Menachos 76a

מנחות ע״ו ע״א

Menachot 76a

Learn Menachos 76a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Menachos 76a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Preparing מנחות, how many loaves each מנחה is baked into (ten or twelve) and why, and שמואל's ruling on four תודה loaves

Overview

The משנה teaches that the wheat for every מנחה needs 300 rubbings and 500 strikings. The תנא קמא says this is done to the kernels, and רבי יוסי says it is done to the dough. רבי יהודה and רבי מאיר then argue whether most מנחות are baked as ten loaves or as twelve. The גמרא explains the pattern of rubbing and striking. It leaves רבי ירמיה's counting question as תיקו, and it brings a ברייתא to clarify רבי יוסי. Next it gives sources for the numbers. Twelve for לחם הפנים is written in the פסוק, and twelve for חביתי כהן גדול comes from a גזרה שוה. רבי יהודה learns ten for other מנחות from לחמי תודה, after weighing them against לחם הפנים and the חביתין. רבי מאיר's twelve comes from the חביתין or from לחם הפנים, depending on whether a rule learned by a גזרה שוה can teach through a בנין אב. Finally, שמואל rules that four big תודה loaves are enough after the fact. The גמרא defends this against several challenges, and its answer to a ברייתא continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (33)

1. Statementמשנה: 300 rubbings and 500 strikings
2. Statementמשנה: ten loaves or twelve loaves
3. StatementThe order of rubbing and striking
4. QuestionDoes back-and-forth count as one rubbing or two?
5. ConclusionThe question stays unresolved
6. QuestionDoes רבי יוסי mean only dough, or also dough?
7. ResponseA ברייתא answers the question
8. StatementTwelve loaves of לחם הפנים are written in the תורה
9. Statementחביתי כהן גדול get twelve through a word link
10. QuestionWhy do all other מנחות come as ten?
11. ResponseTen is learned from לחמי תודה
12. ChallengeWhy not learn twelve from לחם הפנים?
13. ResolutionRegular מנחות look more like לחמי תודה
14. ChallengeOn the contrary: the מנחות look like לחם הפנים too
15. ResolutionThe six likenesses outweigh the four
16. ChallengeWhy not learn twelve from חביתי כהן גדול?
17. Resolutionלחמי תודה are still the better model
18. Challengeחביתי כהן גדול share even more features
19. ResolutionAn ordinary person's offering is learned from an ordinary person's offering
20. QuestionWhat is רבי מאיר's reasoning for twelve?
21. ResponseFirst possibility: learn from the חביתין through a בנין אב
22. ResponseIf he holds the other way, he learns from לחם הפנים
23. StatementQuoting the exceptions in the משנה
24. ResponseThe source for ten תודה loaves
25. ResponseThe source for ten loaves of the נזיר
26. Statementשמואל: four big תודה loaves still work
27. ChallengeBut we need forty loaves
28. ResolutionForty is only the best way
29. ChallengeHow can תרומה be taken from only four loaves?
30. ChallengeCutting a piece from each loaf does not work
31. ResolutionHe set the תרומה aside while kneading
32. ChallengeA ברייתא says the number of תודה loaves cannot change
33. ResolutionThe answer to the ברייתא begins