This Mishnah will talk about the Kelim (vessels) used to measure the flour for the Menachot (meal offerings) in the Beit HaMikdash. Mishnah says: There were two types of measures for dry items like flour that were used in the Beit HaMikdash: an isaron (one-tenth measure) and a half isaron. They had the regular isaron measurement and also a half-isaron measurement. Depending on what was needed, they would use either the isaron or the half isaron.
Rabbi Meir said, “No, there were three types of measurements. There were two different types of an isaron measurement, and also a half-isaron measurement.” According to Rabbi Meir, the two types of isaron measures were a Mechukah, a leveled measurement, and a Gedushah, which was heaping. The leveled measure told us exactly an isaron when the flour was flat on top of the container. The Gedushah, the heaping measure, was a little bit smaller and held an isaron when the top was overflowing and there was a little heap, a little mountain of flour on top of that measuring utensil.
They used the heaping measure when they were bringing the Menachot, usually because it was considered to be a Hiddur Mitzvah. It was an enhancement. It was an enhancement of the Mitzvah (commandment) to have a pile of flour on top of the measuring cup. It looked like a more beautiful way of serving Hashem in abundance. The leveled measure was used for the Menachot Chavitin (pan offering) of the Kohen Gadol (High Priest), which contained a full isaron. The flour of this Mincha (meal offering) was divided up into two halves afterwards. If you had a heaped measure, if you had the mountain, the little mountain on top, then the flour was likely to spill onto the floor.
Rabbi Meir learns this out from the Pasuk (verse), where it says, “Isaron Isaron” (a tenth, a tenth), a repetitious word over here. Therefore, he learns that there were two separate measurements of an isaron. But the Tanna Kamma (first Tanna), who said there was only one isaron measure, based this on other Pesukim, which said, so we only have one isaron mentioned over there. So that’s how they both get to their opinions.
What function did the isaron measure serve? A person would measure the flour for all the Menachot using this measuring cup of the isaron—not only for the Menachot that required a single isaron, but, as we’ll elaborate, even for the Menachot that needed more than an isaron, they would use this as well. Some Menachot needed more than one isaron of flour. For example, with the bull, they would need three isaron of flour to be offered with the bull as the Nesachim (libations). When it came to the ayil, they would need two isaron of flour for the Mincha that was brought with the ram. They wouldn’t use a big one that held three, or one that held two isaron. Rather, they would measure the flour of these Menachot using this single-isaron Kli, and they would bring it one isaron at a time.
What did they do with the half-isaron measuring cup? What would it do? Who was measuring the flour for the Menachot Chavitin when it was divided into two? Half the flour was offered in the morning, and half was offered in the afternoon. The Menachot Chavitin, which we mentioned earlier in the Masechet (tractate), was brought every day as one isaron. Half was brought in the morning and half in the afternoon. The isaron was divided up into two halves using this Kli of the half isaron, and half an isaron was then kneaded. It was made into six loaves, and each one of them was made into six loaves, for a total of 12 loaves. The 12 loaves were baked and then divided in halves. 12 of those halves would be offered in the morning, and 12 in the afternoon.