פירוש על מנחות 5:4

וחייב על השמן – if he placed upon the meal-offering for a sinner or on the meal/grain-offering of jealousy.

Introduction This mishnah deals with the consequences of adding oil or frankincense to a minhah that did not require it.

נתן כלי – which contains oil.

One is liable for the oil on its own and for the frankincense on its own. If one adds oil and frankincense to a sinner’s minhah or to a minhah of jealousy, neither of which require either oil or frankincense, he has transgressed two negative commandments, for with regard to both of these the Torah specifically says not to place either oil or frankincense. Each is its own separate prohibition.

על גבי כלי – of the meal/grain-offering of the sinner.

If he put in oil, he has rendered it invalid, but if frankincense, he can remove it. If he put oil into a minhah that does not require oil, the minhah is invalid, and there is nothing he can do to remedy it. However, if he puts frankincense in, he can simply pick out the frankincense and the minhah will remain valid.

לא פסלה – and we don’t say that behold he transgressed on what is written in the Torah (Leviticus 5:11): “he shall not add oil to it [or lay frankincense to it],” for the Torah did not warn other than that he should not place the oil into the fine-flour or into the flour.

If he put oil on the remainder, he has not transgressed a negative commandment. If he put oil on the part of the minhah eaten by the priests, the “remainder”, then he has not transgressed the prohibition and the part offered on the altar remains valid.

If he put one vessel above the other vessel, he has not rendered it invalid. If he put a vessel that has in it oil or frankincense on top of a vessel that has in it the minhah, he has not transgressed or rendered the minhah invalid because the vessels separate the substances.