ויקרא ו׳:ז׳-י״א

וזאת תורת המנחה. תּוֹרָה אַחַת לְכֻלָּן — לְהַטְעִינָן שֶׁמֶן וּלְבוֹנָה הָאֲמוּרִין בָּעִנְיָן, שֶׁיָּכוֹל אֵין לִי טְעוּנוֹת שֶׁמֶן וּלְבוֹנָה אֶלָּא מִנְחַת יִשְֹרָאֵל שֶׁהִיא נִקְמֶצֶת, מִנְחַת כֹּהֲנִים שֶׁהִיא כָּלִיל מִנַּיִן? תַּ"ל תּוֹרַת (ספרא):

וזאת תורת המנחה AND THIS IS THE LAW OF THE MEAL OFFERING — one law for all meal-offerings (cf. Rashi on v. 2) — making requisite for them “oil” and “frankincense” which are prescribed in the previous section (Leviticus 2:1). This had to be intimated in some way here because I might think that there I have the law that meal offerings require oil and frankincense only if they belong to an ordinary Israelite since it is that alone of which a fistful (קומץ) had to be taken, (for the command to take the קומץ is preceded by the words ויצק עליה שמן ונתן עליה לבונה cf. Leviticus 2:1 and 2)! Whence can I know that the same applies to the meal-offering of priests which was entirely burnt (and of which therefore no קומץ was taken; cf. Rashi on v. 15)? Because Scripture states, תורת — “this is the general law of the meal-offering” (Sifra, Tzav, Section 2 3).

הקרב אתה. הִיא הַגָּשָׁה בְּקֶרֶן דְּרוֹמִית מַעֲרָבִית (שם):

הקרב אתה [AARON AND HIS SONS SHALL] BRING IT — This means bringing near (not offering, i. e. burning, for this is mentioned later in v. 8) to the south-west corner of the altar.

לפני ה'. הוּא מַעֲרָב שֶׁהוּא לְצַד אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד:

לפני ה׳ BEFORE THE LORD — This is the west side of the altar which faced the direction of the “tent of meeting” in which the Lord revealed himself.

אל פני המזבח. הוּא הַדָּרוֹם, שֶׁהוּא פָּנָיו שֶׁל מִזְבֵּחַ, שֶׁהַכֶּבֶשׁ נָתוּן לְאוֹתוֹ הָרוּחַ (סוטה י"ד):

אל פני המזבח — This again implies the south side of the altar, because that was the ‎‎‎ אל פני המזבח, the front of the altar, since the ascent leading up to it was situated on that side (the combination therefore of both locations:'לפני ה and אל פני המזבח describes the south-west corner of the altar, as stated above) (Sotah 14b; Sifra, Tzav, Section 2 4).

והרים ממנו. מִן הַמְחֻבָּר — שֶׁיְּהֵא עִשָּׂרוֹן שָׁלֵם בְּבַת אַחַת בִּשְׁעַת קְמִיצָה (ספרא):

והרים ממנו‎ AND HE SHALL TAKE UP FROM IT [IN HIS GRASP] — From it — from it as a united mass) — that there should be a full tenth part of an ephah at the same time in the vessel when he takes the fistful (Sifra, Tzav, Section 2 5; Menachot 24a).

בקמצו. שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲשֶֹה מִדָּה לַקֹּמֶץ (שם):

בקמצו WITH HIS GRASP — This implies that he shall not make a measure for the קומץ (he must not use a measure that holds as much as his fist and in that remove the flour) (Sifra, Tzav, Section 2 5; Yoma 47a).

מסלת המנחה ומשמנה. מִכָּאן שֶׁקּוֹמֵץ מִמָּקוֹם שֶׁנִּתְרַבָּה שַׁמְנָהּ (סוטה י"ד):

ומשמנה‎ מסלת המנחה‎ OF THE FLOUR OF THE MEAL OFFERING AND OF THE OIL THEREOF — From here we may derive that he takes the “fistful” (קומץ) from that spot where there is plenty of oil in it (Sotah 14b).

המנחה. שֶׁלֹּא תְּהֵא מְעֹרֶבֶת בְּאַחֶרֶת (ספרא):

המנחה THE MEAL-OFFERING — This implies that it shall not be mixed up with another meal-offering (Sifra, Tzav, Section 2 5).

