Menachot 61: Waving and Bringing Near, the Place of Women

In a new Mishna we learn that some items require waving but do not require bringing near the altar:

• the log of oil accompanying the guilt offering of a recovered leper and his guilt offering
• the first fruits
• the sacrificial portions of the peace offerings of people and their breast and thigh

Men and women via male Jews are expected to follow these guidelines.

The two loaves and peace offering of two lambs brought on Shavuot do not require bringing near but do require waving.

The Mishna teaches about how the waving is done:

• two loaves are place on top of the two lambs
• two hands are below the loaves and the lambs, offering them in each of the four directions, bringing them back and then raising and lowering them
• this is done on the east part of the altar
• bringing near meal offerings is performed to the west; the southwest corner of the altar
• waving precede the actions of bringing near

The Mishna goes on to teach about the omer meal offering and the meal offering of jealousy brought by a sota require bringing near and waving.  Numbers (5:25) notes that the woman accused as a sota has the offering taken from her and waved by the priest.  The shewbread and meal offering of libations require no bringing near nor waving.

Rabbi Shimon says that three types of offerings require the performance of three mitzvot.  Peace offerings brought as gift offerings by an individual, communal peace offerings, and the guilt offering of a leper. There is no obligation to wave live offerings when they are peace offerings brought by individuals who place their  hands on the animals' heads and wave them when they are slaughtered.  Communal peace offerings require waving both live and slaughtered animals but hands are not placed on their heads.  Finally, the guilt offering of a leper requires playing hands and waving while the animal is still alive but one need not wave it after it has been slaughtered.

The Gemara looks at each section of this Mishna is great detail.  Of interest is the rabbinical discussion of women's rights when it comes to waving.  Women are permitted to wave in some offerings but not in others.  In many offerings - particularly those detailed in today's daf - women are completely cut out of the process.  They bring the offering and then hand it off to their husband, a male relative, or a priest.  This continual reminder of the place of women when it comes to the practice of religious ritual encourages us to believe that women are not capable of religious leadership in all areas.