Meal offerings that accompany animal sacrifices have stipulated measures. But, as we have seen, a person can also volunteer to bring a meal offering all on its own — in a variety of measures. As a general rule, when a person doesn’t specify an amount in their pledge, they give the minimum. But when a person forgets how much they pledged, they give the maximum that they likely pledged. The presumption is that this will fulfill the pledge. If it turns out that they give more than was actually pledged, the rest will count as a donation.
Today’s daf concludes by giving us a glimpse into other kinds of donations to the Temple. A new mishnah states:
One who says: “It is incumbent upon me to donate wood” must donate no fewer than two logs. One who says: “It is incumbent upon me to bring frankincense” must bring no less than a handful … One who says: “It is incumbent upon me to donate gold,” must give no less than a gold dinar. One who says: “It is incumbent upon me to donate silver,” must give no less than the value of a silver dinar. One who says: “It is incumbent upon me to donate copper,” must give no less than the value of a silver ma’a.
One who says: “I specified the amount of gold, silver, or copper, but I do not know what I specified” must bring more until it reaches an amount at which he says: “I am certain that I did not intend to donate that much.”
As with the voluntary mincha, if you are not specific in your pledge of donated materials, you bring the minimum that is a useful or respectable amount: two logs of wood, one handful of frankincense, the volume of metal found in a standard coin. But if you vowed a specific amount and forgot the value, then you must bring the maximum that you might have pledged. That is, at some point you will reach an expense level that makes you say: “There is no way I promised that!” You can use that gut feeling to gauge the amount necessary to now fulfill your pledge.
Wood and metal are not the stuff of sacrifices — at least, not according to the Torah. But these kinds of donations supported Temple upkeep and, in the Talmud, are not only governed by a similar principle, they come to be seen as akin to sacrifices. Indeed:
Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says: Wood is an offering and therefore it requires salt and requires bringing to the corner of the altar.
Rava says: According to the statement of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, wood requires the removal of a handful.
And Rav Pappa says: According to the statement of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, the wood needs to be placed on other wood to burn.
Apparently, if you donate wood to the Temple, that wood should come with salt, be accompanied by a meal offering and be placed on top of other wood on the altar. In other words, your logs are like animal offerings!
This seems absurd. But perhaps the point is to elevate all donations, even those that are only firewood. This is actually, in its own way, a beautiful concept. It is not only the sacrifices that are holy. The more mundane material needs of running the operation are not mere “overhead” — they are holy, too.
Read all of Menachot 106 on Sefaria.
This piece originally appeared in a My Jewish Learning Daf Yomi email newsletter sent on April 27, 2026. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up here.
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