Commentaire sur Menachot 6:3

הנעשות בכלי – as for example, the meal-offering prepared in a deep pan [in a container full of oil] and a meal-offering prepared by frying on a flat pan which are made in a utensil.

Introduction This mishnah teaches how the oil was put into the minhah.

טעונות שלש מתנות שמן – to exclude that meal-offering which is baked in an oven that does not require pouring [of oil].

All menahot that are prepared in a vessel require three applications of oil: pouring, mixing and putting oil in the vessel, before they are completed. The menahot that are prepared in a vessel are those prepared in a pan or a griddle. These menahot had oil put in them on three occasions. First some oil was poured into the vessel, and then he would pour the flour into the vessel. Then he would pour more oil onto the flour and mix it all together. Then he would add in lukewarm water, knead the flour into dough and bake ten loaves. After they were baked he would break them into pieces and pour more oil onto the pieces. Note that the mishnah is in backwards order first they would put oil in the vessel, then they would mix it in with the flour, and the pouring only came at the very end.

ומתן שמן בכלי קודם לעשייתן – first he places the oil in a service/sacred vessel and places fine flour on top of it, as it is written regarding the meal-offering prepared in a deep pan (Leviticus 2:7): “[If your offering is a grain offering in a pan,] it shall be made of choice flour in oil,” that is to say, that it shall be placed, so we see that it requires the placing of oil prior to its being made, and regarding the meal-offering prepared by frying on a flat pan, it is written (Leviticus 2:5-6): “[If your offering is a grain offering on a griddle,] it shall be of choice flour with oil mixed in, unleavened. Break it into bits and pour oil on it;” mixing and pouring is written, but putting oil in a utensil first is not written regarding it, but with a meal-offering prepared in a deep pan [in a container full of oil], that oil is placed in it but pouring and mixing/stirring is not written, and we learn this from that, it is stated, קרבנך/your offering (Leviticus 2:7) with the meal-offering prepared in a deep pan [in a container full of oil] and it is stated קרבנך/your offering (Leviticus 2:5) with the meal-offering prepared by frying on a flat pan/griddle , and how does he make it? He places oil first in the sacred vessel and places upon it the choice flour, [and he returns] and puts upon it oil and mixes/stirs it, behold there is the placing of oil in a utensil and mixing/stirring, and he kneads it with water and bakes it in an oven and crumbles it and pours oil upon it after crumbling/breaking it into pieces, and this is the pouring of the oil, behold three of them, and he grabs a handful and offers up the handful in smoke and the rest is consumed by the Kohanim.

The [baked] cakes were mixed [with oil], the words of Rabbi [Judah Ha-Nasi]. But the sages say: the fine flour [was mixed with oil]. Rabbi Judah Hanasi disagrees with the rabbis as to when the mixing occurs. According to the Rabbi, the mixing occurs after the cakes have been baked. He then breaks them into pieces and mixes them up with oil. The other sages say that the mixing occurs when the minhah is still flour, before it has been kneaded and baked, as we explained above.

והחלות בוללן דברי רבי – now we are speaking of the meal-offerings baked in an oven which produces loaves or wafers, and it is written concerning it (Leviticus 2:4): “[When you present an offering of grain baked in the oven] it shall be of choice flour: unleavened cakes with oil mixed in,[or unleavened wafers spread with oil].” Rabbi [Judah the Prince] holds that loaves mixed with oil is written, and he mixes them when they are loaves. But the Rabbis hold that mixed/stirred choice flour is written, teaching us that it is mixed/stirred when it is choice flour. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.

The loaves were mixed and the wafers anointed. How did he anoint them? In the form of a “chi.” As explained above, the oil was mixed into the loaves, according to the sages when they were still flour, and according to Rabbi when they were already baked. If the minhah came in the form of wafers, the procedure was slightly different. Here they would anoint the wafers after they were baked by making an X over them. The letter “chi” in Greek is written as an X. [The Greeks would probably prefer that we say that the letter “ex” in English is written as a chi.]

חלות טעונות בלילה והרקיקים משוחים – as it is written (Leviticus 2:4): “unleavened cakes with oil mixed in,” but wafers do not have it (i.e., oil) mixed in. wafters are spread with oil, but unleavened cakes are not spread with oil.

And the rest of the oil was eaten by the priests. Whatever was left over from the oil could be eaten by the priests.

כיצד מושחן כמין כי – Greek (in the form of an X) – our letter ט' – like the separation of the thumb [of the left hand] from the fingers [like this C].