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Mishnayos Menachos Perek 8 Mishnah 4

מנחות פרק ח׳ משנה ד׳

4

There are three harvests of olives each year, and in each of them, three different grades of oils are produced. How is the first olive harvest processed? One picks the ripe olives at the top of the olive tree, as those are the first to ripen, and crushes them in a mortar and places them inside the bottom of a wicker basket that has many small holes in it. The oil will then drip from the olives through those holes into a vessel placed underneath the basket. Rabbi Yehuda says: One positions the olives on the walls, surrounding the basket. This produces more refined oil, as the dregs stick to the walls of the basket. This is the first grade of oil produced from the first harvest. After the oil ceases to seep from the crushed olives, one then presses down with a wooden beam upon them, causing additional oil to flow from the basket into the vessel. Rabbi Yehuda says: The excessive pressure produced by pressing down with a beam would cause some of the flesh of the olives to get mixed in with the oil, compromising its quality. Rather, one applies pressure by placing stones upon the olives. This is the second grade of oil. One then ground the olives with a millstone and pressed down with a beam on those olives to extract any remaining oil; this is the third grade of oil. The first grade is fit for kindling the Candelabrum, which requires: “Refined olive oil” (Leviticus 24:2), and the rest are fit for use in meal offerings. How is the second olive harvest processed? One picks the crop of olives that is accessible while one is standing on the rooftop. This was the second lot of olives to ripen. And one crushes it in a mortar and places those olives into a wicker basket, allowing the oil to drip through the holes into a vessel underneath. Rabbi Yehuda says: One positions the olives on the walls, surrounding the basket. This is the first grade of oil from the second harvest. One then presses down upon those olives with a wooden beam, thereby producing more oil. And Rabbi Yehuda says: One applies pressure only by placing stones upon them. This is the second grade of oil. One then ground the olives with a millstone and pressed down upon them with a beam, thereby extracting any remaining oil; this is the third grade of oil. The first grade is fit for kindling the Candelabrum, and the rest are fit for use in meal offerings. How is the third olive harvest processed? This harvest consists of all the olives that still remain on trees. One packs it into a vat [oteno] in the building that houses the olive press [beit habbad] where it remains until it softens, and then one raises it up to the roof and dries it on the rooftop to remove the foul-smelling liquid secreted from the olives while in the vat. Then, one crushes the olives in a mortar and places them into a wicker basket, allowing the oil to drip through the holes into a vessel underneath. Rabbi Yehuda says: One positions them on the walls, surrounding the basket. This is the first grade of oil. One then presses down on those olives with a wooden beam, thereby producing more oil. And Rabbi Yehuda says: One applies pressure only by placing stones upon them. This is the second grade of oil. One would then grind the olives with a millstone and press down upon them with a beam, thereby extracting any remaining oil; this is the third grade of oil. The first grade is fit for kindling the Candelabrum, and the rest are fit for use in meal offerings.

שְׁלשָׁה זֵיתִים, וּבָהֶן שְׁלשָׁה שְׁלשָׁה שְׁמָנִים. הַזַּיִת הָרִאשׁוֹן, מְגַרְגְּרוֹ בְרֹאשׁ הַזַּיִת וְכוֹתֵשׁ וְנוֹתֵן לְתוֹךְ הַסַּל. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, סְבִיבוֹת הַסַּל. זֶה רִאשׁוֹן. טָעַן בְּקוֹרָה, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, בַּאֲבָנִים. זֶה שֵׁנִי. חָזַר וְטָחַן וְטָעַן, זֶה שְׁלִישִׁי. הָרִאשׁוֹן לַמְּנוֹרָה, וְהַשְּׁאָר לַמְּנָחוֹת. הַזַּיִת הַשֵּׁנִי מְגַרְגְּרוֹ בְרֹאשׁ הַגַּג, וְכוֹתֵשׁ וְנוֹתֵן לְתוֹךְ הַסַּל. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, סְבִיבוֹת הַסַּל, זֶה רִאשׁוֹן. טָעַן בְּקוֹרָה, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, בַּאֲבָנִים, זֶה שֵׁנִי. חָזַר וְטָחַן וְטָעַן, זֶה שְׁלִישִׁי. הָרִאשׁוֹן לַמְּנוֹרָה, וְהַשְּׁאָר לַמְּנָחוֹת. הַזַּיִת הַשְּׁלִישִׁי, עוֹטְנוֹ בְתוֹךְ הַבַּיִת עַד שֶׁיִּלְקֶה, וּמַעֲלֵהוּ וּמְנַגְּבוֹ בְרֹאשׁ הַגַּג, וְכוֹתֵשׁ וְנוֹתֵן לְתוֹךְ הַסַּל. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, סְבִיבוֹת הַסַּל, זֶה רִאשׁוֹן. טָעַן בְּקוֹרָה, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, בַּאֲבָנִים, זֶה שֵׁנִי. חָזַר וְטָחַן וְטָעַן, זֶה שְׁלִישִׁי. הָרִאשׁוֹן לַמְּנוֹרָה, וְהַשְּׁאָר לַמְּנָחוֹת:

ד׳
Bartenura

שלשה זיתים – three times during the year they harvest/prepare the olives. And in them there are three oils, and each time there are three kinds of oil.

