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Week 27 - Sunday- 28 May 2000

SHEKALIM: CHAPTER 5 : MISHNA 3

There were four seals in the Temple and on them inscribed: calf, male, kid, sinner. Ben Azzai says: there were five, and on them inscribed in Aramaic: calf, male, kid, poor sinner and rich sinner. Calf serves both libations of cattle offerings, large or small, males or females; kid serves with libations of flock, large or small, males or females, except for adult rams; male serves with the libations of rams; sinner serves with libations of the three animals of the metzorai'm.

Kehati

We learned in the first mishnah that Yohanan b. Pinhas was in charge of the seals and Ahiyah over the libations, and this mishnah and the following one discuss the seals and the libations. In order to understand the mishnah, we need to have certain prior knowledge:

The libations mentioned here refer to the minhat nesahkim -fine flour mixed with oil, and wine to be poured -which accompanied burnt and peace offerings, whether communal or of an individual. And hatat and asham offerings of the metzora (the other hatat and asham offerings, as well as the firstborn and the paschal sacrifice and all sacrifices of birds do not require libations). The libations are not identical in all sacrifices, and they varied in quantity, as explained in Num. 15:4-10. a) For a lamb (a yearling) or for a goat -a tenth of an ephah of flour mixed with a fourth of a hin of oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for pouring. b) For a ram (two years old) -two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil, and a third of a hin of wine for pouring. c) For a bullock or a calf -three tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil and half a hin of wine to be poured. Whoever needed a libation could purchase it from the Temple storehouse, so that he would not need to search for such commodities prepared under optimum conditions of purity. The following mishnah explains the method of purchase: first the buyer would come to Yohanan b. Pinhas and pay him for the libations he required, and would receive a note from him, which is termed in the mishnah as "hotam," and that would indicate which libation the person had paid for. This hotam was brought to Ahiyah who was in charge of the libations and he would receive his libation.

There were four seals in the Temple -Used by the person assigned to receive payment for the libations, and one of them was inscribed -An inscription stating which libation had been paid for: a) Calf -An inscription for libations accompanying cattle offerings, that being three tenths of an ephah of fine flour, half a hin (or three logs) of oil and half a hin of wine; b) Male -An inscription for the libation accompanying a ram offering (the Hebrew word for ram is translated in the Targum as "a male"), this being two tenths of an ephah of fine flour, a third of a hin (four logs) of oil, and a third of a hin of wine; c) Kid -An inscription for the libations accompanying sheep and goat offerings, these consisting of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, a quarter of a hin (or three logs) of oil, and a quarter of a hin of wine; d) Sinner -an inscription for the libation accompanying a wealthy metzora, who, after he was cured and become ritually pure, brought two rams and a ewe (Lev. 14:10), each accompanied by a libation which totalled three tens of an ephah of fine flour, nine logs of oil and nine logs of wine, and in addition, another log of oil, from which the kohen would anoint his right earlobe and right thumb and the big toe of his right foot (Lev. 14:15-18); The hotam for the metzora was marked with the word "sinner," because our Sages said (Tractate Arakhin 16a), "Nega'im (the symptoms of the metzora) are visited on people for seven sins."

Ben Azzai says: there were five -seals, and on them inscribed in Aramaic -that being the commonly used language, and they are: Calf, male, kid, poor sinner and rich sinner -According to Ben Azzai, there were two separate seals for the libations of metzora'im (plural of metzora), one which was inscribed rich sinner -for the libations of a rich metzora, and one inscribed poor sinner -for the libations of a poor metzora, who only brought a single lamb and its libations, and another log of oil, as we explained in regard to a rich metzora (Lev. 14:21). The First Tanna holds that a poor metzora would buy a hotam which was inscribed, "kid," and he would bring the additional log from his own funds (Jerusalem Talmud). For a rich metzora, who needed nine logs of oil for his sacrifices, there was a special seal, so that he would also take the additional log that he required from the administrator, as he was purchasing so many (Takin Hadetin).

Calf -The seal inscribed with the word "calf," serves with libations of cattle offerings -as an inscription for the libations that accompanied cattle, large or small -Whether the animal was adult or young, males or females -Whether it accompanied a burnt offering, for which only a male is offered, or for a peace offering, for which either a male or female is offered,

Kid -The seal upon which the word "kid" was inscribed, serves with libations of flock -served as the inscription for the libation that accompanied sheep, large or small, males or females -For rams or ewes, whether adult or young, but a yearling lamb cannot be sacrificed, as explained below in the mishnah, except for adult rams -The libations of rams, which are male sheep between the ages of thirteen months and a day and the end of their second year.

Male -The seal with the inscription "male," serves with the libations of rams -as an inscription for the libations accompanying rams, Sinner -The inscription with the word "sinner," serves with the libation of the three animals of the metzora'im -as the inscription for the three lambs that the metzora'im would offer, and an additional log of oil to be used to place oil on the metzora's right earlobe, thumb, and big toe, as described above.

SHEKALIM: CHAPTER 5 : MISHNA 4

One who required libations -would go to Yohanan administrator over the seals, give him money and receive from him a hotam. He would come to Ahiyah administrator over the libations and give him the hotam, and receive from him the libation, and in the evening they come to one another, and Ahiyah would take out the hotamot, and receive corresponding money: and if they left anything over they left over to the Temple Treasury, and if there was a shortage -Yohanan would pay from his house, for the Temple has the upper hand.

Kehati

This mishnah is a continuation of the previous one, as we explained in the introduction there.

One who required libations -For his sacrifice, would go to Yohanan administrator over the seals -as mentioned in the previous mishnah, Give him money -depending on the libations he required, and receive from him a hotam -with the inscription for his libations,

He would come to Ahiyah administrator over the libations -who was in charge of purchasing the wine, oil and fine flour from the suppliers, and of selling them to those offering sacrifices, so that each one bringing a sacrifice would not need to seek libations prepared with all the stringent safeguards of purity, and give him the hotam -He gives Ahiyah the hotam which he received from Yohanan, and receive from him the libation -according to the inscription on the hotam, and in the evening they come to one another -Ahiyah and Yohanan would meet, and Ahiyah would take out the hotamot -that he received from the buyers, And receive corresponding money -a corresponding amount from Yohanan, and if they left anything over -If Yohanan had more money than the amount due to Ahiyah based on the hotamot in his hands, they left over to the Temple Treasury -The excess money belonged to the Temple, and not to Yohanan,

And if there was a shortage -If the money in Yohanan's hands was less than the total value of the hotamot in Ahiyah's hands, Yohanan would pay from his house -out of his own funds, for the Temple has the upper hand -Therefore, if there was a surplus it belonged to the Temple, while if there was a deficit the administrator would have to make it up out of his own funds.

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