Study Keritot folio 5B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
וכי נס אחד נעשה בשמן המשחה? והלא נסים הרבה נעשו בו מתחלתו ועד סופו, תחלתו לא היה אלא שנים עשר לוג, ובו נמשח המשכן וכליו ואהרן ובניו כל שבעת ימי המלואים, ובו נמשחו כהנים גדולים ומלכים, וכולו קיים לעתיד לבא,
And was just one miracle performed with the anointing oil? But many miracles were performed with it, from its initial preparation to its end. He explains: Its initial preparation was only the measure of 12 log, and even so the Tabernacle and its vessels were anointed with it, and likewise Aaron and his sons were anointed with it all the 7 days of inauguration, and High Priests and kings were anointed with it throughout the generations, and yet despite the reduction in the amount of oil during its preparation process, as well as its multiple uses throughout history, it all remains intact for its use in the future.
שנאמר: ״שמן משחת קדש יהיה זה לי לדרתיכם״ – ״זה״ בגימטריא שנים עשר לוגין הויין.
R' Yehuda adds that this is as it is stated: “This [zeh] should be a sacred anointing oil to Me throughout your generations” (Exodus 30:31). The word zeh has a numerical value [bigimatriya] of 12, which teaches that the original 12 log of oil that existed at the outset are extant throughout all the generations. If so, i.e., if such miracles were performed in connection with the oil, it is no wonder that its initial preparation was miraculous.
תנו רבנן ״ויקח משה את שמן המשחה וימשח את המשכן וגו׳״, רבי יהודה אומר: שמן המשחה שעשה משה במדבר הרבה נסים נעשו בו מתחלתו ועד סופו: תחלתו לא היה אלא שנים עשר לוגין, כמה יורה בולעת, כמה עיקרין בולעין, כמה האור שורף, ובו נמשח משכן וכליו, אהרן ובניו כל שבעת ימי המלואים,
A baraita states: “And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the Tabernacle and all that was in it and sanctified them” (Leviticus 8:10). R' Yehuda says: With regard to the anointing oil that Moses prepared in the wilderness, many miracles were performed with it, from its initial preparation to its end. Its initial preparation was only 12 log; consider how much of it a cauldron absorbs from what is cooked inside it, and how much of it the roots of the plants absorb, how much of it the fire burns, and yet the Tabernacle, and its vessels, and Aaron, and his sons were all anointed with it all 7 days of the inauguration.