ואת כל הלבנה אשר על המנחה והקטיר. מְלַקֵּט אֶת לְבוֹנָתָהּ לְאַחַר קְמִיצָה וּמַקְטִירוֹ; וּלְפִי שֶׁלֹּא פֵּרֵשׁ כֵּן אֶלָּא בְּאַחַת מִן הַמְּנָחוֹת בְּוַיִּקְרָא, הֻצְרַךְ לִשְׁנוֹת פָּרָשָׁה זוֹ, לִכְלֹל כָּל הַמְּנָחוֹת כְּמִשְׁפָּטָן:

‎‏‎‎‏ הלבנה אשר על המנחה והקטיר‎ואת כל AND ALL THE FRANKINCENSE WHICH IS UPON THE MEAL OFFERING HE SHALL CAUSE TO ASCEND IN FUMES — This means that the picks the frankincense off the meal-offering after the fistful has been taken from the latter and burns it (cf. Rashi on Leviticus 2:1). And because Scripture has stated this specifically only in the case of one of the meal offerings mentioned in ויקרא (Leviticus 2:2; viz., in the case of מנחת סולת, and it might therefore be applied to that special case only), it was compelled to state this paragraph here in order to include in a general rule all kinds of meal offerings as to all the regulations applicable to them.

במקום קדש. וְאֵיזֶהוּ? בַּחֲצַר אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד:

‏ ‏‏ קדוש‎במקום‏ [AS UNLEAVENED BREAD SHALL IT BE EATEN) IN A HOLY PLACE. — And which is this? בחצר אהל מועד IN THE ENCLOSURE OF THE TENT OF MEETING (Sifra, Tzav, Section 2 12).

לא תאפה חמץ חלקם. אַף הַשְּׁיָרִים אֲסוּרִים בְּחָמֵץ (מנחות נ"ה):

לא תאפה חמץ חלקם IT SHALL NOT BE BAKEN AS ANYTHING LEAVENED FOR THEIR PORTION — The remains of the meal-offering which become the portion of the priests, are also forbidden to be baked in the form of leavened (Menachot 55a).

כחטאת וכאשם. מִנְחַת חוֹטֵא הֲרֵי הִיא כְּחַטָּאת, לְפִיכָךְ קְמָצָהּ שֶׁלֹא לִשְׁמָהּ פְּסוּלָה, מִנְחַת נְדָבָה הֲרֵי הִיא כְּאָשָׁם, לְפִיכָךְ קְמָצָהּ שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ כְּשֵׁרָה (ספרא):

כחטאת וכאשם [IT IS MOST HOLY] AS THE SIN OFFERING OR THE GUILT OFFERING — the meal-offering of the sinner (v. 11) is as the sin-offering, therefore if he (the priest) takes the fistful out of it not as such (not having in mind that offering) it is invalid as is the sin-offering under such circumstances (cf. Rashi on 5:12); a free-will meal-offering (i.e. any of the other meal-offerings mentioned in ויקרא), however, is as the guilt-offering, therefore if he takes the fistful out of it not doing it as such, it is still valid (Sifra, Tzav, Chapter 3 3; Zevachim 11a).

כל זכר. אֲפִלּוּ בַּעַל מוּם; לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר? אִם לַאֲכִילָה הֲרֵי כְּבָר אָמוּר, לֶחֶם אֱלֹהָיו מִקָּדְשֵׁי הַקֳּדָשִׁים וְגוֹ' (ויקרא כ"א), אֶלָּא לְרַבּוֹת בַּעֲלֵי מוּמִין לְמַחֲלֹקֶת (ספרא):

כל זכר ALL THE MALES [AMONG THE CHILDREN OF AARON SHALL EAT OF IT] — all the males: even one with a bodily blemish. But why is this stated at all? If you say: for the purpose of permitting the eating of the meal-offering to such a priest, then it is redundant, for you see, this has already been stated, (Leviticus 21:22) “He (the priest with a blemish) may eat of the bread of his God, both of the most holy [and of the holy]”! But it is intended to include the priests with bodily blemishes in the right of apportionment alluded to in the preceding verse: I have given it to them as their portion (i.e. that they may not only eat holy food if such is given to them by their fellow priests, but they are entitled to participate in the apportionment) (Sifra, Tzav, Chapter 3 5; Zevachim 102a).

כל אשר יגע וגו'. קָדָשִׁים קַלִּים אוֹ חֻלִּין שֶׁיִּגְּעוּ בָּהּ וְיִבְלְעוּ מִמֶּנָּה:

כל אשר ‎'יגע וגו‎‎‏ WHATEVER TOUCHETH THEM — i. e. sacrifices holy in a minor degree or non-consecrated flesh (חולין) which touch it (the meal-offering) and absorb anything of it (Sifra, Tzav, Chapter 3 6; Zevachim 97b),

יקדש. לִהְיוֹת כָּמוֹהָ, שֶׁאִם פְּסוּלָה יִפָּסְלוּ, וְאִם כְּשֵׁרָה יֵאָכְלוּ כְּחֹמֶר הַמִּנְחָה (שם):

יקדש SHALL BECOME HOLY so as to be exactly like it (the מנחה) — that if it (the meal-offering) has become disqualified (as when e. g. it was not offered as such, לשמה), they (the holy things touching it) shall also become similarly disqualified, and if it is fit for eating they must be eaten only under the same stringency as the meal-offering (i.e., they must be eaten in a holy place (v. 9) and by males only; v. 11, etc.) (Sifra, Tzav, Chapter 3 6; Zevachim 97b).