Menachos 72a

מנחות ע״ב ע״א

Menachot 72a

Learn Menachos 72a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Menachos 72a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

The rules of reaping the עומר: reaping early for a מצוה, lessons from 'תקריב', whether an עומר reaped by day is valid, and why its reaping overrides שבת

Overview

This amud first finishes an earlier point: רבי מאיר agrees with רבי עקיבא on one issue about cutting animal feed and disagrees on another. Then the גמרא explains the משנה. You may reap before the עומר for a מצוה need, because the פסוק says 'your harvest'. But you may not tie that grain into bundles, because we avoid extra work with the new grain. A ברייתא learns many rules from the word 'תקריב'. The עומר may come from cut sheaves or dry grain if nothing better is found, it is valid even if reaped by day, and it overrides שבת and טומאה. The גמרא then challenges the rule about reaping by day from a משנה in מגילה. רבה answers that our משנה follows רבי and the משנה in מגילה follows רבי אלעזר ברבי שמעון, who builds his view on the rules of רבי עקיבא and רבי ישמעאל. Finally, the גמרא asks why רבי, a student of רבי שמעון, lets the reaping override שבת. It answers that he follows רבי שמעון's teaching that a מצוה done at its proper time is especially dear.

Opening lines

The steps (22)

1. Resolutionרבי מאיר agrees with רבי עקיבא on one point and disagrees on another
2. QuestionQuoting the משנה on reaping early for a מצוה, and asking why
3. ResponseThe פסוק says 'your harvest', not a harvest for a מצוה
4. QuestionWhy the cut grain may not be tied into sheaves
5. ResponseWe avoid extra work with the grain whenever we can
6. StatementThe משנה: the עומר should come from standing grain
7. QuestionThe ברייתא asks what the word 'תקריב' comes to teach
8. ResponseThe word 'תקריב' allows bringing from sheaves
9. ResponseSecond lesson from 'You shall bring': dry grain is allowed
10. ResponseThird lesson from 'You shall bring': reaping by day is valid
11. StatementMore rules learned from 'You shall bring'
12. ChallengeChallenge: a משנה says night מצוות belong to the night
13. ChallengeThe comparison shows a night מצוה done by day is not valid
14. Resolutionרבה: the two משניות follow two different תנאים
15. ProofThe ברייתא: רבי says to bring a replacement עומר
16. Proofרבי אלעזר ברבי שמעון: an עומר not reaped properly is invalid
17. Statementרבי אלעזר ברבי שמעון follows רבי עקיבא's rule about שבת
18. StatementHe also holds like רבי ישמעאל that reaping the עומר is a מצוה
19. ProofOverriding שבת proves a wrongly-reaped עומר is invalid
20. ChallengeIsn't רבי also a student of רבי שמעון?
21. ProofProof that רבי learned from רבי שמעון
22. Resolutionרבי follows רבי שמעון's teaching that a מצוה at its time is dear