Menachot 82 – One Can't Use Tithe In Place of Regular Produce

As we learned before, if one says, “I promise to bring a thanksgiving offering,” he may bring it only from regular unconsecrated funds, and not from tithe. Why is this? – The Torah said, “You shall slaughter the passover offering to God, your Lord, flocks and cattle.” However, this cannot be understood literally, because the passover offering can come only from lambs and goats, and not from cattle. Then what does the word “cattle” teach us? To compare every other offering to the passover one, and say that just as a passover offering is an obligatory sacrifice that can be brought only from your own regular funds, so too every obligatory offering may be brought only from regular funds, and not from tithe.

When one promises to bring a thanksgiving or a peace offering, he creates an obligation, and every obligatory offering must be brought from his own funds. Even when in his obligation he specifies to bring the animal from tithe, still the libations must come from regular funds – because all tithe must be eaten, and libations are not eaten but are rather completely offered on the Altar.

Art: Jehan Georges Vibert - An Afternoon Libation