how it became impure
  3. Statementמשנה: Leftovers of a מנחה become impure, burned, or lost
  4. Statementרב: Only when all the leftovers became impure
  5. StatementAssumption: רב helps only for impure, not for lost or burned
  6. QuestionWhat is רב's reasoning?
  7. ChallengeIf leftovers count, lost or burned should work too
  8. ChallengeIf leftovers don't count and the ציץ helps, all impure should work too
  9. Resolutionרב really holds a remainder counts, even for loss and burning
  10. Proofרבי יהושע: an olive-bulk left from an offering allows sprinkling the blood
  11. StatementHalf-olive-bulks, the burnt offering, and the meal offering
  12. QuestionWhy does the ברייתא mention a meal offering?
  13. Responseרב פפא: it is the meal offering that accompanies the animal
  14. QuestionWhere does this rule come from?
  15. ResponseThe verse mentions only fat, not meat
  16. QuestionWhat about the liver lobe and the kidneys?
  17. ResponseThe ברייתא's mention of a מנחה implies the kidneys count
  18. ResponseThe verse source: ״לְרֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ״
  19. ConclusionWhy the verse needs both ״חֵלֶב״ and ״לְרֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ״
  20. StatementNew משנה: a handful not handled with a service vessel
  21. QuestionWhat is רבי שמעון's reason?
  22. ResponseLike a sin offering or like a guilt offering
  23. Statementרבי ינאי: once taken from a service vessel, any way works
  24. StatementEveryone agrees the handful needs sanctification
  25. ChallengeA ברייתא allows even the left hand by hand
  26. ResolutionThe ברייתא lists separate cases
  27. ChallengeA ברייתא where רבי שמעון allows any vessel
  28. ResolutionRead it as: from the כלי שרת onward
  29. Challengeרבי שמעון needs only the קמיצה from a כלי שרת
  30. ResolutionReading the ברייתא as requiring sanctification first
  31. ChallengeA new ברייתא about moving the קומץ from right hand to left