Mincha - Origin of the Name

QUESTION: Why is the afternoon tefilla referred to as “mincha”?

ANSWER: The word “mincha” means offering, and it usually refers to the meal offering that was brought together with a korban. Tefillas mincha was instituted to correspond to the korban tamid that was brought in the afternoon, which was accompanied by a mincha. Why do we name the tefilah after the accompanying “mincha” offering, rather than after the korban? Tosfos (Pesachim 107a s.v. samuch) asks this question, and answers based on the Gemara (Berachos 6b) which states that one must be very careful to daven mincha properly, because Eliyahu Hanavi was only answered when he davened mincha. Tosfos writes that it seems that Eliyahu was specifically answered at the time when the korban mincha was brought. We therefore refer to this tefilla as “mincha” to allude that the fact that this is an auspicious time when tefillos are more readily accepted. The Tosfos Yom Tov (Berachos 4:1) offers another explanation. He writes that the word “mincha” also means to rest, and it refers to the setting (resting) of the sun, which is the time when mincha is said.

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