Korbanot are an oft-forgotten subject. Therefore, I'm doing a series on Korbanot, with a Korban of the day chosen daily. Yesterday, it was the Asham Me'ilot. Today, it's the Minchat Chavitin. Hope you learn something new!
Although being the High Priest comes with many perks, it can get a little costly, seeing as you have to pay for twice-daily minchah offerings. They are called Minchot Chavitin, from the Machavat pan that is used.
However, regarding the specifics of the of the offering, there are many questions. When the verse says to bring 1/10 of an ephah, half in the morning and half in the afternoon, does it mean to make two offerings of 1/20 of an ephah? Or to make the whole thing once and split it?
Also, the pasuk doesn't mandate exactly if the flour should be seasoned with frankincense. Should it?
Additionally, seeing as it is described as Tamid, does its importance supersede the no-Korban rule of Shabbat (which is only otherwise broken for the musafim of Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh, and the Korban Tamid)?
And finally,what does the word Machavat, translated here as a griddle, actually mean (as opposed to any other pan)?
(ה) חבתי כהן גדול, לא היו באות חציים , אלא מביא עשרון שלם, וחוצהו, ומקריב מחצה בבקר, ומחצה בין הערבים.וכהן שהקריב מחצה בשחרית ומת ומנו כהן אחר תחתיו, לא יביא חצי עשרון מביתו , ולא חצי עשרונו של ראשון, אלא מביא עשרון שלם, וחוצהו, ומקריב מחצה, ומחצה אבד.נמצאו שני חציים קרבין, ושני חציים אובדין, לא מנו כהן אחר, משל מי היתה קרבה.רבי שמעון אומר, משל צבור.רבי יהודה אומר, משל יורשים.ושלמה היתה קרבה.
(5) The high priest’s griddle-cakes cannot be brought in [two separate] halves. Rather, he must bring a whole tenth and then divide it, offering a half in the morning and a half towards evening. If a [high] priest offered half in the morning and then died and they appointed another priest in his place, [the successor] may not bring a half-tenth from his house, neither [may he use] the remaining half-tenth of the first [high priest]. Rather, he must bring a whole tenth and divide it, and offer one half and leaving the other half goes to waste. It turns out that two halves are offered and two halves go to waste. If they did not appoint another priest in his place, from whose [expense] was it offered? Rabbi Shimon says: from the community; Rabbi Yehudah says: from his heirs, and [both agreee that] a whole [tenth] was offered.
This explains that although the offering is brought in two pieces, we make a double portion first and split it, instead of making the two halves separately.The non-bolded text of the Mishnah, unimportant to a simple discussion like ours, goes on to explain some technical Halachot regarding the death of the Kohen Gadol.
(ג) יש טעונות שמן ולבונה, שמן ולא לבונה, לבונה ולא שמן, לא שמן ולא לבונה.ואלו טעונות שמן ולבונה, מנחת הסלת, והמחבת, והמרחשת, והחלות, והרקיקין, מנחת כהנים, ומנחת כהן משיח, ומנחת גוים, ומנחת נשים, ומנחת העמר .מנחת נסכין טעונה שמן, ואין טעונה לבונה.לחם הפנים טעון לבונה, ואין טעון שמן.שתי הלחם, מנחת חוטא, ומנחת קנאות, לא שמן ולא לבונה.
(3) Some [grain offerings] require oil and frankincense, some require oil but not frankincense, some frankincense but not oil, and some neither oil nor frankincense. These require oil and frankincense: the grain offering of fine flour, that prepared on a griddle, that prepared in a pan, the cakes and the wafers, the grain offering of the priests, the grain offering of the anointed high priest, the grain offering of a non-Jew, the grain offering of women, and the grain offering of the omer [The special barley offering, offered the day after Pesach, which permits grain harvested in the last year to be eaten]. The grain offering offered with the libations requires oil but not frankincense. The showbread requires frankincense but not oil. The two loaves, the sinner's grain offering and the grain offering of jealousy require neither oil nor frankincense.
Question Number 2 is also answered by the Mishnah. The Minchat Chavitin, although not stated completely in the Torah, requires both oil and frankincense, which are added to meal offering for the purpose of making them more pleasant on the nose. These additions may have been referred to in the words of the verse, "Rei'ach Nicho'ach L'Adonai- a pleasing aroma to the Lord." (BTW: It's not that Hashem has a nose, but rather, He wants to make sure that we respect His offerings by making them pleasant.)
(א) ...יש בקרבנות הצבור מה שאין בקרבנות היחיד, שקרבנות הצבור דוחין את השבת ואת הטמאה, וקרבנות היחיד אינן דוחים לא את השבת ולא את הטמאה.אמר רבי מאיר, והלא חבתי כהן גדול ופר יום הכפורים קרבן יחיד ודוחין את השבת ואת הטמאה.אלא שזמנן קבוע.
(1) ... There are [aspects] of public sacrifices which are not [aspects] of individual sacrifices, [namely,]that [offering] public sacrifices sets aside Shabbat [prohibitions] and [priestly] impurity, and individual sacrifices do set aside neither Shabbat [prohibitions] nor [priestly] impurity. Rabbi Meir said: and are not the High Priest's grain-offering and [his] cow-offering on Yom Kippur individual sacrifices, yet they set aside Shabbat [prohibitions] and [priestly] impurity? Rather, [the reason that certain offering set aside Shabbat and impurity is] because their time [for their offering] is fixed.
While trying to illustrate a different point, R' Meir points out a fact that is relevant to the Minchat Chavitin discussion. One of his proofs of his opinion is that the Chavitin of the Kohen Gadol push off Shabbat- meaning, that even though it is forbidden to cook, knead, etc. on Shabbat, we make an exception for the Minchat Chavitin.
This solves the question of what a Machavat truly is. We can now describe it as a hard, uncovered cooking surface, like a modern frying pan, where the dough inside is cooked/fried until hard.
(ב) מנחת כהנים ומנחת כהן משיח ומנחת נסכים, למזבח, ואין בהם לכהנים. בזה יפה כח המזבח מכח הכהנים.שתי הלחם ולחם הפנים, לכהנים, ואין בהם למזבח. ובזה יפה כח הכהנים מכח המזבח.
(2) The grain offering of the priests and the grain offering of the anointed high priest, and the grain offering offered with the libations are [wholly] for the altar and the priests have no share in them. With these the altar has greater power than the priests. The two loaves and the showbread are eaten by the priests and the altar has no share in them; with these the priests have greater power than the altar.
Little bit of background: Most Minchah offerings are mostly eaten by humans, with only one scoop being burnt. However, to quote the verses about the Minchat Chavitin: "Kalil Tikateir- It should be burnt completely." This Mishnah explains that.