The commandment of the sacrifice of the new meal-offering from wheat on the day of [Shavuot]: To sacrifice leavened bread from the new wheat on the day of the festival of Shavuot. And that is what is called in Scripture, “a new offering” (Leviticus 23:15). And they are two loaves, as it is written (Leviticus 23:16), “From your inhabitations you shall bring bread of waving, two of two issaron.” And the matter was such that they would bring three seah of new wheat and rub them and pound them in the way of all of the meal-offerings. And they would grind them and sift two issaron in twelve sieves. And they would take them and make two loaves from them and bring leavening (Menachot 52b) and put it into the issaron. And the length of each loaf was three handbreadths and its width was four, and its height was [the span of] four fingers (Menachot 96a). And they were square; and they were baked on the eve of the holiday. And on the morrow after their waving, they were eaten by the priests that whole day and half the night (Menachot 100b). And that meal-offering is the first of all of the meal-offerings [of that crop] of wheat. And with the bread, they would sacrifice seven unblemished sheep, one young bull and two rams for a burnt-offering, a goat for a sin-offering and two lambs for a peace-offering — and these are the sacrifices spoken about in [the Book of Numbers]. All of this was brought with the bread besides the additional offering of the day which was two bulls, one ram and seven lambs for a burnt-offering, and one goat for a sin-offering — and these are the sacrifices spoken about in the Book of Leviticus. And it was elucidated explicitly so in the fourth chapter of Menachot 45b that this sacrifice would come with the bread, separate from the additional sacrifice of the day. And after the waving of the bread, it was eaten by the priests with the lambs of the peace-offerings.
I have written from that which also suffices for the roots of the commandment of the two breads in the commandment of the omer, from the angle of the simple understanding. And my heart also tells me about the matter that because of [the following] was the commandment of wheat to be an offering of loaves of bread, and in the offering of barley with flour. Since wheat is for the food of man — and so it is fitting to prepare it in a way that man would enjoy and be nourished from it. And all of this is from the root that we planted at the beginning of the matter of the sacrifice from the angle of the simple understanding — that through the deed is the thought of a man aroused to things (Sefer HaChinukh 95). And therefore, according to the importance of the sacrifice and its goodly preparation is the heart of a man more aroused to it.
From the laws of the commandment is that which they said (Menachot 73b) that if they did not find new [wheat], they can bring it from the [storehouse]; and that one should not bring wheat that descended from the clouds at the outset, because there is a doubt if I call this, “from your inhabitations,” or not. But if he brought it, it is fit. The kneading of the two breads and their forming is outside [the courtyard] and its baking is inside, like all of the meal-offerings. And their baking does not push off [the prohibition of work on] the holiday, as it is stated (Exodus 12:16), “shall be done for you” — and not for the higher realm. The waving of the bread with the lambs of the peace-offerings was done while they were still alive. And the high priest takes one of the loaves, and the second is divided for all of the shifts. And the rest of its details are elucidated in Menachot, Chapters 4, 5, 8 and 11. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Daily Offerings and Additional Offerings 8.)
