Vayikra 5:11 · unit 7

Parashas Vayikra · Aliyah 7 · Passuk 5:11 · Unit 7 of 11

Complete Passuk

וְאִם־לֹא תַשִּׂיג יָדוֹ לִשְׁתֵּי תֹרִים אוֹ לִשְׁנֵי בְּנֵי־יוֹנָה וְהֵבִיא אֶת־קָרְבָּנוֹ אֲשֶׁר חָטָא עֲשִׂירִת הָאֵיפָה סֹלֶת לְחַטָּאת לֹא־יָשִׂים עָלֶיהָ שֶׁמֶן וְלֹא־יִתֵּן עָלֶיהָ לְבֹנָה כִּי חַטָּאת הִיא׃

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah cites Menachos.

Core Text
וְלֹא יִתֵּן עָלֶיהָ לְבֹנָה — נָתַן כְּזַיִת לְבֹנָה עַל מַשֶּׁהוּ מִנְחָה פָּסוּל; נְתִינָה בִּכְזַיִת.

“And he shall not put frankincense upon it” — if he placed a kezayit of frankincense on even a minimal amount of this minchah, it is invalid. “Putting” (netinah) is defined by a kezayit measure.

In the sugya: Unlike oil, which invalidates in any amount, levonah requires a full kezayit to effect the disqualification. Once that measure is present, even a speck of the flour is ruined.

Type of Learning

Diyuk of “yiten” as a full netinah measure — levonah requires a kezayit to effect the disqualification, unlike oil which invalidates in any amount.

What Is Learned

Once a kezayit of frankincense is placed on the chatas flour, even a speck of that flour is ruined. The measure for levonah is a kezayit; the measure for the flour that becomes pasul is any amount. The two substances therefore operate under different quantitative thresholds.