Siman - Shekalim Daf 18
- The ten menorahs that Shlomo Hamelech made
It was taught in a Baraisa, עשר מנורות עשה שלמה – Shlomo Hamelech made ten menorahs for the Beis Hamikdash, five to the right of Moshe’s menorah and five to its left. אף על פי כן לא היה מבעיר אלא של משה בלבד – nevertheless, the Kohen would only light Moshe’s menorah, as it is stated in the passuk, ומנורת הזהב ונרתיה לבער בערב בערב – A golden menorah and its lamps, to kindle each evening. The singular form indicates that they kindled only one menorah. Rebbe Yosa the son of Rebbe Yehudah says, על כולן היה מבעיר – they would light them all, as it is says in the passuk, ואת המנרות ונרתיהם לבערם כמשפט לפני הדביר זהב סגור – and the menorahs and their lamps, to kindle them as required before the partition – closed gold. The plural form indicates that they kindled all of the menorahs.
- Wood for the mizbei’ach was an אמה גדומה
The next Mishnah states, שלשה עשר שופרות היו במקדש – There were thirteen collection chests in the Beis Hamikdash, and one of them was titled עצים, for the donations of wood to be brought on the mizbei’ach. Rav Shmuel bar Rav Yitzchak said: לפי שלא היה מקום המערכה אלא אמה על אמה – Since the site of the pyre on the mizbei’ach built by Moshe, was only an amah by an amah, לפיכך לא היה בו אלא אמה גדומה – therefore, the blocks of wood were only the length of a truncated amah. The Korban HaEidah explains that if the blocks were a full amah, they would protrude slightly into the adjacent area on top of the mizbei’ach, which was designated as the Kohanim’s walkway. Since the Torah stated, “the wood which is on the fire, which is on the mizbei’ach” and the phrase “which is on the mizbei’ach" is superfluous, we derive that the wood should not protrude from the pyre section of the mizbei’ach. Since the top of the mizbei’ach was five amos square, and four amos across were taken by the horns and walkway on either side which were one amah each, that left only one amah in the middle for the pyre.
- הרי עלי לבונה – לא יפחות מקומץ
The Mishnah stated that if someone said הרי עלי לבונה – It is hereby incumbent on me to bring levonah, לא יפחות מקומץ – He may not bring less than a kometz. The Gemara brings the source for this ruling, נאמר כאן "אזכרה" – It is stated here, about the levonah that is offered on the mizbei’ach as part of the lechem hapanim service, "memorial portion," ונאמר להלן "אזכרה" – and it is stated there, regarding the minchah that is offered on the mizbei’ach, "memorial portion". Just as the memorial portion with regard to the flour of a minchah, is a full kometz, so too the memorial portion mentioned here with regard to the levonah offered with the lechem hapanim, should be a full kometz. From here we derive that the standard amount of levonah offered with a minchah is a kometz, and if levonah is offered by itself as an independent offering without the person specifying an amount, he must bring at least a kometz. The Gemara brings a machlokes whether the kometz must be the amount of the kometz of the largest Kohen serving that day, or that of the owner.
