Meilah 4:2-3
משנה מעילה ד:ב-ג
Seder: Kodashim | Tractate: Meilah | Chapter: 4
📖 Mishna
Mishna 4:2
משנה ד:ב
Hebrew:
חֲמִשָּׁה דְבָרִים בָּעוֹלָה מִצְטָרְפִין זֶה עִם זֶה. הַבָּשָׂר, וְהַחֵלֶב, וְהַסֹּלֶת, וְהַיַּיִן, וְהַשָּׁמֶן. וְשִׁשָּׁה בַּתּוֹדָה. הַבָּשָׂר, וְהַחֵלֶב, וְהַסֹּלֶת, וְהַיַּיִן, וְהַשֶּׁמֶן, וְהַלָּחֶם. הַתְּרוּמָה, וּתְרוּמַת מַעֲשֵׂר, וּתְרוּמַת מַעֲשֵׂר שֶׁל דְּמַאי, הַחַלָּה, וְהַבִּכּוּרִים, מִצְטָרְפִין זֶה עִם זֶה לֶאֱסֹר וּלְחַיֵּב עֲלֵיהֶן אֶת הַחֹמֶשׁ:
English:
Five items in the burnt offering and the accompanying meal offering and libation join together to constitute the one peruta measure with regard to liability for misuse, and the olive-bulk measure with regard to liability for piggul, notar, and partaking of sacrificial foods while ritually impure. They are: The flesh; the fat of the burnt offering that is sacrificed on the altar; the fine flour of the accompanying meal offering; the wine of the accompanying libation; and the oil of the accompanying meal offering. And there are six items in the thanks offering that join together: The flesh, the fat, the fine flour, the wine, the oil, and the loaves accompanying the thanks offering. Teruma, and teruma of the tithe, and teruma of the tithe of doubtfully tithed produce [demai], and ḥalla, and first fruits all join together with one another to constitute the requisite measure to prohibit a mixture with non-sacred produce, and to form the requisite measure of an olive-bulk that serves to render one obligated for their consumption in payment of an additional one-fifth over and above the principal.
קלאוד על המשנה:
This mishna elaborates on the combining principle from Mishna 4:1 by specifying which components of specific offerings combine. The burnt offering (olah) has five components that join together: the flesh and fat of the animal itself, plus the fine flour, wine, and oil of the accompanying meal offering and libation. Although these are technically separate offerings (the animal sacrifice and the mincha/nesakhim), they combine because they are all brought as a single unit.
The thanksgiving offering (todah) adds a sixth component: the bread that accompanies it. The todah is unique in requiring forty loaves of four different types, and these loaves are considered part of the offering’s package. This comprehensive combination ensures that even if someone derives small amounts of benefit from multiple components, the amounts aggregate for me’ilah liability.
The mishna then shifts to a parallel concept in the realm of terumah (priestly gifts). Five categories of priestly gifts — regular terumah, terumah of the tithe, terumah of the tithe of demai (doubtfully tithed produce), challah, and bikkurim (first fruits) — all combine to create the prohibited ratio in a mixture and to form the olive-bulk measure that triggers the one-fifth penalty for a non-kohen who eats them. Despite their different origins and levels of obligation, they share the common status of “gifts to the kohen” and therefore aggregate.
