Sifra 11.0.23

Emor, Chapter 13

1) (Vayikra 23:17) ("From your dwellings shall you bring two breads of lifting. Two tenths of fine flour shall they be. Of leaven shall they be baked, first fruits to the L–rd.") "From your dwellings": and not from outside Eretz Yisrael. "From your dwellings": even from the attic (i.e., even from old grain if no new grain is available). "shall you bring": What you bring elsewhere (the thanksgiving loaves) should be (of the same measure) as this. Just as this is one-tenth to a loaf, so, what you bring elsewhere must be one-tenth to a loaf.

2) "breads of lifting two": They should look alike. "Two tenths": in sum total. "of fine flour shall they be; of leaven shall they be baked": He extracts it (the leaven) from themselves (the two loaves to be baked) and from their leaven. These are the words of R. Meir. R. Yehudah says: This, too, is not "select." Rather he brings leaven (from elsewhere) and he places it into the (one-tenth) measure and fills it up (with fine flour). R. Meir: That, too, would be lacking (of the exact measure) or more (than it).

3) "first-fruits (bikkurim) to the L–rd": R. Shimon says: I might think this is an individual offering, but (this is negated by) its being written (Vayikra 23:14): "And you shall bring the omer the first grain of your harvest, to the Cohein." If you say that this is an individual offering, and that is a communal offering, this cannot be. For if this is bikkurim to the L–rd," then that is not the first of the harvest; and if that is the first of the harvest, then this is not "bikkurim" to the L–rd." (Note:) Things omitted there (in connection with the omer offering [e.g., "lifting" and the permitting of chadash (the new crop)] are written here. (See Dibbura d'Nedavah Chapter 15:2)

4) (Vayikra 23:18) ("And you shall present with the bread seven unblemished one-year old lambs, and one young bullock, and two rams. They shall be a burnt-offering to the L–rd, with their meal-offering and their drink-offerings, a fire-offering, a sweet savor to the L–rd.)" "and you shall present with the bread": They are required for the bread. "And you shall present with the bread seven unblemished one-year old lambs": lambs, even if there is no bread. These are the words of R. Tarfon. If so, why is "bread" stated? We are hereby taught that the lambs were not ordained until the bread was ordained.

5) "and their drink offerings, a fire-offering, a sweet savor to the L–rd": Scripture (here) speaks in short (without detailing specific measurements).

6) (Vayikra 23:19) ("And you shall offer one kid of the goats as a sin-offering and two one-year old lambs as a sacrifice of peace-offerings.") "And you shall offer one kid of the goats as a sin-offering": I might think that the seven lambs and the kid of the goats mentioned in Bamidbar (Bamidbar 28:27, Bamidbar 28:29) are the same as those mentioned here. But when you come to bullocks and rams, you find that they are not so. (For here it is written "one year bullock and two rams," and there (Bamidbar 28:27) "two young bullocks" and "one ram.") But these are sacrificed because of the bread, and the others, because of the (festival) day.

7) "and two one-year old lambs as a sacrifice of peace-offerings": They must be sacrificed expressly as peace-offerings. "and the one-year old lambs as a sacrifice of peace-offerings": R. Shimon said: For what do the two Shavuoth lambs atone? For defilement of the sanctuary and its holy things. If the first atoned, why was the second needed? — For defilement that may have occurred between the (sprinkling of the blood of the) first and the (sacrifice of the) second. — If so, Israel would have to sacrifice every moment! (True,) but the Torah was "solicitous" of Israel.

8) (Vayikra 23:20) ("And the Cohein shall lift them on the bread of the first fruits, a lifting before the L–rd, on the two lambs. Holy shall they be to the L–rd, to the Cohein.") "And the Cohein shall lift them on the bread of the first fruits": I might think that the bread is to be beneath them; it is, therefore, written "on the two lambs." If "on the two lambs," I might think that the bread is to be on top of the lambs; it is, therefore, written "on the bread of the first fruits." The matter, then, must be weighed. What do we find elsewhere? (Vayikra 8:26) That the bread is on top. Here, too, the bread is on top. R. Yossi b. Mushulam says: The lambs are (placed) on top of the bread. And how am I to understand "on the two lambs"? To exclude the seven (mentioned above from "lifting." Chanina b. Achinas says: He places the two breads between the thighs of the lambs and lifts, thereby satisfying both of these verses — the bread on the lambs and the lambs on the bread. Rebbi said: We would not do so before a king of flesh and blood. Should we do so before the Holy One Blessed be He? Rather, he places one beside the other and lifts, (the word "on" in Hebrew being susceptible to the signification "with.")

9) "Holy shall they be to the L–rd to the L–rd to the Cohein": Bread (is to be offered) even if there are no lambs. These are the words of R. Akiva. R. Shimon b. Naness says: No, lambs (are to be offered) even if there is no bread. Rebbi said: It can go both ways. Who will decide? Ben Naness: I will decide. For we find that for forty years in the desert they sacrificed lambs without bread. Here, too, without bread.

10) R. Shimon said: The halachah is according to Ben Naness, but not the rationale. For everything mentioned in Bamidbar was offered in the desert, and what is mentioned in Vayikra was not offered in the desert. And when they come to Eretz Yisrael, both were offered, as it is written (Vayikra 22:10) "When you come to the land … then you shall bring." Why do I say that lambs are to be offered (even) without bread? Because the lambs "permit" themselves (with the sprinkling of their blood and the offering of their devoted portions). And there is no bread without lambs, for there is no one to permit them, (it being forbidden to eat the bread until the lambs are offered up).

11) (Vayikra 23:21-22) "And you shall call out on this self-same day a holy calling … And when you harvest the harvest of your land, do not end off the corner of your field in your reaping and the gleaning of your harvest you shall not gather." R. Avardimos b. R. Yossi said: Why did Scripture see fit to insert this (peah and leket) in the midst of the festivals — Pesach and Shavuoth on one side, and Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur on the other? To teach that one who gives leket, shikchah, peah, and the poor tithe — it is accounted to him as if the Temple existed and he offered up his sacrifices therein. And one who does not give it — it is accounted to him as if the Temple existed and he did not offer up his sacrifices therein.