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Redeeming Menachot and Klei Sharet

Menachot (12:1) | Yisrael Bankier | 3 days ago

The Mishnah (12:1) opens by explaining that if menachot or nesachim became tameh prior to being placed in the klei sharet, they can be redeemed. After that point however, they cannot.

The Bartenura explains that until the flour is placed in the klei sharet, even though it has been set aside for the purpose of a mincha offering, it only has kedushat damim and not kedushat ha'guf. In other words, it does not have intrinsic kedusha - kedushat ha'guf -- until it is placed in the klei sharet. Prior to that point only its monetary value has been dedicated for the purpose of a korban -- kedushat damim -- and can therefore be redeemed.

It is important to note that the same is not true for an animal that is set aside for a korban; it immediately attains kedushat ha'guf. Why?

The Chazon Yechezkel (Keritut 4:6, Biurim) addresses this question at length, citing several answers. He first cites the Ravaad (Tamid) who explains that an animal is immediately ready to be offered; with shechita being the first avodah. Consequently, from dedication it can attain kedushat ha'guf. The flour for a mincha however first requires some effort, including that it be mixed with oil, before it is ready to be offered. That being the case it is not yet "ready" to attain kedushat ha'guf.

The Chazon Yechezkel however is not satisfied with this answer. That is because find that the law is same for other mincha offerings that are not offered with any oil or frankincense. These include the sin offering and minchat sotah which are immediately ready to be offered.¹

The Zera Avraham brings the answer of the Ohr Sameach. He explains that the necessity of placing the flour into the kli sharet is to combine all the flour into one korban -- tziruf. The mincha requires a volume of an issaron, and tziruf for that volume is required.

The Chazon Yechzkel also finds this position difficult. He argues that a klei sharet is not necessary for tziruf. It can simply be achieved when a utensil that can measure the required volume.²

The Chazon Yechzkel finally suggests that we find with an animal, it is immediately ready for the avodat hakrava -- it is ready for the first avodah of shechita. Consequently, immediately from its dedication it must have kedushat ha'guf. For the mincha offering, it must first be placed in a kli sharet before kemitzah can be performed. Since avodah cannot be performed prior to that, it does not attain kedushat ha'guf until placed in the kli sharet.

A similar approach can be found in the Griz (Chidushim, p 162). He explains that kedushat ha'guf can be attained in two ways. Through speech or when placed in the kli sharet. For animals, the pasuk teaches it is the first way, "... anything for which is given to Hashem shall be Kodesh" (Vayikra 29:9). The pasuk specifically refers to animal offering. For anything that is placed in a kli sharet however, the pasuk states, "anything that touches them shall be kadosh." (Shemot 30:29) For minchat offerings, it is therefore only once it touches the klei sharet that it become kadosh.

Yisrael Bankier

¹ The Chazon Yechezkel uses this fact to explain why the Tosefta explains that for the minchat chotah, if it has not yet been sanctified in the kli sharet then it can be redeemed "like all other menachot". The need to stress that the law also applies to the minchat choteh is because one might have thought that the minchat chotah, that is immediately ready to be offered, would be treated differently. He explains that the similar language that is used to teach the same law for the minchat sotah (Sotah 22b) is also for this reason.

Another difficulty can be found in the Griz who notes that levona that is brought on its own, does not require an action to be performed in the kli sharet, yet also still shares the same law.

² One could attempt to answer this question based on the Griz we learnt two issues ago. Recall that for mincha offerings, there was a requirement of medida (measuring) within a kli sharet. (What was debated between the Chachamim and R' Shimon was whether there was a din of medida for dividing the minchat chavitin.) That being the case, perhaps that tziruf to give the flour the status of a korban mincha is only attained once the din of medidah has been satisfied.

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