Leviticus 2:6-11
6 After baking the loaves, break each one into two pieces, and then each half in two, so the priest will later be able to easily remove the memorial portion. You must then pour the rest of the log of oil over the loaves. It is a grain-offering, and all grain-offerings must have the remainder of their log of oil poured on them (except the two types baked in an oven, as above).
Third Reading
7 If your sacrifice is a grain-offering fried in a deep frying pan, it must be made of one-tenth of an ephah of fine wheat flour mixed with a log of oil. Here, too, the flour is first placed in a vessel containing some of the required log of oil; it is then mixed with some more of this oil and kneaded into ten loaves. But since in this case the frying pan is deep, enough oil will remain to soften the dough, so the resulting loaves will be elastic and will therefore quiver. After frying the loaves, break each one in half and then each the half into quarters, so the priest will later be able to easily remove the memorial portion. After this, pour the rest of the log of oil over them.
8 Thus you must bring to God the grain-offering that will be made from any of these five preparations of flour. In each case, the offerer must bring it to the priest, and the priest must bring it close to the southwest corner of the Altar.
9 What was said above regarding the unbaked grain-offering applies to all these types of grain-offerings: The priest must lift out the memorial fistful from the grain-offering and burn it up on the Altar. Removing the memorial portion from the flour mixture or broken loaves must be performed with the intention that it be a fire-offering, i.e., destined to be consumed by fire, and that it be pleasing to God. It is usually poor people who bring grain-offerings, for this is all they can afford. Nevertheless, because their personal sacrifice (in offering up their only food) is greater than that of those who can afford to offer up more expensive sacrifices, God is especially appreciative of their offering, considering it as if they had offered up their very selves.
10 Similarly, the remainder of every grain-offering is to be treated the same way as the remainder of the unbaked grain-offering: it will belong to the priests: first Aaron (or after him, the then-current high priest) will take whatever portion of it he chooses, and then his sons (or after them, the officiating priests) will take whatever is left, dividing it up among themselves. Nonetheless, their portion is still considered an offering of superior holiness, and therefore they may only eat it from the point in time when the memorial portion has been burned up on the Altar as one of the fire-offerings of God. If, however, the offerer is himself a priest, then his grain-offering must be burned up in its entirety; none of it may be eaten. Nonetheless, oil and frankincense must still be added to the flour.
11 No grain-offering that you sacrifice to God may be made out of anything leavened, for you must not burn up any leavening agents or any sweet fruits as a fire-offering to God.
Chasidic Insights
9 Considering it as if they had offered up their very selves: When we bring a beautiful animal as an offering to God, we are liable to take pride in our generosity and in the fact that we have fulfilled God’s will in the best and most beautiful manner. In contrast, when all we can afford to bring God is a meager grain-offering, such feelings of pride are most likely absent; the sole reason we are bringing our sacrifice is to subjugate ourselves to Him. It is therefore specifically the grain-offering of a poor person that most eloquently expresses the essence of the sacrifices, the offering up of ourselves to God. When we truly negate our sense of self and undertake to serve God with simple and direct faith rather than for any ulterior motives or personal ambitions, we are assured of acceptance and atonement. This selflessness is embodied most in the approach of the poor man, which is why it is about him specifically that God says: “I consider it as if he offered up his very self.”
11 For you must not burn up any (literally, “all”) leavening agents or any (literally, “all”) sweet fruits as a fire-offering to God. Rabbi Shmuel of Lubavitch interpreted this verse homiletically: One who is always sour (like leavening) or always sweet without ever changing and showing signs of life cannot be a fire-offering to God.
