Menachot 21 – Wooden Blocks are Also Sacrifices

According to Rabbi Yehudah the Prince, one can bring wood blocks as a standalone sacrifice. The minimum in this case would be two blocks, and their dimensions are one by one cubit. Since it is a sacrifice, it requires two more blocks of wood to burn it, like any other sacrifice.

Rabbi Yehudah derives this opinion from the words “flour offering sacrifice.” Since flour offering is already a sacrifice, this means some other offering, namely wood. Moreover, just like flour, wood offering needs to be salted. And, just like flour, one needs to take off a handful. For this, one needs to chip away at it, until a handful is collected.

The salt was stored in the Temple in three places: in the chamber of salt – for the hides, on the ramp – for the limbs, and at the top of the Altar – because there they would salt the handful of flour, its frankincense, and the incense.

Art: William H. Snape - Chopping Firewood