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Menachos 64b

מנחות ס״ד ע״ב

Menachot 64b

Learn Menachos 64b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Menachos 64b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Where the עומר comes from and why, the story of the חשמונאי civil war behind the משנה's מעשה, and stories of מרדכי's wisdom.

Overview

The amud opens by finishing an earlier question about a sick person who needs figs on שבת. Because one stem holding three figs means less cutting than two separate figs, we bring the three. Then a new משנה teaches that the עומר barley should ideally come from fields near ירושלים, but may come from anywhere if those fields have not ripened. The גמרא gives two reasons for preferring nearby fields: the word כרמל (the grain must be fresh), or the rule אין מעבירין על המצוות (do not pass over a מצוה). Next a ברייתא tells the story behind the משנה's מעשה. During the civil war of the חשמונאי kings, a pig was sent up the wall of ירושלים instead of an animal for the תמיד, and the חכמים cursed raising pigs and teaching חכמת יוונית. In that time of war, deaf-mutes gave hand-sign hints that מרדכי decoded to find גגות צריפין for the עומר and עין סוכר for the שתי הלחם. A final story shows מרדכי correctly reading three women's unclear words, showing that all their bird offerings were עולות.

Opening lines

דְּעַד כָּאן לָא קָאָמַר רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל הָתָם,

For רבי ישמעאל only said there

אֶלָּא דְּכִי מְמַעֵט בַּאֲכִילָה

because when one reduces the eating

קָא מְמַעֵט קְצִירָה,

he also reduces the reaping.

אֲבָל הָכָא דְּכִי קָא מְמַעֵט בַּאֲכִילָה

But here, when one reduces the eating

The steps (14)

  1. ResolutionEven רבי ישמעאל would agree: cut the stem of three figs
  2. Statementמשנה: the עומר should come from nearby fields
  3. ProofA real case: barley and wheat brought from far away
  4. QuestionWhy should the עומר come from nearby?
  5. ResponseFirst answer: the grain must be fresh (כרמל)
  6. ResponseSecond answer: do not pass over a מצוה
  7. StatementThe background: the civil war of the חשמונאי kings
  8. StatementThe old man's advice and the pig on the wall
  9. ConclusionThe curses, and the link back to the משנה
  10. StatementHow they found the place called גגות צריפין
  11. StatementA deaf-mute's hint leads them to the wheat for the two loaves
  12. StatementThree women bring bird offerings with unclear explanations
  13. StatementThe חכמים first read all three as זבות owing a חטאת and an עולה
  14. Rejectionמרדכי shows each woman was thanking for being saved, so all are עולות