Study Chagigah folio 24A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
לא נצרכא אלא לשירי מנחה. דאורייתא, צריך לכלי — הכלי מצרפו, שאין צריך לכלי — אין כלי מצרפו.
R' Akiva’s testimony is not needed to teach the basic halakha that a vessel combines its ingredients, which is Torah law; it is necessary only for the remainders of the meal-offering, the part of a meal-offering left over after a fistful of it and its frankincense have been sacrificed on the altar, which is eaten by a priest. In such a case the halakha of combining applies only by rabbinic law, for by Torah law only when an item requires a vessel in order for it to be sanctified does the vessel combine it with regard to impurity, even if its parts are not touching each other. But in the case of something that does not require a vessel, the vessel does not combine it. The remainder of a meal-offering no longer requires a vessel, since it is given to a priest after the fistful is sacrificed, so the flour in a vessel would not be considered combined according to Torah law.
ואתו רבנן וגזרו דאף על גב דאינו צריך לכלי — כלי מצרפו.
And the rabbis came and decreed that even if something does not require a vessel, such as the leftover flour of the meal-offering, the vessel nevertheless combines it.
תינח סלת, קטורת ולבונה מאי איכא למימר? אמר רב נחמן אמר רבה בר אבוה: כגון שצברן על גבי קרטבלא. דאורייתא, יש לו תוך — מצרף, אין לו תוך — אינו מצרף, ואתו רבנן ותקינו דאף על גב דאין לו תוך — מצרף.
The Talmud raises a difficulty: It works out well in the case of flour, which can be said to refer to the flour left over from meal-offerings, but with regard to incense and frankincense, what is there to say? In these cases a vessel is certainly required, but if the halakha of combining applies to them from the Torah, why did R' Akiva include them in his list? Rav Naḥman said that Rabba bar Avuh said: For example: if he piled them up on a leather board [kartavla], rather than in a containing vessel. By Torah law a vessel that has an inside combines its ingredients, but one that is flat and does not have an inside does not combine. And the rabbis came and decreed that even if it does not have an inside it nevertheless combines what is placed on it.