1HALAKHAH: 94 Here starts the discussion of Mishnah 5 . What is gained by redeeming incense with Temple money, which is not profane? Would not Temple property be redeemed by Temple property? What does he do? Rebbi Simeon bar Carsana said, he brings coins and redeems them for the building 95 Both the scribe’s text and that of B are difficult to understand. While it is accepted that the Temple is built as profane building and only sanctified when completed (Babli Me`ilah 14a), once it is sacred it cannot be redeemed. If the money is legitimately paid for a sacrificial animal, it belongs to the owner of the animal and is no longer available for Temple use. Tosephta Me`ilah 1:23 reads: “A worker who did work for the Temple for a mina or two may not say, give me this cow for a mina or this garment for 50 {denar} since Temple property cannot be redeemed for work but only for coins. What does one do? One takes the wages of the artisans {from the sheqalim } and redeems them on the artisans’ money, gives them to the artisans as their wages; then buys them back from the disbursement of the lodge to pay back the workers for the coins they earlier gave to the Temple.” A similar text seems to be intended here. ; brings incense and redeems it for them, and gives it 96 The incense. to the artisans as their wages. What should be done with those coins? Rebbi says, I am saying that they should be given to the family Garmu and the family Eutinos who were experts in compounding the incense and in making the shew-bread 97 Cf. Mishnah Yoma 3:11 . . Rebbi Samuel bar Rav <isaac< 98 Name added from B. said, only if they were due to them beforehand 99 Since Temple money can only become profane for actual debts incurred by the Temple. Advance payments are not possible. . Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba asked, what if they were not due beforehand? There came Rebbi Abba in the name of Rebbi Ḥiyya in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: One uses them to adorn the altar 75 It is given to the gift account to buy elevation sacrifices in times when the altar otherwise would have been idle. . Rebbi Abba bar Cohen asked before Rebbi Yose: The opinion of Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba seems inverted. Here it is questionable for him; there it is obvious for him 100 How can he ask when he himself teaches the answer which his teacher had given? He does not question that a possible use is to give the money to the gift account; he questions whether this is the only possible use. The inverse order in B must be a scribal error. . He told him, where it is questionable for him, for Service vessels; where it is obvious for him, to adorn the altar.
2100a This is a copy from Yoma 5:1, explained there in Notes 12-30 . The introductory sentence is missing, but is partially present in B. The question is, why does the Mishnah prescribe that leftover incense should be redeemed and used as payment of the artisans. Since it is a biblical decree (Lev. 27:10) that unblemished animals dedicated as sacrifices cannot be redeemed, would it not be reasonable to assume that sacrificial objects sanctified in a Service vessel cannot be redeemed? If one accepts this, a second question arises. Was the incense prepared in a Service vessel and therefore is sanctified from the start, or does only the daily portion become sanctified when it is filled into a Service vessel, and the leftovers are intrinsically redeemable as Temple property? As they disagreed: If it 101 The incense. was compounded as profane, Rebbi Yose ben Ḥanina said, it is disqualified; Rebbi Joshua ben Levi said, it is qualified. What is Rebbi Yose ben Ḥanina’s reason? It is holy 102 There is no such verse; similar verses about incense would be Ex. 30:36 , most holy it shall be for you, Ex. 30:37, holy it shall be for you . Babli Keritut 6a . , that it shall be brought into the Sanctuary. What is Rebbi Joshua ben Levi’s reason? It is holy , that it shall be brought from the disbursement from the lodge. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Bun said, Rebbi Yose ben Ḥanina’s parallels Samuel and Rebbi Joshua ben Levi’s Rebbi Joḥanan, as we have stated, “if one dedicated his property to the Temple and there were objects appropriate as public offerings 103 Mishnah 6 . .” Rebbi Joḥanan said, incense. Rebbi Hoshaia said, explain it about an artisan of the family Eutinos who took incense as his wages. And Rebbi Joshua ben Levi’s is like Samuel, as Rav Ḥuna said in the name of Samuel, they made the mortar a vessel to sanctify. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, Rebbi Ḥuna said this before Rebbi Yose: something sanctified in a vessel may be redeemed. He said to him, is that not Samuel’s? Since Samuel said, one is lenient in the case of leftovers. As they disagreed: If unblemished animals were left over, Samuel says, they are redeemed unblemished. Rebbi Joḥanan said, they are redeemed as disqualified sancta . Leftover he-goats, in Samuel’s opinion if elevation sacrifices are redeemed, a purification sacrifice so much more. In Rebbi Joḥanan’s opinion? Rebbi Ze`ira said, they shall graze. Rebbi Samuel bar Rav Isaac said, one uses them to adorn the altar. This is difficult. May a purification sacrifice be brought as elevation sacrifice? Rebbi Yose said, there is a difference, for public sacrifices are determined only by slaughter. Rebbi Ḥananiah said, it is a stipulation of the Court that all leftovers should be brought as elevation sacrifices.
