Sifra Emor Section 13

¹1) (Vayikra 24:2) ("Command (tzav) the children of Israel that they bring to you pure (zach) olive oil, crushed (katish) for the light, to raise a flame always.") "tzav": "tzav" connotes "impelling," immediately and for future generations. R. Shimon said: Especially where monetary loss is involved. "that they bring to you": You are appointed over this. "olive oil": and not sesame oil, and not radish oil, but olive oil which flows of itself (before pressing) — whence they ruled: There are three (periods in a year for picking the) olives, and from each of them come three kinds of oil. The first picking of the olives is from the top of the olive tree, and he gathers them into the olive press, and grinds them in the mill and places them in baskets and he presses them under the beam. What issues from them first is removed and ground a second time. What issues from them the second time is ground again, and so, a third time. The first (oil) is for the menorah and the rest for meal-offerings. ²2) The second (gathering of) the olives — they are picked at roof-level and he gathers them into the olive press and grinds them in the mill and places them in baskets and he presses them under the beam. What issues from them first is removed and ground a second time. What issues from them a second time is ground again, and so, a third time. The first (oil) is for the menorah and the rest for meal-offerings. ³3) The third (gathering of) the olives — he packs it into the house until it begins to rot. Then he takes it up to the roof, until it forms a date-like excrescence, after which he gathers them into the house and grinds them in the mill and places them in baskets and presses them under the beam. What issues from them first is removed and ground a second time. What issues from them a second time is ground again, and so, a third time. The first (oil) is for the menorah and the rest for meal-offerings. ⁴4) R. Yehudah says: He did not grind them in a mill, but he pounded them in a mortar. And he did not press them under a beam but under stones. And he did not place them in a basket, but around the basket and he bored (into them) from the midst of the basket, (into which the oil flowed). ⁵5) The first (oil) of the first (mode of extraction) — there is nothing finer than it. The second of the first (mode) and the first of the second are alike. The third of the first and the second of the second and the first of the third are alike. The third of the second and the second of the third are alike. The third of the third — there is nothing inferior to it. ⁶6) "zach": It must be pure. "katish" ("crushed") R. Yehudah says: There are no "crushed" olives except those pounded (in a mortar). "katish": (It must be) "crushed" for the light (of the menorah) but not for the meal-offerings. ⁷7) "to raise a flame always": so that the flame rise (of itself). "to raise a flame": so that the western light burn continuously; he (the kindler) would begin with it and end with it. And when his brother Cohanim entered to bow down, he would precede them. How so? He would enter and find the two eastern lights burning. He would clean the eastern (lamp) and leave the western burning, from which the menorah was lit at twilight. If he found it to have dimmed, he cleans it and kindles it from the altar of the burnt-offering. "always": even on the Sabbath; ⁸8) (Vayikra 24:3) ("Outside the veil (parocheth) of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, shall Aaron order it, from evening until morning, before the L–rd always, an everlasting statute throughout your generations.") "outside the veil (parocheth) of the testimony": What is the intent of this? (i.e., it is already written) From (Shemoth 40:24) "And he put the menorah in the tent of meeting opposite the table, "I do not know if close to the parocheth or close to the entrance. "Outside the parocheth of the testimony in the tent of meeting tells us that it was closer to the parocheth than to the entrance. ⁹9) "Outside the parocheth of the testimony": Now was the light of the menorah required? Was it not with His light (i.e., that of the Shechinah) by which the Jews traveled all forty years in the desert? Rather (it is to be understood as meaning that) it served as testimony to the inhabitants of the world that the Shechinah resided in Israel. What is the testimony? Rava said: It is the western lamp, into which he would place as much oil as in all the other lamps, and yet would commence (lighting all the other lamps) with it and conclude (servicing the lamps) with it. ¹⁰10) (Shemoth 27:21) "Aaron and his sons shall order it" (as opposed to "Aaron shall order it.") What is the intent of this? (i.e., How are the verses to be reconciled?) Because it is written (Bamidbar 8:2) "The seven lamps shall give light towards the face of the menorah," I might think that one Cohein (Aaron) enters with seven lamps; it is, therefore, written "to raise a flame always." I might then think that one Cohein does not enter with seven lamps, but that seven Cohanim enter with seven lamps; it is, therefore, written "Aaron and his sons shall order it," — Aaron and his sons order it only one by one (i.e., one after the other). ¹¹11) "from evening until morning": Give them their measure (of oil) so that they burn from evening until morning, and that they be the only service from evening until morning; "always": even on the Sabbath; "always": even in a state of uncleanliness.