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שתי מידות. עשרון עשרון וחצי עשרון (see Tractate Menahot, Chapter 9, Mishnah 5) – there were two measures of an Issaron/Omer (1/10th of an Ephah), one we measure it heaped/overflowing, that it was small and would not support anything other than an Issaron when it was heaped/overflowing, like the size/limit of its neighbor when it smooth/level. For Rabbi Meir learned it from Scripture as it is written (Numbers 28:29): “and one-tenth for each [of the seven lambs]/עשרון עשרון לכבש האחד [לשבעת הכבשים],” for there were two Issarons there, and if both of them were equivalent, it would be for them one measure. But one is smooth/level and the other is heaped/overflowing. That which is heaped/overflowing in it, he would measure for all of the meal-offerings, that which is smoothed/leveled in it, he would measure for the cakes of the High Priest, but the Sages state that there wasn’t there other than one Issaron, as it is written (Numbers 29:4): “and one-tenth for each of the seven lambsועשרון אחד לכבש האחד [לשבעת הכבשים] ,” and that this particular Issaron was smooth/level, and through it they would measure all of the meal-offerings. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.

Introduction The first five mishnayot of our chapter deal with the size of the measuring vessels used in the Temple.

לא בשל שלשה לפר – for the meal-offerings of libations of the bull as it is written concerning it (Numbers 28:12): “[As grain offering] for each bull: three-tenths of a measure [of choice flour with oil mixed in],” (and also Numbers 28:28 – though the text does not have ושלשה עשרנים but rather (שלשה עשרנים, they would not measure them with one measure for it holds three Esronim, for there was not a measure there that was larger than an Issaron.

There were two dry-measures in the Temple: the tenth and the half-tenth. Rabbi Meir says: a tenth, [another] tenth, and a half-tenth. When it came to measuring dry things, i.e. grain, there were two measuring vessels in the Temple, one that contained a tenth of an ephah, and one that contained half of a tenth. The remainder of the mishnah will explain what they were used for. According to Rabbi Meir, there were three dry-measures. One held a tenth when it was heaped over, and one held precisely a tenth when it was measured out evenly. The heaped over one would be used for all menahot, and the smoothed out one would be used for the griddlecakes of the high priest, which had to be divided into two halves. This was preferable for if they used the heaped over measure to split into two, some of the grain might spill out.

אלא מודדן עשרונות each and every Issaron on its own.

For what purpose did the tenth measure serve? By it they used to measure all the menahot. The one-tenth measuring vessel was used for all menahot.

One did not measure with a three-tenths measure [the minhah] for a bull or with a two-tenths measure [the minhah] for a ram, rather, one measured them by all by tenths. Some menahot require more than one tenth, but there were not special measuring vessels that held three or two tenths. Rather they would just fill the one-tenth measuring vessel two or three times.

הכי גרסינן, חצי עשרון מה היה משמש, שבו היה מודד לחביתי כהן גדול – and this is the explanation, for the baked cakes of the High Priest, he brings from his home a complete Issaron and they split it with half on half of an Issaron that is in the Temple, and he kneads each half-Issaron on its own, and makes from each half-Issaron six Hallot/loaves, which are for the two halves of the Issaron, twelve Hallot/loaves, and he bakes all of them together and afterwards he divides each Hallah/loaf in half and sacrifices twelve halves in the morning and twelve halves in the evening, but prior to his offering them, he crumbles them to olive-size piece, and doubles each crumble to two, and doesn’t separate them. But the opening of all of the rest of the meal-offerings even though their small pieces are like an olive, he doubles them into two and two into four and separates them as it is taught in the Mishnah (Tractate Menahot) chapter Six (Mishnah 4 – see also Chapter 4, Mishnah 5).

For what purpose did the half-tenth measure serve? By it one used to measure the griddlecakes of the high priest [which was offered] half in the morning and the half towards evening. The half-tenth measure was used for the griddle-cakes of the high priest (see Menahot 4:4), half of which was offered in the morning and half in the evening.

שנתות היו בהין (notches/teeth-like marks – the Hin (12 logs or 72 egg-bulks) measure in the Temple had marks – see Tractate Menahot 87b) – there wasn’t there anything but a Hin, and in it there were signs of nails or notches.

There were seven liquid measuring vessels in the Temple: the hin, the half-hin, the third-hin, the quarter-hin, the log, the half-log, and the quarter-log. The mishnah now begins to list the liquid measurements. The hin contains 12 logs. Each log is about ½ a liter, so a hin is about 6 liters.

עד כאן לפר – one-half of a Hin.

Rabbi Eliezer bar Zadok says: there were markings in the hin measure [indicating] thus far for a bull, thus far for a ram, and thus far for a lamb. Rabbi Elazar bar Zadok says that they didn’t need to have separate vessels for the parts of the hin. Rather there were markings on the hin measuring vessel that would indicate a half of a hin for a bull, a third of a hin for a ram and a quarter of a hin for a lamb (see Numbers 15). So according to Rabbi Elazar bar Zadok, there would have been only four measuring vessels in the Temple, the hin and the three log measuring vessels.

עד כאן לאיל – one-third of a Hin.

Rabbi Shimon says: there was no hin measure at all, for what purpose could the hin serve? According to Rabbi Shimon, there was no hin measuring vessel, because none of the sacrifices require a wine or oil libation of a hin, so why have one in the first place?

ועד כאן לכבש – one-quarter of a Hin. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Eliezer.

But there was an additional measure of one and a half logs by which one used to measure [the oil] for the minhah of the high priest, a log and a half in the morning and a log and a half towards evening. Rabbi Shimon, after having stated that there was no hin measuring vessel, adds in another vessel so that there will be seven, as stated in the beginning of the mishnah. This seems to have been some tradition, which he is unwilling to dispute. The extra vessel was one and a half logs, and it was used for the oil for the high priest’s griddle cakes minhah which was three logs, half used in the morning and half in the evening. This is similar to the half of a tenth measuring vessel used for the grain of his minhah offering, as we saw in yesterday’s mishnah.

וכי מה היה ההין משמש – that there wasn’t in the Temple a thing that required a complete Hin, for after all, they had no need for the Hin other than for the anointing oil (see Exodus 30:24) in the days of Moses and that kind of oil still exists, and if so, they had no need for a Hin [measurement].

אלא מדה יתירה (but there was a further measure) – it was there to complete the seven measurements.

למנחת כהן גדול – there were for it three LOG of oil, a LOG and a half in the morning and a LOG and a half in the evening.

רביעית מים למצורע – as it is written (Leviticus 14:5): “[The priest shall order] one of the birds slaughtered over fresh water in an earthen vessel,” into water that the blood of the bird shall be seen in them, and the Sages estimated one-quarter of a LOG.

For what purpose did the quarter-log serve? [To measure] a quarter-log of water for the one with skin disease and a quarter-log of oil for the Nazirite. The quarter-log was used to measure the water used in the purification of the person with skin disease (the metzora, see Leviticus 14:5) and the quarter-log of oil used in preparing the cakes and wafers for the nazirite (see above mishnah 7:2).

רביעית שמן לנזיר – for the bread of the Nazirite [when he completes his period of Naziriteship]. But the one-quarter [of a LOG] he diodes not sanctify to be in a service vessel because of the one-quarter [of a LOG] of water of the leper, for this is outside [the Temple courtyard]. But not because of the bread of the Nazirite, for there bread of a Nazirite is not holy other than with the slaughter of the sacrifice. But, because in he would measure for the baked cakes of the High Priest a quarter [of a LOG] of oil for each and every Hallah [loaf], which are twelve Hallah loaves and their libations are three LOG of oil (see also Tractate Menahot, Chapter 7, Mishnah 2).

For what purpose did the half-log serve? [To measure] a half-log of water for the sotah and a half-log of oil for the todah. The half-log was used to measure the water for the Sotah, which she will later drink (see Numbers 5:17). It was also the measure used to prepare the cakes that accompany the todah offering (see above mishnah 7:1).

חצי לוג מים לסוטה – as it is written (Numbers 5:17): “The priest shall take sacral water in an earthen vessel,” half a LOT of mater he would fill from the basin (i.e., the laver for the priests in the Temple court).

With the log one measured [the oil] for all the menahot. Even a minhah of sixty tenths required sixty logs [of oil]. Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: even a minhah of sixty tenths required only one log [of oil], for it is written, “For a minhah, and for a log of oil” (Leviticus 14:21). The log was used to measure the oil for all of the menahot, which used a log of oil to accompany each tenth of grain. According to the first opinion, if a minhah has sixty-tenths of grain, it will require sixty logs of oil, one log for each tenth. Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says that even if a minhah contains sixty-tenths of grain, it only requires one log of oil. He derives this midrashically from a verse concerning the minhah of a person with skin disease.

