Beth Shammai say: The (offering) of "seeing" (re'iah) is two silver (coins). [An adult who comes to "see" must bring a burnt-offering, viz. (Exodus 23:15): "My face shall not be seen empty-handed." The offering may cost no less than two ma'ah of silver, which is the weight of thirty-two barley grains of refined silver], and the festival offering (chagigah) [festival peace-offerings, viz. (Exodus 12:14): "And you shall celebrate it as a festival to the L rd"; that is, bring festival peace-offerings. They may cost no less than] one ma'ah of silver. And even though there is no fixed amount for the offering of "seeing" and the festival offering, it being written (Deuteronomy 16:17): "Each man, according to the gift of his hand," the sages set a bottom limit beneath which it may not go.] Beth Hillel say: The offering of "seeing," one ma'ah of silver; the festival offering, two. [For (parts of) the peace-offerings go on High, to the priests, and to the owners, respectively, for which reason they are more expensive than the burnt-offerings, which are entirely (burnt) on High. And aside from the burnt-offering of "seeing" and the festival peace-offerings mentioned in our Mishnah, they also had to bring a different type of peace-offering called "peace-offerings of joy" (shalmei simchah), viz. (Ibid. 27:7): "And you shall slaughter peace-offerings and you shall eat them there, and you shall rejoice, etc." These peace-offerings of joy are not mentioned here and the sages did not assign a fixed amount to them. And women are obligated in them as men are, women being obligated in rejoicing (on the festival), viz. (Ibid. 14:26): "And you shall rejoice, you and your household."]
Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
הראיה שתי כסף – an adult who comes to be seen [in the Temple during the Three Pilgrimage Festivals] must bring a burnt offering, as it states (Exodus 23:15): “and none shall appear before Me empty-handed” (though the same connotation is found in Deuteronomy 16:16 – “…They shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.”), which is not less than two silver MAOT, which are the weight of thirty-two globules/stones from purified silver.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
Introduction
In this mishnah the two houses debate the minimum value of the pilgrimage offering and the hagigah offering. These two offerings were explained in the introduction to the tractate.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
וחגיגה – festival peace-offerings, as the Torah states (Exodus 12:14): “[This day shall be to you one of remembrance:] you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD [throughout the ages]….,” that is to say, they brought festival peace-offerings, none less than a silver M’AH, and even though there is no fixed measure for “appearing” and for the festival offering, as it is written (Deuteronomy 16:17): “But each with his own gift, [according to the blessing that the LORD your God has bestowed upon you],” the Sages gave them a lower fixed measure, that he should not bring less than this.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Chagigah
Bet Shammai say: the pilgrimage-offering (re’eyah) must be worth [at least] two pieces of silver and the hagigah one piece (ma’ah) of silver. But Bet Hillel say: the pilgrimage-offering must be worth [at least] one ma'ah of silver and the hagigah two pieces of silver. The pilgrimage offering is an olah, a wholly burnt offering, whereas the hagigah is a shelamim, a thanksgiving offering, part eaten by the priests, part by its owners and part offered on the altar. According to Bet Shammai the sacrifice that is completely for God, the pilgrimage offering, is the more expensive offering. If we extrapolate, we might say that when a person has a limited budget, he should spend more on God than on himself. Bet Hillel holds the opposite the hagigah offering, eaten by people, is to be the more expensive offering. Extrapolating again, Bet Hillel seems to put humans at the center, focusing on enriching their religious experience by providing them more food.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Chagigah
הראיה מאה כסף וחגיגה שתי כסף – for peace-offerings have in them for God and the Kohanim and their owners, therefore they are more plentiful than burnt-offerings, which lack in them other than for the All-High (God), and except for the burnt-offering of appearance and the festival peace-offerings that are mentioned in our Mishnah, they also had to bring an additional other kind of peace-offering, and they are called peace-offerings of rejoicing, as it is written (Deuteronomy 27:7): “And you shall sacrifice there offerings of well-being and eat them, rejoicing [before the LORD your God].” But the peace-offerings of rejoicing (called “offerings of well-being” in the Torah) are not mentioned here [in the Mishnah]. And the Sages did not give them a particular [required] measure. But women are obligated in them as are men, for as regards “rejoicing,” women were commanded, as is it written (Deuteronomy 14:26): “…And you shall feast there, [in the presence of the LORD your God,] and rejoice with your household.”
