Der Hohepriester's Bratpfannenkuchen können nicht in [zwei getrennten] Hälften gebracht werden. Vielmehr muss er ein ganzes Zehntel mitbringen und es dann teilen, wobei er eine halbe morgens und eine halbe gegen Abend anbietet. Wenn ein [Hohe-] Priester die Hälfte des Morgens anbot und dann starb und sie einen anderen Priester an seiner Stelle ernannten, darf [der Nachfolger] weder ein halbes Zehntel aus seinem Haus holen, noch darf er das verbleibende halbe Zehntel verwenden der erste [Hohepriester]. Vielmehr muss er ein ganzes Zehntel bringen und es teilen und eine Hälfte anbieten und die andere Hälfte verschwenden lassen. Es stellt sich heraus, dass zwei Hälften angeboten werden und zwei Hälften verschwendet werden. Wenn sie keinen anderen Priester an seiner Stelle ernannten, von wessen [Kosten] wurde es angeboten? Rabbi Shimon sagt: aus der Gemeinde; Rabbi Yehudah sagt: von seinen Erben, und [beide sind sich einig, dass] ein ganzes [Zehntel] angeboten wurde.
Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
חביתי כהן גדול – the meal-offering of the High Priest that he brings every day, on account that it is written concerning it (Leviticus 6:14): “Shall be prepared with oil on a griddle,” because of this, it is called, griddle-cakes.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot
Introduction
This mishnah deals with the minhah offering that the high priest offers every day (Leviticus 6:13-15). This offering had to consist of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, half of which was offered in the morning and half in the evening. It was fried in oil on a pan, and hence they are called griddle-cakes.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
לא היו באות חצאין – that he should not bring from his house one-half of an Issaron/tenth in the morning and half an Issaron/tenth in the evening.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot
The high priest’s griddle-cakes cannot be brought in [two separate] halves. Rather he must bring a whole tenth and then divide it, offering a half in the morning and a half towards evening. The high priest is not allowed to bring the griddle-cakes in two halves, half of a tenth in the morning and half in the evening. Rather, he must bring the entire tenth in the morning and then divide it in half, offering a half in the morning and the other half in the evening.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
ולא חצי עשרונו של ראשון – [the one-half] that remained from the complete Issaron/tenth first [Kohen Gadol] who died had brought [in the morning] for he had not offered anything other than the [first] half.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot
If a [high] priest offered half in the morning and then died and they appointed another priest in his place, [the successor] may not bring a half-tenth from his house, neither [may he use] the remaining half-tenth of the first [high priest]. Rather he must bring a whole tenth and divide it, and offer one half and leaving the other half goes to waste. It turns out that two halves are offered and two halves go to waste. If the high priest offers half in the morning and then dies, and the court appoints a new high priest, the new high priest must bring an entire tenth of flour, and only offer half of it. The second half of the previous high priest’s offering goes to waste, as does half of the new high priest’s offering. We should note that this is just the kind of scenario that the rabbis love to discuss.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
ושני חציין אובדים – half of the Issaron/tenth of the first [High Priest] who died and half of the Issaron/tenth of this one who stood [in his place].
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot
If they did not appoint another priest in his place, at whose expense was it offered? Rabbi Shimon says, at the expense of the community; But Rabbi Judah says: at the expense of his heirs, And a whole [tenth] was offered. If the court didn’t appoint a new high priest, there is a debate as to who is responsible to offer the minhah. According to Rabbi Shimon, the community had to pay for the offering, whereas Rabbi Judah holds that the high priest’s heirs must offer it. Furthermore, in such a situation, in both the morning and evening a full tenth would be offered.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
משל צבור – as it is written (Leviticus 6:15): “[And so shall the priest, anointed from among his sons to succeed him, prepare it; it is the LORD’s] – a law for all time – [to be turned entirely into smoke],” this law will be from that which shall be forever, meaning to say, from the community from the collection of the money stored in the chamber [in the Temple complex].
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
רבי יהודה אומר משל יורשים – as it is written (Leviticus 6:15): “And so shall the priest, anointed from among his sons,” and it implies the following, that the anointed priest who dies, from those who succeed him (literally, “under him”), will perform it.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
ושלימה היתה קריבה – whenever it comes from the community according to Rabbi Shimon or from the heirs [of the Kohen Gadol who died] according to Rabbi Yehuda, it should be offered whole, a complete Issaron and not one-half of an Issaron. Rabbi Shimon derives it from (Leviticus 6:15): “to be turned entirely into smoke/כליל תקטר,” that should not be turned into smoke in halves, but rather entirely when it comes from the community. But Rabbi Yehuda derives it from what is written (Leviticus 6:15): “from among his sons to [to succeed him] prepare it/מבניו יעשה אותה,” when one of his sons offers it up after his father died, that is the heirs, he should do it, but not half of it. And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yehuda that it comes from the heirs.