חצי לוג שמן לתודה – It is a traditional interpretation of a written law, and similarly, a quarter [of a LOG] of the Nazirite. And the one-half LOG is also not because of the one-half LOG of water of the Sotah (i.e., suspected adulterous woman) and one-half of a LOG of oil of the thanksgiving offering is holy to be in the service utensils, but rather because that in it he separates one-half LOG of oil for each and every candle of the Menorah.

Six [logs] were required for a bull, four for a ram, and three for a lamb; Six logs are ½ of a hin, which we learned in yesterday’s mishnah are the amount of oil for a bull, four are a 1/3 of a hin and three are ¼ of a hin, as we leaned in yesterday’s mishnah.

אין לה אלא לוגה – one LOG for every sixty Issarons. But the Halakah is not according to Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov (see also Tractate Menahot, Chapter 12, Mishnah 4).

Three logs and a half for the menorah, a half-log for each lamp. The menorah required a total of 3.5 logs, half of a log for each lamp. (I might suggest that if you enjoyed this mishnah, you could make a song out of it for Pesah. Who knows a quarter-log? I know a quarter-log!).

ששה לוגים לפר – that is one-half of a Hin, as it is written (Numbers 15:9): “[three-tenths of a measure of choice flour] with half of a hin of oil mixed in.” And four Issaron for the ram, that is one-third of a Hin. And three Issaron for the lamb, that is one-quarter of a Hin, for the Hin is twelve LOG.

מחצי לוג לכל נר – that he must put in it its measure that it would continue burning from evening until morning, and the Sages estimated one and one-half LOG oil for the lengthy nights of the season of Tevet. And similarly, he would place in each candle on each night. But if it went out, that wick and the oil became disqualified from lighting with them further, but rather, he removes them and puts in another LOG of oil and a new wick and he kindles it.

מערבין נסכי פרים – the meal-offering of libations of the bull with the meal-offering of the libations of the ram. Because the mixing of both of them is equivalent, two LOGS for an Issaron, for it is taught in the Mishnah (Chapter 9, Mishnah 3 of Tractate Menahot): “six LOG for the bullock,” and choice flour of three Esronim that would be for them as it is written (Numbers 15:9): “there shall be offered as a grain offering along with the animal: three-tenths of a measure of choice flour with half a hin of oil mixed in,” which is six LOG. And for the ram, four LOGIM and choice flour of two Esronim.

One may mix the drink-offerings of bulls with the drink-offerings of rams, or the drink-offerings of lambs with the drink-offerings of other lambs, or those of an individual offering with those of a communal offering, or those of [an offering offered] today with those of [an offering offered] yesterday; The principle here is that the ratio of grain to oil in the minhah offered with bulls is the same as that of the lambs. When it comes to bulls there are six logs of oil for three-tenths of grain, two logs per tenth. With rams it is four logs of oil for two-tenths, so the ratio is the same. Therefore if they are mixed up together, the drink-offerings (grain and oil) are still valid. So too with all of the other offerings listed in this section, as long as the ratio is the same, they are all valid.

נכסי כבשים – three LOGS for the Issaron, as it is written (Numbers 29:4): “and one-tenth for each [of the seven lambs],” and it is written (Exodus 29:40): “[there shall be a tenth of a measure of choice flour] with a quarter of a hin of beaten oil mixed in,” which are three LOGS.

But one may not mix the drink-offerings of lambs with the drink-offerings of bulls or of rams. The ratio of the grain and oil for a lamb is three logs for a tenth, so these drink-offerings cannot be mixed together with those of bulls or rams.

ושל היום בשל אמש – if he brought yesterday’s sacrifice without libations. For we hold that a person who brings his sacrifice today and his libations from now until ten days hence. But if he brought today one sacrifice and two libations with him, one for himself and one for yesterday, they mixed them together if the sacrifices are equivalent, that both were lambs or rams [or bulls] or a bull and a ram.

If they mixed these on their own, and they mixed these on their own, and then they were mixed, they are valid. But if before each was mixed by itself [they were mixed together], they are invalid. However, if one first mixes the oil and grain for each offering on its own, and then they become mixed up, they are still valid, and one can offer them on the altar. If the different drink-offerings were first mixed up together before the oil and grain of each offering was mixed up on its own, then they are invalid.

