Thursday 1 November 2018

Menachot 83: The Choicest Crops - From Where?

Today's daf considers the grain, oil and wine brought in meal offerings and in libations.  The rabbis wish to determine whether they must originate in ha'aretz or whether they can be imported from elsewhere.

A first Mishna teaches:

  • the omer offering, the two loaves at the end of the barley harvest at Pesach and wheat harvest on Shavuot must originate in Israeli grown produce
  • all other offerings can originate anywhere
  • all of the ingredients bus come from the choice production of the harvest
  • solet, fine wheat flour, comes from Machinis or Zatecha as a first choice
  • Aforayim would be the second choice origin of solet
Tosafot question the source of the requirement for the most choice produce.  If we know that choice materials are brought to the Torah, that would be assumed as a basic requirement.  We would be allowed the choices materials from other countries as well.  The second Mishna suggests that second choice crops might be acceptable.  






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