Menachos Daf 89 מנחוס דַף 89

The Mishnah taught that of half a לוג oil was used for each נר of the Menorah. The passuk "מערב עד בקר" – from evening until morning teaches: תן לה מדתה – give [the Menorah] its necessary measure of oil שתהא דולקת והולכת מערב עד בקר – that it should burn from evening until morning. Alternatively, אין לך עבודה שכשירה מערב עד בקר אלא זו בלבד – you have no avodah which is valid from evening until morning except for this one of lighting the Menorah. Based on the first derashah, שיערו חכמים חצי לוג מאורתא ועד צפרא – the Sages assessed that half a לוג is necessary for each נר to last from evening until morning. Some say they made their assessment ממטה למעלה – from smaller to larger (i.e., first testing a quarter-לוג, which lasted half the night, and gradually increasing it until reaching a לוג which lasted the whole night). Others say their assessment was ממעלה למטה – from larger to smaller, beginning with a full לוג and gradually deceasing it to a לוג. The first opinion holds התורה חסה על ממונן של ישראל – the Torah was concerned with Yisroel’s money, so they did not begin with large amounts of oil which would waste the extra amounts. The second opinion holds אין עניות במקום עשירות – there is no act of poverty in the place of wealth.

The next Mishnah states: מערבין נסכי פרים בנסכי אילים – we may mix the nesachim of bulls with the nesachim of rams, because the ratio of oil to flour is the same (two לוגין of oil per עשרון of flour): a bull requires six לוגין for three עשרונות, while a ram requires four לוגין for two עשרונות. נסכים of different korbanos of lambs may be mixed for the same reason, but the נסכים of lambs (which requires three לוגין for one עשרון) may not be mixed with נסכים of bulls and rams. The Gemara objects that "והקטירו" – and he shall burn “it” [on the מזבח] teaches that one may never combine separate offerings which are burned on the מזבח; how could our Mishnah permit mixing one מנחת נסכים with another?! Abaye ultimately explains that the Mishnah is discussing combining the wine נסכים. Although they are not burned, and are not prohibited to be combined, they may not be combined לכתחילה, because someone might also combine the flour and oil, which is prohibited. However, if the flour and oil were already combined and burned, or menachos of equal ratios were merely combined, the Mishnah then permits combining their wines לכתחילה.

Rebbe Yochanan said that an אשם מצורע which was shechted שלא לשמו requires נסכים, like a standard אשם מצורע (although it does not fulfill his obligation), שאם אי אתה אומר כן פסלתו – because if you do not say so (but offer it without נסכים, like a basic אשם), you have invalidated it. Since this animal was designated as an אשם מצורע, it cannot be offered as an ordinary אשם. Rav Menashya bar Gadda objected that if so, then a lamb which is brought with the עומר which was shechted שלא לשמו should require a doubled minchah (like it normally does), because if only one עשרון is brought like with a regular lamb, it should be פסול!? Similarly, a תמיד which was shechted שלא לשמו should require two blocks of wood like a valid תמיד does!? The Gemara first responds that this is indeed so, and Rebbe Yochanan taught one of several examples. Rava answered that the latter cases are all עולות, which may be brought as an עולת נדבה – voluntary olah if they cannot fulfill their original obligation, but in the case of an אשם מצורע, since there is no “voluntary” אשם, it can only be brought as an אשם מצורע.