3MISHNAH: If somebody gives his property to the Temple 104 The Temple is supposed to sell the property and to use the proceeds for its needs. As Temple property, the proceeds are under the laws of me`ilah . and in it there were items usable for public sacrifices 105 Which cannot be redeemed, cf. Note 100 . , they shall be given to the artisans as their wages, the words of Rebbi Aqiba. Ben Azzai said to him, this is not they way 106 Since Temple property cannot be given for wages, Tosephta Me`ilah 1:23, Note 95. One has to apply the rules of Mishnah 5 in their entirety. , but from it one sets apart the artisans’ wages and redeems it on the artisan’s money; one gives it to the artisans as their wages and then buys it back from them from the new disbursement 83 Since the expenses of the Temple service each year have to be paid by the sheqalim of that year, one cannot simply take the leftover as incense for the next year. On the other hand, since profane use of incense prepared in the proportions prescribed for Temple service is a deadly sin ( Ex. 30:38 ), the incense cannot be used outside of the Temple. One takes money from the sheqalim to pay the artisans who prepare the next year’s batch of incense, then uses this money in order to redeem the incense and make it profane, a possible object of trade. Then one pays the artisans in kind with the incense, and since they could do nothing with it one buys the incense back from them with the money earmarked to this effect. Then the artisans are paid at the same time the incense for the new year is paid with money from the new Temple year starting at Nisan 1. . If somebody gives his property to the Temple 104 The Temple is supposed to sell the property and to use the proceeds for its needs. As Temple property, the proceeds are under the laws of me`ilah . and in it there was an animal fit for the altar 107 An unblemished bovine, sheep, or goat, which may not be redeemed, Lev. 27:10 . Since they were given to the Temple to be sold, the easiest way to satisfy the will of the donor and the rules is to sell the animals as sacrifices to those who have vowed a sacrifice. , males or females. Rebbi Eliezer says, males should be sold to those who need an elevation offering 108 Who in contrast to well-being offerings must be male ( Lev. 1:3 , 10 ). , and females be sold to those who need well-being offerings, and the revenue together with the remainder be for upkeep of the Temple. Rebbi Joshua says, the males themselves should be brought as elevation sacrifices, and the females be sold to those who need well-being offerings, and the remaining property be used for upkeep of the Temple. Rebbi Aqiba says, I agree with the words of Rebbi Eliezer against the words of Rebbi Joshua, since Rebbi Eliezer is uniform in his rules but Rebbi Joshua splits 142 According to R. Eliezer the entire property is for the upkeep of the Temple; R. Joshua excludes male unblemished animals. Also R. Eliezer treats male and female animals by the same rules. . Rebbi Pappaeus said, I heard according to the words of both of them. If somebody dedicates explicitly 143 He says, the animals are to be sacrifices. , following the words of Rebbi Eliezer; if the dedication is unspecified 144 He simply hands over his property to the Temple. , following the words of Rebbi Joshua. If somebody gives his property to the Temple 104 The Temple is supposed to sell the property and to use the proceeds for its needs. As Temple property, the proceeds are under the laws of me`ilah . and in it there were things fit for the altar, wines, oils, or birds. Rebbi Eleazar says, they shall be sold to people needing these kinds and from the proceeds one shall bring elevation sacrifices 146 Four-legged animals. Even though birds (pigeons and turtle doves) are valid elevation sacrifices ( Lev. 1:14–17 ), only four-legged animals can be brought “to adorn the altar.” ; but the remainder of the property shall be used for the upkeep of the Temple.