Menachos 45b

מנחות מ״ה ע״ב

Menachot 45b

Learn Menachos 45b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Menachos 45b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

The שבועות offerings and the שתי הלחם: which ones hold each other up, the מחלוקת of רבי עקיבא and בן ננס about the two sheep, and the פסוקים each side learns from.

Overview

The amud opens with the last line of an earlier teaching: if there is not enough flour for all the rams, bring one ram with its flour rather than all of them without it. A new משנה then teaches that the main שבועות offerings and the שתי הלחם do not hold each other up. About the two sheep brought with the לחם, רבי עקיבא says the לחם holds up the sheep, while רבי שמעון בן ננס says the reverse and points to the מדבר. רבי שמעון agrees with בן ננס's ruling but rejects his proof: the sheep permit themselves, while the bread needs the sheep to permit it. The גמרא brings a ברייתא with רבי טרפון and רבי עקיבא on the verse 'על הלחם', and shows that the offering lists in ויקרא and במדבר are separate groups. It then gives the sources for רבי עקיבא and בן ננס: competing גזירה שוה links (יהיו to תהיינה, or יהיו to יהיו), or two readings of 'קדש יהיו לה׳ לכהן'. The amud ends as רבי יוחנן begins a point that everyone agrees on, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (30)

1. ConclusionMany rams but not enough flour: bring one ram properly
2. StatementThe animal offerings and the bread do not hold each other up
3. Statementרבי עקיבא: the bread holds up the two sheep
4. Statementרבי שמעון בן ננס: the opposite, the sheep hold up the bread
5. ProofProof from the forty years in the desert
6. Statementרבי שמעון agrees with the ruling but not the reason
7. RejectionThe proof from the wilderness fails
8. ProofThe real reason: the sheep permit themselves
9. StatementA ברייתא reads the verse about the bread
10. QuestionThen why does the פסוק say 'with the bread'?
11. Responseרבי טרפון: the sheep obligation began with the bread obligation
12. Statementרבי עקיבא: the two lists describe different offerings
13. ConclusionResult: only the במדבר offerings were brought in the wilderness
14. ChallengeMaybe only the sheep are shared
15. ResolutionIf part of the list differs, the whole list differs
16. ChallengeMaybe the bulls and rams are one offering with a choice
17. ResolutionThe different order proves they are separate offerings
18. QuestionWhy does the bread hold back the sheep
19. ResponseA word link shows the bread is essential
20. Responseבן ננס learns from the matching word יהיו that the sheep are essential
21. ChallengeWhy doesn't בן ננס also learn from תהיינה, which points to the bread?
22. ResolutionAn identical word makes a better link than a similar word
23. ChallengeChallenge from דבי רבי ישמעאל, who links two different words
24. ResolutionSimilar words are used only when no identical word is available
25. ChallengeWhy doesn't רבי עקיבא also use the exact-match link?
26. ResolutionLearn a gift to the כהן from a gift to the כהן
27. ResolutionSecond explanation: they read the פסוק itself differently, and רבי עקיבא says bread
28. Rejectionבן ננס: the פסוק says "to ה׳" too, so it means the sheep
29. Resolutionרבי עקיבא: ה׳ acquires it and gives all of it to the כהן
30. Statementרבי יוחנן opens with a point everyone agrees on