פירוש על מנחות 4:4

התמידים אינן מעכבין את המוספין – In the Gemara (Tractate Menahot 49a) it explains that concerning the matter of precedence it is stated, and they do not impair each other. For if he requires daily whole offerings, he offers them first and if he requires Musaf/Additional offerings, he offers them first, but even though it is written (Leviticus 6:5): “[every morning the priest shall feed wood to it,] lay out the burnt offering on it [and turn into smoke the fat parts of the offerings of well-being],” and this implies that the burnt-offering, that is, the burnt-offering of the daily whole offering will be the first of all of the sacrifice, but this is not other than a mere commandment but it does not impair [the others].

The [absence of the] daily offerings ( does not invalidate the additional offerings (, neither does [the absence of] the additional offerings invalidate the daily offerings, neither does the absence of [one of the] additional offerings invalidate the other additional offerings. Every day there are two daily offerings, called the “tamidin” one in the morning and one towards evening. On holidays and Shabbat there are additional offerings, called “musafin” (this is where the word musaf of the musaf service comes from). These sacrifices do not affect one another, so if one of them is not offered for whatever reason, the others can still be offered validly.

אמר רבי שמעון אימתי כו' – In the Gemara (Tractate Menahot 50a) it explains that the Mishnah is deficient and it should be read as follows: if they did not offer up a lamb in the morning, he should not offer it up at eventide. When is this said? When the altar was not dedicated, but if the altar was dedicated, he can offer it up at eventide. Rabbi Shimon stated: Under what circumstances? When they subject to constraint or in error, but if they deliberately did not offer a lamb in the morning, they should not offer it at eventide. And this is its explanation: if they did not offer the daily whole offering of the morning, they should not offer the daily whole offering of the eventide, and this is a rabbinic expounding of Scripture, if (Numbers 28:4): “you shall offer one lamb in the morning, [and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight],” the second was pronounced fit to be offered at eventide, but if not, you don’t. Under what circumstances? When the altar was not dedicated, for this Biblical verse is written concerning the dedication of the altar in the Torah portion of “You (i.e., Moses) shall command”/Tetzaveh, as it is written above it (Exodus 29:38): “Now this is what you shall offer upon the altar: [two yearling lambs each day, regularly],” But if the altar was dedicated, that he had already offered upon it sacrifices, even if he did not offer the daily whole offering of the morning, he may offer the daily whole offering of the eventide, as it is written in the Torah portion of Pinhas (Numbers 28:8): “The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, preparing the same grain offering and libation as in the morning,” but in this Biblical verse, it is not written (see Numbers 28:4): “you shall offer one lamb in the morning,” and it is taught in [Midrash] Sifrei [B’midbar]: this verse, why is it mentioned? Wasn’t it already mentioned above in the portion (verse 4): “and the other lamb you shall offer it [at twilight]?” Because it states with it, “you shall offer one lamb in the morning,” behold that he did not offer up the one for the morning, I hear that he did not offer it up at twilight, the inference teaches us the latter verse (Numbers 28:8): “The other lamb you shall offer at twilight,” but if they deliberately [did not offer the lamb in the morning], he should not offer it at twilight, those who act deliberately, but other Kohanim are able to offer it.

Even though they did not offer the [tamid] lamb in the morning they must offer [the lamb] towards evening. The mishnah now deals with the two tamid offerings, and whether the absence of the first of them invalidates the other. According to the first opinion, it does not, and therefore if they don’t offer the lamb of the tamid in the morning, they can still offer the lamb towards evening.

לא הקטירו קטורת בבוקר יקטירו בין הערבים – that the incense is not found/on hand with one person, he should offer up the incense many times like that of a burnt offering, as we stated in [Tractate] Yoma [26a], that a person who did not ever engage with it repeatedly because it makes a person wealthy, as it is written (Deuteronomy 33:10): “They shall offer You incense to savor [and whole-offerings on Your altar],” and near it (verse 11), “Bless, O LORD, his substance,” therefore, we don’t fine them, since it is beloved for them and they do not willfully sin regarding it, and it is not found that those who sin deliberately will leave

Rabbi Shimon said: When is this so? Only when they had acted under constraint or in error, but if they acted deliberately and did not offer the lamb in the morning they may not offer [the lamb] towards evening. Rabbi Shimon qualifies the previous opinion. If they didn’t offer the tamid in the morning because they could not, or due to some error, then they can offer the tamid in the evening. However, if they intentionally don’t offer it in the morning, then they are penalized and they can’t offer the other lamb in the evening.

שאין מחנכים את מזבח הזהב אלא בקטורת הסמים – at twilight/eventide, as it is written (Exodus 30:7): “he shall burn it every morning when he tends the lamps,” meaning to say, that when he cleans the Menorah from the ashes that are there from the kindling of the candles. But if he did not do the candle lighting in the evening, why does he need to repair it in the morning, so we see that the dedication of the Menorah is at twilight. And since the Menorah was dedicated in the evening, the incense is also dedicated in the evening, as it is written (Exodus 30:8): “And Aaron shall burn it at twilight when he lights the lamps, [- a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout the ages].”

If they did not burn the incense in the morning they burn it towards evening. Incense was burned on the golden altar twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening (see Exodus 30:7-8). If they did not burn it in the morning, they may still offer burn the evening incense. This opinion is a continuation of the opinion found in section two above.

Rabbi Shimon said: all of it was burned towards evening. Rabbi Shimon says that if they didn’t burn the incense in the morning, in the evening they should burn all of the incense, both the evening incense and the incense that should have been burned in the morning.

For the golden altar was dedicated only by the incense of spices. And the altar for the olah by the daily offering of the morning, And the table only by the showbread on Shabbat, And the menorah only by [the kindling of] seven lamps towards evening. This section is actually the explanation for the opinion of the sages found in section four. The reason that the evening incense must be offered even if the morning incense was not offered is that the dedication of the altar was done by burning the evening incense. When it comes to the altar for the olah, meaning the altar that stood in the courtyard, it was dedicated by the morning tamid offering. Thus, if the altar had not yet been dedicated, and the morning tamid was not offered on it, they could not offer on it the evening tamid. The mishnah also notes that the dedication of the table that stood in the courtyard was done by placing on it the Sabbath showbread. The menorah was dedicated when it was lit in the evening.