Commentary for Menachot 8:5
הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁבָּרִאשׁוֹן, אֵין לְמַעְלָה מִמֶּנּוּ. הַשֵּׁנִי שֶׁבָּרִאשׁוֹן וְהָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁבַּשֵּׁנִי, שָׁוִין. הַשְּׁלִישִׁי שֶׁבָּרִאשׁוֹן וְהַשֵּׁנִי שֶׁבַּשֵּׁנִי וְהָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁבַּשְּׁלִישִׁי, שָׁוִין. הַשְּׁלִישִׁי שֶׁבַּשֵּׁנִי וְהַשֵּׁנִי שֶׁבַּשְּׁלִישִׁי, שָׁוִין. הַשְּׁלִישִׁי שֶׁבַּשְּׁלִישִׁי, אֵין לְמַטָּה מִמֶּנּוּ. אַף הַמְּנָחוֹת הָיוּ בַדִּין שֶׁיִּטָּעֲנוּ שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זַךְ. מָה אִם הַמְּנוֹרָה שֶׁאֵינָהּ לַאֲכִילָה, טְעוּנָה שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זַךְ, הַמְּנָחוֹת, שֶׁהֵן לַאֲכִילָה, אֵינוֹ דִין שֶׁיִּטָּעֲנוּ שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זַךְ. תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (שמות כז), זָךְ כָּתִית לַמָּאוֹר, וְלֹא זַךְ כָּתִית לַמְּנָחוֹת:
The first of the first, there is none better than it. The second of the first and the first of the second are equal. The third of the first, the second of the second and the first oil of the third are equal. The third of the second and the second of the third are equal. The third of the third, there is none worse than it. It would have been logical that grain offerings should also require the purest olive oil: for if the <i>menorah</i>, whose [oil] is not for eating, requires pure olive oil, then should not grain offerings, whose oil is for eating, also require pure olive oil? But Scripture says, “Pure olive oil of beaten olives for lighting” (Exodus 27:20), and not pure olive oil of beaten olives for grain offerings.
English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot
The second oil of the first crop and the first oil of the second crop are equal.
The third oil of the first crop, the second oil of the second crop and the first oil of the third crop are equal.
The third oil of the second crop and the second oil of the third crop are equal.
As to the third oil of the third crop, there is none worse than it.
It would have been logical by the following argument that menahot should also require the purest olive oil: if the candlestick, whose [oil] is not for eating, requires pure olive oil, how much more should menahot, whose oil is for eating, require pure olive oil! But the text states, “Pure olive oil of beaten olives for lighting” (Exodus 27:20), but not “pure olive oil of beaten olives for menahot.”
Today’s mishnah is a continuation of yesterday’s. It explains the relative quality of the various pressings we learned about yesterday.
Basically, the first crop yields better oil than the next two, and the first pressings of each crop are better than the others. If two types of oil are equal, then the person can use whichever he wishes, but if better oil is available, that is what he should use.
Section six: The mishnah concludes by noting that it would have been logical for the menahot to require the highest quality of oil and not just the oil used for lighting the menorah. This is logical because the oil used in menahot is “eaten” by the altar, whereas the menorah is not conceived of as “eating” the oil, just burning it. This is an interesting, but not altogether unusual, personification of the altar.
The reason that the halakhah requires the best olive oil for lighting the menorah and not for menahot is that the Torah specifies that the lighting oil must be “pure olive oil” whereas no such specification is made with regard to the oil used for menahot.