We’ve learned that it’s prohibited to leaven the handful of meal removed from a mincha offering. Today’s daf discusses how we extend that prohibition to the entire meal offering, even before the handful has been removed. In this vein, the Gemara brings another beraita that discusses the relationship between parts of a sacrifice that are offered on the altar and parts that are not:
The sages taught: From where is it derived that one who offers up outside the Temple courtyard a portion of the meat of a sin offering, or a portion of the meat of a guilt offering, or a portion of the meat of offerings of the most sacred order, or a portion of the meat of offerings of lesser sanctity, or a portion of the surplus of the omer offering, or a portion of the leftover of the two loaves, or the showbread, or the remainder of meal offerings — that in all these cases he violates a prohibition?
The verse states: “For any leaven, and any honey, you shall not burn any of it as an offering made by fire to the Lord.” (Leviticus 2:11) The extra term “of it” teaches that any item that has already had some part of it burned in the fire on the altar is included in the prohibition: Do not burn.
The items listed in the beraita are designated for consumption by the priests, not burning on the altar. Nonetheless, the rabbis teach that there’s a prohibition on offering them outside the Temple courtyard. The essence of the prohibition on sacrificing things outside the Temple courtyard is connected to offerings that are meant to be sacrificed inside the Temple (on the altar). But the beraita derives (from the language of Leviticus 2:11) that in any case where something was part of a larger offering, and some of the offering is sacrificed in the Temple, the entire original offering is subject to the prohibition of sacrifice outside the Temple courtyard.
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For example, the fat and the innards of a sin or guilt offering are burned on the altar, but the prohibition on sacrificing outside the Temple applies also to the remaining meat of that offering designated for the priests to eat. Similarly, since the handful removed from a meal offering is burned on the altar, the remainder of the meal offering is also subject to this prohibition.
The Gemara points out that some cases don’t fit neatly within this rule:
And with regard to the two loaves and the showbread, is there some part of them burned in the fire? But isn’t it taught in a beraita: A portion of every offering is sacrificed on the altar, except for the two loaves and the showbread, as no part of them is burned in the fire?
Rav Sheshet said: No part of the two loaves or the showbread themselves is burned in the fire.
Unlike the other items listed in our beraita, no part of the two loaves accompanying the Shavuot lambs nor the showbread are bound for the altar. Yet they too may not be offered outside the Temple. This is because they are each one component of a multi-part sacrifice: the loaves come with two sheep and the showbread comes with bowls of frankincense. Since the loaves and showbread are only permitted for consumption once parts of the sheep and the bowls of frankincense have been burned, they fall under the same category as the other items mentioned in our original beraita: something that is itself meant to be consumed by humans, not the altar, but is prohibited for offering outside the Temple because an associated component of that item is sacrificed on the Temple altar.
The ruling in this beraita expands our understanding of the prohibition on sacrifice outside the Temple walls. At its core, this prohibition is meant to prevent acts outside the Temple which attempt to mimic the Temple’s service and sacrifice. The sages point out, however, that attempting to offer anything that’s even connected to the altar within the Temple premises is still an attempt to improperly replicate Temple ritual outside its boundaries.
Read all of Menachot 57 on Sefaria.
This piece originally appeared in a My Jewish Learning Daf Yomi email newsletter sent on March 9, 2026. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up here.
