Menachot 60 – Bringing Near and Waving

“Bringing near” is a step unique to flour offerings. It involves taking the vessel with the offering and touching it to the southwestern corner of the Altar. This is done prior to taking off a handful. “Waving” is required for many offerings, including some flour offerings.

There are offerings that require bringing near, but do not require waving: fine-flour offerings brought as free-will offerings, those cooked on a griddle, in a pan, loaves, wafers, the daily offering of a High Priest, the offering of a non-Jew, and the offering of a sinner.

Rabbi Shimon disagrees and says that the flour offering of a kohen and that of a High Priest do not require bringing near, since they do not require taking off a handful but are instead burned completely on the Altar – and the rule is that any offering that does not require taking off a handful also does not require bringing it near the Altar.

Art: Jozef Israels- Waving goodbye to father