הזית הראשון – the first time that they harvest/prepare [the olives].

מגרגרו בראש הזית – he harvests the berries that are at the top of the olive/tree, for they ripen first because the sun shines upon them and ripens them.

לתוך הסל – he refines them and [the oil] comes up and there is a utensil underneath the basked to receive the oil.

רבי יהודה אומר סביבות דופני הסל – he places the olives and the oil flows through the walls and falls into the rim of the basket and from there he refines it and goes up and it is found to be refined . For the refuse that remains is attached on to the walls of the basket. But he soul dot place them on the rim at the bottom of the basket, because they get combined with the oil and the sediment/lees and it is found that the oil is turbid. But the oil that flows from itself without any assistance rendered in loading up is called the first oil of the first olive.

טען בקורה – the olives that are in the basket.

רבי יהודה אומר באבנים – but not with a beam, for the beam is heaven and it removes the sediment/lees.

חזר וטחן – with a millstone, those olives that are under the beam and the beam presses them.

הראשון למנורה – that we require pure olive oil (see Leviticus 24:2).

והשאר כשר למנחות – for it is not written with them that it is pure [olive oil].

הזית השני – the second time when he harvests that which is found that are ripened now.

מגרגרו בראש הגג – he harvests the berries that are near the roof, for their olives were near their rooves, and those ripen second.

הראשון – that went out prior to the pressing [of the beam] are fit/appropriate for the Menorah.

הזית השלישי – when he harvests the third time, they don’t ripen sufficiently all the way, for they are branches that are under the roof where the sun does not reach them.

עוטנו (packs in an a vat preparatory to crushing) – the language of vat or pit where olives ar e packed until they form a viscid mass, and it is the indentation/hole where they place the olives in order that they can grow moldy/decay there, and the language is Biblical (Job 21:24): “His pails are full of milk; [the marrow of his bones is juicy].”

שילקה – that it will grow moldy/decay.

ומנגבו בראש הגג – because it is collected/piled up and gathered in one place for four or five days, it (i.e., the oil) flows on its own, there is a thin secretion and it is not pleasant, therefore it is necessary to dry them off.

שלשה זיתים. שלש פעמים בשנה מלקטים את הזיתים. ובהן שלש שמנים, בכל פעם יש שלשה מינים שמן:

הזית הראשון. פעם ראשונה שמלקט:

מגרגרו בראש הזית. מלקט גרגרים שהן בראש הזית, שהן מתבשלים תחלה לפי שהחמה זורחת עליהן ומבשלתן:

לתוך הסל. ומסתנן ויוצא והכלי תחת הסל לקבל השמן:

רבי יהודה אומר סביבות דופני הסל. נותן את הזיתים והשמן זב דרך הדפנות ונופל לשולי הסל ומשם מסתנן ויוצא ונמצא מזוקק. שהפסולת נשאר מדובק בדופני הסל. אבל לא יתנם בשולי הסל, מפני שמתערב בו שמן ושמרים ויוצאים ונמצא שמן עכור. והשמן הזב מאליו בלא שום טעינה נקרא שמן ראשון של הזית הראשון:

טען בקורה. זיתים שבסל:

רבי יהודה אומר באבנים. ולא בקורה. שהקורה כבדה ומוציאה את השמרים:

חזר וטחן. ברחים, את הזיתים שתחת הקורה, וטוען אח״כ הקורה:

הראשון למנורה. דבעינן שמן זית זך:

והשאר כשר למנחות. דלא כתיב בהו זך:

הזית השני. פעם שניה כשמלקט את שנמצאים מבושלים עתה:

מגרגרו בראש הגג. מלקט הגרגרין הסמוכים לגג. שזיתיהן היו סמוכים לגגותיהן, ואותן מתבשלים בשניה:

הראשון. שיצא קודם טעינה, כשר למנורה:

הזית השלישי. שמתלקט פעם שלישית, אין מתבשלים לעולם כל צרכן, שהן ענפים שתחת הגג שאין חמה מגעת בהם:

עוטנו. לשון מעטן של זיתים, שהיא הגומא שמניחים בה הזיתים כדי שיתעפשו שם. ולשון מקרא הוא, עטיניו מלאו חלב (איוב כ״א:כ״ד):

שילקה. שיתעפש:

ומנגבו בראש הגג. דמתוך שהוא צבור ומכונס במקום אחד ארבעה וחמשה ימים זב מאליו מוהל שאינו יפה, לפיכך צריך לנגבו: