Hey there, and welcome back to Take One, the podcast that brings you just one

perfectly ordinary page of Talmud each day because today's pages

Menachot 103 and 104 sing the praises of the perfectly ordinary.

Behold, one who says, it is incumbent upon me to bring a meal offering from barley should

bring the meal offering from wheat as voluntary meal offerings are brought exclusively from

wheat. One who says it is incumbent upon me to bring a meal offering from flour should bring the

meal offering from fine flour, as it is written, his offering should be a fine flower.

If one vows to bring a meal offering without oil and without frankincense, he should bring it

with oil and frankincense as voluntary meal offerings without oil and without frankincense, he should bring it with oil and

frankincense as voluntary meal offerings require oil and frankincense.

What, the rabbis are asking, what happens? If some dude wants to go all extra special,

super fancy, and bring a primo, grade A, top of the line, luxury, mincha offering.

I mean, after all, these things are voluntary.

What if some Temple Time finance hotshots, say,

decides that wheat is for poor losers

and that real winners should offer bespoke barley.

Again, shouldn't he be allowed to do so?

As, again, the whole offering is voluntary?

No can do, say the rabbis.

The rules of the offering are the rules of the offering, and you cannot change them.

You cannot offer less, but also you cannot offer more. At first glance,

this is pretty obvious. Isn't having strict rules precisely the purpose of religion? I mean,

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