אבל אין מערבים נסכי כבשים בנסכי פרים ואילים – because the meal-offering of the bull and the ram is dried up/destroyed in connection with the lambs and it absorbs from it, and it is found that the lamb is less and that one is greater.

Although the minhah of the lamb that was offered with the omer was doubled, its drink-offerings were not doubled. The grain for the minhah that accompanies the lamb that is sacrificed with the omer is double the normal amount (Leviticus 23:13). Normally, there is one-tenth for a lamb, but this lamb is accompanied by two-tenths of grain. Nevertheless, the drink-offerings, meaning the wine and oil, were the same, three logs of oil and three logs of wine, the same as they always are for a lamb.

ואם בללן – that already the commandment of their oil has gone.

כשרות – according to the Rabbis who dispute with Rabbi Yehuda in the chapter, the Great Handful in Tractate Menahot (Chapter 3, Mishnah 2) and they state that what is burned that became mixed with that which is became combined with something mixed can be sacrificed.

ואם עד שלא בללן – when they were combined.

פסולות – for we require that wherever [from the proportions and properties of the mixture a perfect fusion is possible/appropriate, but it is lacking, for it is missing that of the extra lamb and ram.

אע"פ שמנחתו כפולה – as it is written in [the Torah portion of] “Speak to the Kohanim”/Emor (Leviticus 23:13): “The grain offering with it shall be two-tenths of a measure of choice flour with oil mixed in.”

שהיה גודשה בתוכה – when there was an instrument for levelling a measure of grain/ a strike, it would hold like the rest a heaped up Issaron. But our Mishnah is according to Rabbi Meir who stated at the beginning of the chapter (Mishnah 1) that was an Issaron and an Issaron (i.e., two different forms of the Issaron) in the Temple, one that was leveled and one that was heaped. But the Halakha is not according to him.

All the measures in the Temple were heaped except [that used for] the high priest's [minhah] which included in itself the heaped amount. The measuring vessels used in the Temple were filled up until they were overflowing. The one exception was the measuring vessel used for the high priest’s griddle cakes, which was large enough to contain without overflowing the amount that it would have contained had it actually been overflowing. We should note that this matches Rabbi Meir’s opinion in mishnah one there were three dry-measuring vessels in the Temple, one that contained a tenth and one that contained a tenth and its overflow.

בירוציהן – their heaping, for the moist also has a bit of a heaping.

The overflow of the liquid-measures was holy, but the overflow of the dry-measures was not holy. Rabbi Akiva says: the liquid-measuring vessels were holy, therefore their overflow was holy too; the dry-measuring vessels were not holy, therefore their overflow was not holy. Rabbi Yose says: it is not for that reason, but because liquids are stirred up and dry-stuffs are not. When vessels are overflowing, the obvious question then becomes, what do we do with the overflow? The mishnah states that the overflow of liquid, meaning wine and oil, is holy and must be treated as such, whereas the overflow of the dry-measures, the grain, is not holy. Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yose disagree as to why the liquid is holy and the grain is not. Rabbi Akiva says that the liquid-measuring vessels were anointed with anointing oil, and thereby became holy. This made anything that was inside them holy as well. The dry-measuring vessels were not anointed, and therefore their overflow was not holy. Rabbi Yose agrees with the halakhah but disagrees with Rabbi Akiva’s reasoning. The liquid overflow is holy because the liquid that overflows was actually at one point in the vessel. There are various different versions of the Hebrew word that I have translated as “stirred up” but they all imply the same thing since the oil or wine was actually in the vessel, it is sanctified. In contrast, the dry overflow was never in the vessel, just on top of it. Therefore it is not holy.

מדות הלח בירוציהן קדש ומדות היבש בירוציהן חול – in the Gemara (Tractate Menahot 90a) it explains that this Tanna held that the measurements of that which is liquid were anointed whether from the inside or from the outside, therefore the rim of the utensil sanctifies them to be heaped up. The measurements of that which is dry were anointed from inside, but were not anointed from the outside, therefore their heaping did not touch from the inside in the place of their measurement it was not sanctified.

ר"ע אומר מדת הלח קודש – since he holds that the liquid measurements are anointed whether from the inside or whether from the outside.

