שמות, פרק כ״ט, פסוק מ׳

The daily sacrifice was accompanied by additions of flour, oil, and wine. Together, these elements represent the entirety of human existence and abundance. They symbolize the food, well-being, and joy a person receives from God, which are then dedicated back to the Creator [רש״ר הירש]. Additionally, these offerings contain a deep secret hinting at the divine attribute of strict justice [רקנאטי].

The required measure of fine flour is a tenth of an ephah, a volume equivalent to slightly more than forty-three eggs [רש״י, מזרחי, דברי דוד]. This exact amount corresponds to the daily portion of manna that fell for each person in the wilderness, symbolizing the basic food ration God provides to humanity. This fine, unbaked wheat flour represents a natural gift that has not yet undergone any fundamental human alteration [רש״ר הירש].

The flour is mixed with oil, creating a moist blend where the ingredients merge into one and lose their original forms, unlike a dry mixture where each component remains distinct [הכתב והקבלה]. The oil used is crushed, produced by gently rubbing and pounding the olives to break their skins and extract pure liquid without applying heavy force [הכתב והקבלה, רלב״ג]. While the Menorah strictly requires this pristine crushed oil, the meal offering does not. The specification of crushed oil here actually teaches that even oil ground in a mill—which is invalid for lighting the Menorah—is perfectly acceptable for this offering [רש״י, רלב״ג, ביאור יש״ר]. Furthermore, unlike the oil used for illumination, the oil for the meal offering must be fit for human consumption [העמק דבר].

The required quantity of oil is a quarter of a hin. The hin is an ancient unit of measurement originating from Egypt [אבן עזרא] that contains twelve logs, making a quarter of a hin equal to three logs [רש״י, מזרחי]. The specific terminology used for this measurement implies a generous, overflowing amount. It includes even the liquid that spills over the sides of the measuring vessel, which becomes sanctified alongside the offering itself [רש״ר הירש].

Alongside the meal offering comes a wine libation, which some maintain was mixed with water [אבן עזרא]. The act of libation involves pouring the liquid quickly and forcefully, spreading it across the surface [הכתב והקבלה]. However, the wine was not poured directly onto the altar's fire. Instead, it was poured into special silver cups positioned on the roof of the altar. These cups featured thin, snout-like perforations through which the wine flowed down into deep cavities in the altar's foundation, reaching all the way to the abyss. During the First Temple era, the wine seeped into the ground from the floor adjacent to the altar, but in the Second Temple, the altar was expanded and the perforations were integrated directly into its structure [רש״י, ברכת אשר].

The pouring of the wine marked the climax of the Temple service. The moment the priest bent down to pour, a spectacular musical ceremony commenced. The deputy priest waved cloths, cymbals were struck, and the Levites broke into the daily psalm. This daily song was carefully chosen to correspond with the specific act of creation that occurred on that day of the week. As the Levites sang, whenever they reached the end of a section, the priests blew their trumpets, and the entire congregation bowed down to God [רבנו בחיי, רבנו חננאל].