Il y a une rigueur concernant l'imposition des mains, c'est-à-dire supérieure à celle concernant les agitations [parties d'une offrande] et [une rigueur] concernant l'agitation qui est plus grande que l'imposition des mains. Car un individu peut agiter au nom de tous les autres, mais un individu ne peut pas imposer la main au nom de tous les autres. Et il y a une rigueur concernant les agitations, car les agitations ont lieu pour les offrandes de l'individu et pour les offrandes de la communauté, pour les animaux vivants et pour les animaux abattus, et pour les choses qui ont une âme vivante et pour les choses qui n'ont pas d'âme vivante. [c.-à-d. offrandes de céréales]; mais il n'en est pas de même de l'imposition des mains.
Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
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.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot
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.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
בקרבנות היחיד – as for example, the breast and the thigh of peace-offerings.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot
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.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
ובקרבנות צבור – the lambs of Atzeret/Shavuot which require waving while alive and when slaughtered.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot
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.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
בדבר שיש בו רוח חיים – the sacrifice of an animal.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot
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.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Menachot
ובדבר שאין בו רוח חיים – as for example, the bread of thanksgiving offerings and the Nazirite offering.
