Menachot 108: When in Doubt, Offer the Smallest or the Largest

A new case in today's Mishna: if one says that s/he will bring one if her/his lambs or oxen as a sacrifice, s/he should bring the larger and more valuable lamb or ox should be brought.  The Gemara teaches that we should assume people offer sacrifices from a place of generosity.  

The acharonim wonder how this connects with yesterday's Gemara, where a standard statement should refer to the smallest of that category.  Thus if one says, "I accept upon myself to bring a burnt offering", one should bring a lamb which is the least expensive offering.  If the principal is to offer the most expensive animal, how do we reconcile this difference?

A second Mishna teaches us that the middle-sized animal is consecrated if one states that s/he will consecrate one of his/her three lambs or bulls.  If one says "I specified the lamb or bull that I will consecrate but I do not know which animal I specified", or "My father told me that he consecrated one of the lambs or bulls before his death but I do not know which",  the largest of the animals is consecrated.

What we assume is "standard can say a great deal about who we are.  If we give the "best" to the altar, we are both respecting G-d and we are ignoring humility and respecting the limitations of poverty.