Menachot 65 – How Was the Barley Offering on Passover Brought

The barley for the offering should come from a place closest to Jerusalem, so as not to pass over a mitzvah. However, once it happened that they brought it from a far away place called Gagot Tzerifin.

When the two rulers, descendants of the Maccabeans, fought, one of them besieged Jerusalem. Those inside kept bringing sacrifices which they bought from the assailants. One old man in Jerusalem transmitted to the assailants through signs that the sacrifices shielded Jerusalem, and the next time when they lowered the basket with money, back came a pig. It stuck its hooves into the wall of Jerusalem, and the whole Land of Israel shook. It was at this time that they could not find any barley, but one mute man came and put one hand on a roof (gag) and another on a hut (tzerif). Mordechai was there and said, “Is there a place called Gagot Tzerifin or Tzerifin Gagot?” They searched and found barley there.

Before Passover they prepared the barley by tying it into bundles. On the night after the first day of Passover, a crowd went to that field. Once it became dark, the reaper would ask them, “Has the sun set?” and they answered “Yes.” This dialog repeated three times. Then he asked “This sickle?”, “This basket?” and they would answer yes, and repeat. On Shabbat, he would ask “Is it Shabbat?” Then he would say, “Shall I reap?”, they would answer “Reap!” This repeated three times. Why was all this necessary? Because of those who said that the barley had to be brought on the first Saturday night after the Festival.

Art: George Morland - A Boy Looking into a Pig Sty