מדות היבש חול – they were not anointed at all. However, what they measured of them was sanctified by the sanctify of the mouth (i.e., through the speech of mankind), but what did a person need anointing by mouth? When heaped up, he did not sanctify them for they did not require it.

רבי יוסי אומר לא משום זה – Rabbi Yosi held that both these and those (i.e., dry and liquid) were anointed from the inside but they were not anointed from the outside. But here is the reason, because the liquid is stirred up, that which is on the rim at the bottom of the vessel when they add to it is stirred and combined and mixed and goes up from above, and it is found that that which is heaped has already been sanctified within the utensil.

והיבש אינו נעכר – but rather it stands in its place, therefore, what is inside is holy and that which is outside is not holy.

חוץ מן הבכור והמעשר והפסח והחטאת והאשם – because it is written in the [Torah] portion of the libations (Numbers 15:3): “[and would present an offering by fire to the LORD from the herd or from the flock, be it a burnt-offering or sacrifice,] in fulfillment of a vow explicitly uttered, or as a freewill offering,” when it comes in the form of a vow or a freewill offering it requires libations, excluding the firstling and the tithe and the Passover offering and the sin-offering and guilt-offering that come as an obligation, not for a freewill offering, for they don’t require libations. One is even able [to bring] obligatory offerings that come on account of the Festival - on the Festival, as for example, the burnt offerings of appearance in the Temple/pilgrimage and the peace-offerings of the Festival do they would not require libations, the inference teaches us “or at your fixed occasions” (Numbers 15:3), anyone who comes on your fixed occasions is required to bring libations. But the goats of sin-offerings that come as a requirement for the Festival do not require libations, as it is written in the [Torah] portion of libations (Numbers 15:8): “And if it is an animal from the herd that you offer to the LORD as a burnt offering or as a sacrifice,” an animal from the herd was included, within the rule of (Numbers 15:3): “and would present an offering by fire to the LORD from the herd or from the flock,” that implies that all offerings by fire require libations except for [fire-offerings] that he (i.e., God) excluded, and why was it excluded? To make an analogy to it, that just as an animal from the herd is unique that comes as a vow or as a freewill offering, so also everything that comes as a vow or as a freewill offering, excluding the goats of the Festivals that come as sin-offerings, for the sin-offering does not come as a vow or as a freewill offering, for they don’t require libations (see Tractate Menahot 90b).

All the offerings of the congregation and of the individual require libations except the first-born animal, the cattle tithe of cattle, the pesah, the hatat and the asham; But the hatat and the asham of the one with skin disease do require libations.
This mishnah teaches that most sacrifices must be accompanied by the libations of wine, grain and oil that are mentioned in Numbers 15.
Numbers 15 states, “When you enter the land that I am giving you to settle in and would present an offering by fire to the Lord from the herd or the flock, be it burnt offering or sacrifice, in fulfillment of a vow explicitly uttered, or as a freewill offering or at your fixed occasions…” The chapter then goes on to list how much wine, oil and grain must accompany each sacrifice.
From here the rabbis derive that freewill offerings such as the olah, the shelamim and the todah require libations. So too do the communal offerings offered on the festivals. However, mandated offerings, such as the first-born, the tithe, the pesah, the hatat (sin-offering) and the asham (guilt-offering) do not need to be accompanied by oil, wine and grain.
The two exceptions are the hatat and the asham offerings brought by a person with skin disease. Leviticus 14:10 explicitly states, “On the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish, three-tenths of a measure of choice flour with oil mixed in for a meal offering, and one log of oil.” One of these lambs is a guilt offering and one is a sin-offering.

חטאתו ואשמו של מצורע טעונים נסכים – because they do not come for a sin-offering like other sin-offerings and guilt-offerings. For the sin-offering of a Nazirite does not require libations because the Nazirite [himself] is a sinner, as it is written (Numbers 6:11): “and make expiation for the guilt on his behalf for the guilt he incurred/מאשר חטא על –הנפש” – because he denied/restrained himself from the enjoyment of wine.

פר הבא על כל המצות – on one of all of the commandments, as for example, the Jewish court/Bet Din errantly ruled that forbidden fat is permitted, and this is bull brought for an unwitting communal sin [because of an active unwitting transgression committed by the Jewish people, as a result of an erroneous halakhic decision handed down by the Great Sanhedrin], that is in Scripture, and placing of the hands [on the head of the animal] is written concerning it (Leviticus 4:15): “The elders of the community shall lay their hands upon the head of the bull” and three from the elders of the Jewish court would lay their hands [upon the head of the bull].