Key Terms:
- תּוֹדָה (Todah) = Thanksgiving offering — a type of peace offering brought with forty accompanying loaves, eaten for one day and one night
- נְסָכִים (Nesakhim) = Libations — the wine and meal offering (flour and oil) that accompany most animal sacrifices
- תְּרוּמָה (Terumah) = Priestly portion — approximately 1/50th of produce given to kohanim
- חַלָּה (Challah) = Dough offering — a portion separated from bread dough and given to kohanim
- דְּמַאי (Demai) = Doubtfully tithed produce — produce purchased from an am ha’aretz who may not have properly tithed it
Mishna 4:3
משנה ד:ג
Hebrew:
כָּל הַפִּגּוּלִין מִצְטָרְפִין זֶה עִם זֶה. כָּל הַנּוֹתָרִין מִצְטָרְפִין זֶה עִם זֶה. כָּל הַנְּבֵלוֹת מִצְטָרְפוֹת זוֹ עִם זוֹ. כָּל הַשְּׁרָצִים מִצְטָרְפִין זֶה עִם זֶה. דַּם הַשֶּׁרֶץ וּבְשָׂרוֹ מִצְטָרְפִין. כְּלָל אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, כֹּל שֶׁטֻּמְאָתוֹ וְשִׁעוּרוֹ שָׁוִין, מִצְטָרְפִין זֶה עִם זֶה. טֻמְאָתוֹ וְלֹא שִׁעוּרוֹ, שִׁעוּרוֹ וְלֹא טֻמְאָתוֹ, לֹא טֻמְאָתוֹ וְלֹא שִׁעוּרוֹ, אֵין מִצְטָרְפִין זֶה עִם זֶה:
English:
All the pieces of sacrificial meat that are piggul join together with one another to constitute the olive-bulk measure for liability, and all sacrificial meat that is notar joins together with one another to constitute the olive-bulk measure for liability. All animal carcasses, whose consumption is prohibited and which transmit impurity through contact with them and through carrying, join together with one another to constitute the requisite olive-bulk measure. And all repugnant creatures join together with one another to constitute the requisite olive-bulk measure to render one who consumes it liable to receive lashes. The eight creeping animals enumerated in the Torah join together to constitute the measure of a lentil-bulk, which transmits impurity through contact, and to render one who consumes it liable to receive lashes. The blood of one of the eight creeping animals listed in the Torah and their flesh join together to constitute the lentil-bulk measure to impart impurity. Rabbi Yehoshua stated a principle: With regard to any items whose impurity, in terms of degree and duration, and measure to impart impurity, are equal, e.g., two halves of an olive-bulk from two corpses or two animal carcasses or two halves of a lentil-bulk from two creeping animals, they join together to constitute the requisite measure. Rabbi Yehoshua continued: By contrast, with regard to items whose impurity is equal but their measure is not equal, e.g., a creeping animal and an animal carcass, each of which renders one impure until the evening, but the measure of a creeping animal is a lentil-bulk, whereas that of an animal carcass is an olive-bulk; or items whose measure is equal but whose impurity is not equal, e.g., a corpse and an animal carcass, with regard to which the measure of each is an olive-bulk, but the duration of the impurity imparted by a corpse is one week and the duration of the impurity imparted by an animal carcass is until the evening; or items that are equal neither in terms of their impurity nor in terms of their measure, they do not join together to constitute the requisite measure.
קלאוד על המשנה:
This mishna moves from what combines to what does not, articulating Rabbi Yehoshua’s general principle of combination for impurity. Items within the same category always combine: all piggul meats combine with each other, all notar meats combine, all animal carcasses (neveilot) combine, and all creeping animals (sheratzim) combine. For sheratzim specifically, the blood and flesh of a single creeping animal also combine to reach the lentil-bulk measure for impurity.
Rabbi Yehoshua then formulates a comprehensive rule: items combine only when they share both the same type of impurity (in degree and duration) and the same measure (shiur). If two items share their impurity type but have different measures (like a sheretz at a lentil-bulk and a neveilah at an olive-bulk), they do not combine. Similarly, if they share the same measure but differ in impurity type (like a corpse which causes seven-day impurity and a neveilah which causes impurity only until evening), they do not combine.
This principle reveals a deep structural logic in halakhic taxonomy. Combination requires complete categorical identity — not merely similarity or overlapping characteristics. Each prohibited category has its own internal integrity, and the Torah’s specification of different measures and different impurity types for different items means they are fundamentally distinct species of prohibition that cannot be mixed.
Key Terms:
- נְבֵלוֹת (Neveilot) = Animal carcasses — animals that died without proper shechitah, which transmit impurity through contact and carrying at an olive-bulk measure
- שְׁרָצִים (Sheratzim) = Creeping animals — the eight species listed in Leviticus 11:29-30 that transmit impurity at a lentil-bulk measure
- שִׁעוּר (Shiur) = Measure / threshold — the minimum quantity required to trigger a halakhic consequence
- טֻמְאָה (Tumah) = Ritual impurity — varies in degree (e.g., seven-day impurity from a corpse vs. until-evening impurity from a carcass)