handful

There, it was stated: “The following flour offerings have a handful taken and the remainders are eaten.” Rebbi Abba bar Mamal and Rebbi [Samuel] bar Rav Isaac were sitting together. Rebbi Abba bar Mamal asked from Rebbi Samuel bar Rav Isaac: From where [do we know that] the remainders of the ‘Omer offering are eaten? He said to him: Did not Rebbi Joḥanan say in the name of Rebbi Ismael: “Offering of, offering of.” Since “offering of” mentioned there is from barley, so also “offering of” mentioned here is from barley. Since the remainders of the offering of the suspected wife are eaten, so the remainders of the ‘Omer offering are eaten. Rebbi (Aqiba) said: After they got up, Rebbi Abba bar Mamal was standing with Rebbi Jeremiah. He said to him: Look, how he made your question fly away! From where [do we know that] the remainders of the offering of the suspected wife are eaten? Rebbi Ze‘ira brought Rebbi Isaac Aṭoshiyya, who stated for him: “Any flour offering mixed with oil”. Where do we hold? If about mixed wheat flour, it already had been said. So if it does not refer to mixed wheat flour, apply it to mixed barley flour. Another [baraita] states: “Or dry”. Where do we hold? If about dry wheat flour, it already had been said. So if it does not refer to dry wheat flour, apply it to dry barley flour. Rebbi Yose said, we deal with mixed wheat flour and dry wheat flour, and it was said for a purpose. “[It] shall belong to all sons of Aaron, to each man as to his brother.” A man takes his part even if he is blemished. A minor does not take a part even if he is unblemished. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said: Because the Torah added a detail in one case, can you add that in every case? But “remembrance, remembrance”. “You shall bring,” to include the ‘Omer flour offering in presentations. “He shall present it,” to include the suspected wife’s flour offering in presentations. It is written after that: “What is left from the offering is most holy for Aaron and his sons.”

He had a sign. For R. Hannah b. Bizna said in the name of R. Simeon Hasida : There was a harp hanging above David's bed, and when the time of midnight arrived a North wind came and blew upon it, so that it produced melody. He used immediately to rise and occupy himself with Torah until the break of dawn. At the rise of dawn, the wise men of Israel entered his presence and said to him, "Our lord, the king, thy people Israel are in need of sustenance." He answered them, "Go, let each sustain himself from the other." They said to him, "A handful cannot satisfy a lion, nor can a pit be filled with its own clods." He said to them, "Go, stretch forth your hands with the army."

The one on the west was for water. Our Rabbis taught: It once happened that a certain Sadducee who poured the water libation over his feet and all the people pelted him with their etrogs. On that day the horn of the altar became damaged, and they brought a handful of salt and stopped it up, not because the altar was thereby rendered valid for the service, but merely in order that it should not appear damaged.

“Then Haman took the clothes and the horse.” He went and found [Mordecai] with the Rabbis sitting before him while he showed them the rules of the “handful.” When Mordecai saw him approaching and leading the horse, he became frightened and said to the Rabbis: This villain is coming to kill me. Get out of his way so that you should not be burned by his ember. Mordecai thereupon drew his robe around him and stood up to pray. Haman came in and sat down before them and waited until Mordecai had finished his prayer.

He said to him: What have you been discussing? He replied: When the Temple stood, if a man brought a meal-offering he used to offer a handful of fine flour and make atonement with it. Haman said to them: Your handful of fine flour has come and displaced my ten thousand talents of silver. Mordecai said to him: Wicked one, if a slave acquires property, whose is the slave and whose is the property?

He said to him: What have you been discussing? He replied: When the Temple stood, if a man brought a meal-offering he used to offer a handful of fine flour and make atonement with it. Haman said to them: Your handful of fine flour has come and displaced my ten thousand talents of silver. Mordecai said to him: Wicked one, if a slave acquires property, whose is the slave and whose is the property?

for slaughtering [the sacrifices]; for waving [them]; for bringing near [the vessel with the minhah-offering to the altar]; for taking a handful; for placing it on the fire; for pinching off [the head of a bird-offering]; for receiving the blood [in a vessel]; for sprinkling [the blood on the altar]; for making the sotah drink [the bitter waters];

And for bringing near, for it is compared to waving, as it is written, “And the priest shall take the minhah offering of jealousy out of the woman’s hand, and shall wave the meal-offering . . . And bring it near [to the altar]” (Numbers 5:25). And for pinching and for taking a handful and for burning and for sprinkling, as it is written, “On the day that He commanded the children of Israel [to present their offerings]” (Leviticus 7:35).