Introduction For some sacrifices the person offering the sacrifice must lay his hands on the sacrifice before it is slaughtered. Our mishnah teaches which sacrifices require the laying on of the hands and which do not.

ושעיר המשתלח – to Azazel, as it is written concerning it (Leviticus 16:21): “Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat [and confess over it all the iniquities and transgressions of the Israelites].”

None of the communal offerings require the laying on of hands except the bull that is offered for [the transgression by the congregation] of any of the commandments, and the scapegoat. Almost all public sacrifices do not require the laying on of the hands. There are two exceptions to this rule. The first is the bull that is offered if the entire congregation of Israel sins. This is stated explicitly in Leviticus 4:15, “And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bull.” The other exception is the scapegoat sent to Azazel on Yom Kippur. Leviticus 16:21 states, “And Aaron shall lay his hands upon the head of the goat.”

שעירי עבודה זרה – as it is written in the [Torah] portion of Shelah Lekha (Numbers 15:22): “If you unwittingly fail [to observe any one of the commandments that the LORD has declared to Moses.” But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Shimon.

Rabbi Shimon says: also the he-goat offered for [the sin] of idol worship. Rabbi Shimon adds that also the he-goat offered for idol worship requires the laying on of the hands. This he-goat is mentioned along with the bull in Numbers 15:24. Since the bull requires the laying on of hands, so too does the goat.

כל קרבנות היחיד טעונים סמיכה – for the essence of the laying of the hands [on the head] of an individual sacrifice is written (Leviticus 3:2): “He shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering [and slaughter it at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting].”

All the offerings of an individual require the laying on of hands except the first-born, the cattle tithe, and the pesah. Offerings brought by an individual, be they mandatory sacrifices such as the hatat and asham or voluntary ones such as the shelamim or todah, do require the laying on of the hands. The three exceptions are the first-born, the tithe and the pesah, three sacrifices that are often considered exceptional.

היורש סומך – if his father had offered a freewill offering with a sacrifice of a burnt offering or a peace-offering and died, his son places his hands upon it.

And an heir may lay his hands [on his father’s offering], and he may bring the libations for it, and can substitute [another animal for it]. If someone’s father dies before his sacrifice can be offered, the heir can lay his hands on the sacrifice in place of the father. He may also bring the libations (wine, grain and oil) if his father had not yet brought them. He also has the ability to substitute another animal for his father’s sacrifice, although as we will learn, the effect of this is to make both animals sacred. There is an entire tractate on this later in Seder Kodashim.

ומביא נסכים – of he sacrifice.

וממיר – if he made a substitution of another animal, his exchange takes effect upon it and both of them are holy, it is as if his father substituted it.

חוץ מחרש שוטה וקטן – because they lack knowledge.

Introduction Today’s mishnah continues to teach laws regarding the laying of the hands on the sacrifice.

סומא – as it is written regarding the bull for an unwitting communal sin (Leviticus 4:15): “The elders of the community shall lay their hands [upon the head of the bull],” and they are the Great Sanhedrin, but in the Sanhedrin there was not among them anyone who was blind, as it is proved in Tractate Sanhedrin [36b], and the same law applies for the rest of the laying of the hands that a blind person is not able is not able to lay his hands [upon the head of the bull].

All lay hands on the offering except a deaf-mute, an imbecile, a minor, a blind man, a gentile, a slave, an agent, or a woman. Everyone who brings a sacrifice is required to lay his hands on the animal with the following exceptions. 1) The deaf-mute, imbecile and minor. These three categories of people are all assumed not to have “da’at”, awareness of the consequences or meaning of their actions. 2) A blind man. Perhaps he was excluded because he couldn’t see what he was doing. 3) A gentile. This is derived from Leviticus 1:2 which begins, “Speak to the children of Israel.” From here the rabbis derive that the laws in this chapter (and elsewhere) refer to Israelites and not Gentiles. 4) A slave is in the same category, for this matter, as a Gentile. 5) An agent the owner himself, or his heir, must lay his hands on the animal. One cannot appoint another to do so in his stead. 5) A woman this is also derived from the verse “the children of Israel” which can be translated “the sons of Israel.” A woman can bring a sacrifice and will often be obligated to do so, but she does not have to lay her hands on it.

