Menachot 99 - April 20, 3 Iyar

The Gemara raises a difficulty regarding the opinion that the Table (Shulchan) was positioned in an east-west orientation. It resolves this by explaining that the Table crafted by Moses was not placed centrally between the other rows of tables, but rather stood on the western side, close to the Parochet, not in between the others. Regarding the ten Tables and ten Menoras added by King Solomon, there is a Tannaic dispute: were they purely decorative - with only the one from Moshe's time being used for the service - or were the lamps lit and the bread arranged on all of them? In addition to the main Table, two other tables stood in the Ulam (the Entrance Hall) to serve as transition stations for the showbread. One was made of marble (or silver), where the bread was placed before being brought into the Sanctuary, and the other was made of gold, where the bread was placed upon its removal. This distinction is based on the halakhic principle "ma'alin b'kodesh v'lo moridin" (one ascends in holiness but does not descend). Since the bread had already been on a golden table inside the Sanctuary, it could not be placed on a table of lesser value when being taken out. The Gemara finds support for this concept in the fact that the broken Tablets were placed in the Ark also. This leads to a discussion on the importance of preserving one's Torah learning and the gravity of forgetting it, while emphasizing that one must still honor a Torah scholar who has forgotten his learning due to circumstances beyond his control. The Mishna brings a tannaitic debate about how the bread was replaced each week, based on how each opinion understands the word "tamid" (continually) regarding the showbread. This triggers a fundamental debate regarding the mitzvah of Torah study and the verse, "This book of the Torah shall not depart (lo yamush) from your mouth." While some view this as a mandate to toil in Torah at every available moment, Rabbi Yochanan suggests that even a person who recites the Shema in the morning and evening has fulfilled "lo yamush." For such an individual, it is considered as if they had occupied themselves with Torah day and night.