Menachot 47

On today’s daf, we find a beraita in which Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi teaches:

The two sheep of Shavuot consecrate the two loaves that accompany them only by means of their slaughter.

How so? If one slaughtered the sheep for their own sake and then the priest sprinkled their blood on the altar for their own sake, the loaves are consecrated.
 
If one slaughtered them not for their own sake, and the priest sprinkled their blood not for their own sake, the loaves are not consecrated. 

The Shavuot offering includes two sheep and two loaves of bread. The loaves become consecrated only after the sheep are slaughtered and their blood sprinkled on the altar — provided both acts are done with proper intention. If they are performed with improper intention, the loaves are not consecrated.
 
But what if one slaughters the sheep for their own sake but sprinkles their blood not for its own sake? Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says:

The loaves are consecrated and not consecrated.
 
This is confusing. Generally speaking, an item is consecrated for use in the Temple or it is not. It is nonsensical for an item to be both. So what does Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi mean?

The Gemara brings two possibilities.Abaye explains that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi means that the loaves are partially consecrated. Rava, however, disagrees. In his view, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi is saying that the loaves are fully consecrated but cannot be eaten by the priests as they normally would.

Practically, this amounts to the same result: The loaves can’t be eaten. The difference is only in the label we assign to the loaves: “partially consecrated” (Abaye) or “fully consecrated” (Rava). Because in practice they are treated the same, the Gemara wonders: Does this distinction even matter? It turns out that it does:

The practical difference between them is the ability to transfer sanctity to their redemption money. According to Abaye they do not transfer sanctity to their redemption money. According to Rava they transfer sanctity to their redemption money.
 
In certain situations, a person can redeem sanctified items with money. The process transfers the sanctity from the item to the money, freeing the item up for general use. In turn, the newly consecrated money becomes restricted for use in the Temple. In our case, the question is whether loaves that are “consecrated and not consecrated” can be redeemed or not. Abaye thinks that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says no and Rava thinks that he says yes.

So today the rabbis have worked their way toward defining yet another ambiguous category: “consecrated and not consecrated.” The Gemara’s conversation indicates that it means that most, but not all, of the rules that apply to consecrated items apply to the loaves. But because Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi did not specify which ones, it’s left to those who follow to work out the details.

Read all of Menachot 47 on Sefaria.

This piece originally appeared in a My Jewish Learning Daf Yomi email newsletter sent on February 27, 2026. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up here.