ונכרי – as it is written (Leviticus 1:2): “Speak to the Israelite people,” the Israelite people lay their hands, but the heathens do not lay their hands [upon the head of a sacrifice].

The laying on of hands is outside the commandment. The laying on of the hands is not part of the commandment, such that if one doesn’t lay on his hands, the sacrifice is invalid.

והעבד והשליח – as it is written (Leviticus 1:4): “He shall lay his hand [upon the head of the burnt offering, that it may be acceptable in his behalf], but not the hand of his servant and not the hand of his agent.

[One must lay] the hands: On the head of the animal, Both hands In the place where one lays on the hands there the animal must be slaughtered; And the slaughtering must immediately follow the laying on of hands. This section provides various instructions as to how the laying on of the hands must be performed. Both hands are placed on the animal’s head (see Leviticus 16:21). The laying on of the hands is done in the Temple court, the same place where the animal is slaughtered. And it is performed right before the animal is slaughtered.

והאשה – the children (i.e., male) of Israel lay their hands [upon the head of the sacrifice], but the daughters of Israel do not lay their hands [upon the head of the sacrifice].

וסמיכה שיירי מצוה – that it is not indispensable for atonement, but however, Scripture considers it for him as if he did not attain expiation.

בשתי ידים – as it is written concerning the scapegoat (Leviticus 16:21): “Aaron shall lay both his hands [upon the head of the live goat],” and this is an analogy for all the laying of the hands that it shall be with both (i.e., the two) hands.

ובמקום שסומכים שוחטים – that if he lay his hands [upon the head of the sacrifice] outside of the Temple courtyard and he returns and lays his hands in the Temple courtyard in the place of the ritual slaughter.

ותיכף לסמיכה שחיטה – as it is written (Leviticus 1:4-5): “He shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt offering….the bull shall be slaughtered before the LORD.”

שאחד מניף לכל החברים – that associated together to make one freewill sacrifice. For all of he the freewill sacrifices one can bring in partnerships, and one waves on behalf of everyone, but all of them together are not able to wave for that would be an interposition/obstruction between the hand of this one and the sacrifice. But the Kohen places his hand underneath the owners and waves and hand of the owners would be an obstruction/interposition, it does not matter to us, for the essence of the waving is by the owners.

Introduction This mishnah compares the rules regarding the laying on of the hands with the rules regarding waving certain sacrifices. It is set up in typical mishnaic fashion, noting that sometimes the rules regarding one action are more stringent than the others, while at other times, the reverse is true.

בקרבנות היחיד – as for example, the breast and the thigh of peace-offerings.

Laying on of hands is [in certain respects] more stringent than waving and waving is [in other respects] more stringent than laying on of hands. This section introduces the rest of the mishnah.

ובקרבנות צבור – the lambs of Atzeret/Shavuot which require waving while alive and when slaughtered.

For one may perform the waving on behalf of all the others, but one may not perform the laying on of hands on behalf of all the others. This section explains how the rules regarding laying on of hands are more stringent than those governing the waving of the offering. If several people jointly bring a voluntary offering, then one can wave the offering on behalf of the whole group. In contrast, when it comes to the laying on of the hands, each person who shares in ownership of the offering must lay on his hands. We might conceive of this as the difference between something that must be done to the sacrifice (waving) and therefore one can perform it on behalf of all, versus an action that the owner must perform, and therefore, each individual owner must perform it.

בדבר שיש בו רוח חיים – the sacrifice of an animal.

Waving is more stringent, for waving takes place for offerings of the individual and for offerings of the community, for living animals and for slaughtered animals, and for things that have life and for things that do not have life; but it is not so with laying on of the hands. There are several aspects of waving that are more stringent, or put another way, more broadly applied, than they are for laying on of the hands. Waving is more stringent than laying on of the hands because waving is done with both individual and communal sacrifices (see above 5:6-7) whereas laying on of hands is performed almost exclusively with individual sacrifices (see yesterday’s mishnah). The waving is done on both living and already slaughtered animals and sometimes it is done with grain offerings, such as the omer minhah or the sotah’s minhah. Laying on of the hands is performed only on live animals and not on grain offerings.

ובדבר שאין בו רוח חיים – as for example, the bread of thanksgiving offerings and the Nazirite offering.