Мидраш к Вайикра 2:15

(Numb. 8:1–2:) “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses saying, ‘Speak unto Aaron and say unto him, “When you set up the lamps.”’” Let our master instruct us: Is it permissible to light the Sabbath [lamp] with oil for burning¹I.e. defiled oil from the terumah (the priestly tithe on produce). So Shab. 23b. on a festival? Thus have our masters taught (in Shab. 2:2): One may not light with oil for burning on a festival. R. Ishmael says, “One may not light [it] with tar out of respect for the Sabbath.” But the sages permit all kinds of oil: Sesame oil, nut oil, radish oil, fish oil, colocynth oil, tar, or mineral oil. R. Tarfon says, “One may only make a light with olive oil alone.” R. Johanan ben Nuri rose to his feet and said, “What will the people of Babylon do, who have nothing but sesame oil? What will the people of Media do, who have nothing but nut oil? What will the people of Alexandria do, who have nothing but radish oil? And what will the people of Cappadocia do, who have neither the one nor the other but only mineral oil?” R. Tarfon said to them, “See we have found that the Holy One, blessed be He, loves olive oil in a lamp and in lighting more than all the other oils, as He repeated it and trebled it in several places. And from His great love [for it], He chose ‘clear oil of beaten olives for lighting’ (Exod. 27:20). ‘For lighting,’ but not for the offerings. And the rest of the olive was for the offerings that were sacrificed.” You know that [it is so]. See, with reference to all the [other] gifts it is only said of them (as in Lev. 2:15), “And you shall put oil upon it”;²Cf. Lev. 2:1, 6 where the same command is expressed with a different verb i.e. POUR. but with reference to the lighting of the lamp, it is written “oil of olives,” and not other oils, (in Exod. 27:20), “clear of beaten [olives] for lighting.” We find that in several places the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded about lighting the lamps with clear oil of beaten olives, and so it says (in Exod. 27:20) “And you shall command the Children of Israel to bring unto you clear oil of beaten olives.” So also it says (in Lev. 24:2, 4), “Command the Children of Israel to bring unto you clear oil of beaten olives for lighting.... Upon the unalloyed lampstand.” And here also it is written (in Numb. 8:2), “When you set up (literally, raise up) the lamps.”

(Numb. 8:1–2:) THEN THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES SAYING: SPEAK UNTO AARON AND SAY UNTO HIM: WHEN YOU SET UP THE LAMPS. Let our master instruct us. Is it legal to light <a Sabbath lamp> with oil for burning¹I.e. defiled oil from the terumah (the priestly tithe on produce). So Shab. 23b. on a festival?²Tanh. Numb. 3:1. Thus have our masters taught (in Shab. 2:2): ONE MAY NOT LIGHT <A SABBATH LAMP>³See Shab. 2:1 for the context. WITH OIL FOR BURNING ON A FESTIVAL. [R. ISHMAEL SAYS: ONE MAY NOT LIGHT <IT> WITH TAR] OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE SABBATH. BUT THE SAGES PERMIT ALL KINDS OF OIL: SESAME OIL, NUT OIL, RADISH OIL, [FISH OIL], COLOCYNTH OIL, TAR, OR MINERAL OIL. R. TARFON SAYS: ONE MAY ONLY MAKE A LIGHT WITH OLIVE OIL ALONE.⁴Similarly TShab. 2:1-4; Shab. 26a. R. Johanan ben Nuri rose to his feet and said: What will the people of Babylon do, who have nothing but sesame oil? What will the people of Media do, who have nothing but nut oil? [What will the people of Alexandria do, who have nothing but radish oil?] And what will the people of Cappadocia do, who have neither the one or the other but only mineral oil? R. Tarafon said to them: See we have found that the Holy One loves olive oil in a lamp more than all the other oils and more than all the gifts which are offered. You know that <it is so>: See, with reference to all the <other> gifts it is only said of them (as in Lev. 2:15): AND YOU SHALL PUT OIL UPON IT;⁵Cf. Lev. 2:1, 6 where the same command is expressed with a different verb i.e. POUR. but with reference to the lighting of the lamp, it is written (in Exod. 27:20): CLEAR OIL OF <BEATEN> OLIVES. [Therefore R. Tarafon said: ONE MAY ONLY MAKE A LIGHT WITH OLIVE OIL ALONE.] We also find that in several places the Holy One warned about lighting the lamps WITH CLEAR OIL OF < BEATEN > OLIVES and so it says (in Exod. 27:20): <AND YOU SHALL COMMAND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL> TO BRING UNTO YOU CLEAR OIL OF <BEATEN> OLIVES. So also it says (in Lev. 24:2, 4): [<COMMAND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL> TO BRING UNTO YOU CLEAR OIL OF <BEATEN OLIVES….:] HE SHALL SET UP THE LAMPS UPON THE UNALLOYED LAMPSTAND. And here also it warns about the lamps. Where? From what we have read about the matter (in Numb. 8:2): <SPEAK UNTO AARON AND SAY UNTO HIM:> WHEN YOU SET UP THE LAMPS….

3) (Vayikra 2:15): "And you shall put oil upon it": oil upon it, and not upon the show bread. For (if not for the exclusion) would it not be a kal vachomer (that oil should be put upon the show bread, viz.:) If the libation meal-offering, which does not require frankincense, requires oil — the show bread, which does require frankincense, how much more so should it require oil! It is, therefore, written: "upon it" — oil upon it, but not upon the show bread....

4) ("and you shall put frankincense upon it"): upon it, and not upon the libation meal-offering. For (if not for the exclusion) would it not be a kal vachomer (that frankincense should be put upon the libation meal-offering, viz.:) If the show bread, which does not require oil, requires frankincense — the libation meal-offering, which does require oil, how much more so should it require frankincense! It is, therefore, written "frankincense upon it," but not upon the libation meal-offering.

5) ("It is) a meal-offering" — to include the meal-offering of the eighth day (of the consecration of the tabernacle) as requiring frankincense. "it" — to exclude the two loaves from the requirement of oil and frankincense.

6) Does it not follow by kal vachomer (that the two loaves should be excluded from oil and frankincense? i.e., Why is "it" needed to exclude them from both? Why not just exclude them from either oil or from frankincense, and I would know by kal vachomer that they are excluded from the other, viz.:) If they are excluded from oil, which obtains with the libation meal-offering, would I not exclude them from frankincense, which does not obtain with the libation meal-offering? If they are excluded from frankincense, which obtains with the show bread, would I not exclude them from oil, which does not obtain with the show bread? — No, by this reasoning (I would derive just the opposite conclusion, viz.:) If they are excluded from oil, which does not obtain with the show bread, should they be excluded from frankincense, which does obtain with the show bread! If they are excluded from frankincense, which does not obtain with the libation meal-offering, should they be excluded from oil, which does obtain with the libation meal-offering! It is, therefore, written "it," to exclude the two loaves from the requirement of oil and frankincense.