Menachot 86: Grades of Oil by Quality

Before introducing two new Mishnayot, today's daf reminds us about the qualities and uses of oil of myrrh.  This oil, produced from the oil of olives that have not yet reached one third of their growth, was used both as a perfume and as a depilatory.  Women spread this on their skin for its hair removal properties and its perfume.  Oil of myrrh was never fit for sacrifice. A vessel gathers the oil, and the olives are placed around the basket to ensure that the best olive oil is gather.

Three annual harvests of olives each year.  The first new Mishna tells us about the first harvest: ripe olives are picked from the top of the tree as they ripen first. They are crushed with a mortar and placed in a many-hooded wicker basket.  The second grade of oil comes from olives picked from the roof - these olives ripen next.  All oil is gathered when a wooden beam or possibly stones pressed on the olives once their oil stops seeping on its own.  Finally, the olives are ground with a millstone and pressed down upon with a beam of wood.  The third olives are collected from what remains on the trees. They are dried on the rooftop and then processed like the other olives.  The first grade oil is used to light the candelabrum in the Temple.  The rest is fit for use in meal offerings.  

The second Mishna in today's daf ranks all nine grades of oils by quality, from highest to lowest:

• First grade of oil from first harvest
• second grade of oil from first harvest AND/OR first grade of oil from the second harvest
• third grade of oil from first harvest AND/OR second grade of oil from the third harvest
• third grade of oil produced from the third harvest

But wouldn't meal offerings require the highest quality of refined olive oil?  After all, oil that is consumed on the altar would be as important as the oil burned away from the altar in the candelabrum.  The rabbis turn to the interpretation of an instruction in Leviticus (24:2), "Refined pounded olive oil for illumination".  This is said to mean that refined, pounded oil is required only for the Candelabrum.