מִצְוַת קָרְבַּן מִנְחָה חֲדָשָׁה מִן הַחִטִּים בְּיוֹם עֲצֶרֶת – לְהַקְרִיב בְּיוֹם חַג הַשָּׁבוּעוֹת לֶחֶם חָמֵץ מִן חִטָּה חֲדָשָׁה, וְזֶהוּ נִקְרָא בַּכָּתוּב מִנְחָה חֲדָשָׁה, וְהֵם שְׁתֵּי כִּכָּרוֹת כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (ויקרא כג טז יז) מִמּוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם תָּבִיאּוּ לֶחֶם תְּנוּפָה שְׁתַּיִם שְׁנֵי עֶשְׂרֹנִים. וְהָעִנְיָן הָיָה כֵּן, (מנחות עו א ב) שֶׁהָיוּ מְבִיאִין שָׁלֹשׁ סְאִין חִטִּים חֲדָשׁוֹת וְשָׁפִין אוֹתָן וּבוֹעֲטִין בָּהֶן כְּדֶרֶךְ כָּל הַמְּנָחוֹת, וְטוֹחֲנִין אוֹתָם וּמְנִיפִין מֵהֶן שְׁנֵי עֶשְׂרוֹנִים בִּשְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה נָפָה, וְלוֹקְחִין אוֹתָן וְעוֹשִׂין מֵהֶן שְׁתֵּי חַלּוֹת וּמֵבִיא שְׂאוֹר (שם נב, ב) וְנוֹתְנוֹ לְתוֹךְ הָעִשָּׂרוֹן, וְאֹרֶךְ כָּל חַלָּה (שם צו, א) שִׁבְעָה טְפָחִים, וְרָחְבָּהּ אַרְבָּעָה, וְגָבְהָהּ אַרְבַּע אֶצְבָּעוֹת, וּמְרֻבָּעוֹת הָיוּ, וְאוֹפִין אוֹתָן מֵעֶרֶב יוֹם טוֹב, וּלְמָחָר אַחַר הֲנָפָתָן הָיוּ נֶאֱכָלוֹת לַכֹּהֲנִים כָּל אוֹתוֹ יוֹם וַחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה (שם ק ב), וְאוֹתָהּ מִנְחָה הִיא רִאשׁוֹנָה לְכָל הַמְּנָחוֹת הַבָּאוֹת מִן הַחִטִּים. וּמַקְרִיבִים עִם הַלֶּחֶם, שִׁבְעָה כְּבָשִׂים תְּמִימִים וּפַר בֶּן בָּקָר אֶחָד וְאֵילִם שְׁנָיִם לְעוֹלָה, וְשָׂעִיר לְחַטָּאת, וּשְׁנֵי כְּבָשִׂים לִשְׁלָמִים, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת הָאֲמוּרִים בְּחֻמָּשׁ הַפְּקוּדִים כָּל זֶה הָיָה קָרֵב עִם הַלֶּחֶם, מִלְּבַד קָרְבָּן מוּסַף הַיּוֹם שֶׁהוּא שְׁנֵי פָּרִים וְאַיִל אֶחָד וְשִׁבְעָה כְבָשִׂים לְעֹלָה, וּשְׂעִיר עִזִּים לְחַטָּאת, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת הָאֲמוּרוֹת בְּסֵפֶר וַיִּקְרָא. וּבְפֵרוּשׁ נִתְבָּאֵר כֵּן בְּפֶרֶק רְבִיעִי מִמְּנָחוֹת (מה, ב) שֶׁזֶּה הַקָּרְבָּן, יָבֹא עִם הַלֶּחֶם, חָלוּק מִמּוּסַף הַיּוֹם, וְאַחַר הֲנָפַת הַלֶּחֶם, הָיָה נֶאֱכָל לַכֹּהֲנִים עִם כִּבְשֵׂי הַשְּׁלָמִים.
The commandment of the sacrifice of the new meal-offering from wheat on the day of [Shavuot]: To sacrifice leavened bread from the new wheat on the day of the festival of Shavuot. And that is what is called in Scripture, “a new offering” (Leviticus 23:15). And they are two loaves, as it is written (Leviticus 23:16), “From your inhabitations you shall bring bread of waving, two of two issaron.” And the matter was such that they would bring three seah of new wheat and rub them and pound them in the way of all of the meal-offerings. And they would grind them and sift two issaron in twelve sieves. And they would take them and make two loaves from them and bring leavening (Menachot 52b) and put it into the issaron. And the length of each loaf was three handbreadths and its width was four, and its height was [the span of] four fingers (Menachot 96a). And they were square; and they were baked on the eve of the holiday. And on the morrow after their waving, they were eaten by the priests that whole day and half the night (Menachot 100b). And that meal-offering is the first of all of the meal-offerings [of that crop] of wheat. And with the bread, they would sacrifice seven unblemished sheep, one young bull and two rams for a burnt-offering, a goat for a sin-offering and two lambs for a peace-offering — and these are the sacrifices spoken about in [the Book of Numbers]. All of this was brought with the bread besides the additional offering of the day which was two bulls, one ram and seven lambs for a burnt-offering, and one goat for a sin-offering — and these are the sacrifices spoken about in the Book of Leviticus. And it was elucidated explicitly so in the fourth chapter of Menachot 45b that this sacrifice would come with the bread, separate from the additional sacrifice of the day. And after the waving of the bread, it was eaten by the priests with the lambs of the peace-offerings.
מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי הַמִּצְוָה. כָּתַבְתִּי בְּמִצְוַת הָעֹמֶר (מצוה שב) שֶׁבְּסֵדֶר זֶה, מָה שֶׁמַּסְפִּיק גַּם לִשְׁתֵּי הַלֶּחֶם עַל צַד הַפְּשָׁט. וְעוֹד אוֹמֵר לִי לִבִּי בָּעִנְיָן כִּי מִפְּנֵי זֶה הָיְתָה הַמִּצְוָה בְּחִטִּים לִהְיוֹת הַמִּנְחָה בְּכִכָּרוֹת שֶׁל לֶחֶם, וּבְמִנְחַת שְׂעוֹרִים בְּקֶמַח, לְפִי שֶׁהַחִטִּים לְמַאֲכַל אָדָם, וְעַל כֵּן רָאוּי לַהֲכִינָם בְּעִנְיָן שֶׁהָאָדָם נֶהֱנֶה וְנִזּוֹן מֵהֶם, וְכָל זֶה מִן הַשֹּׁרֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר נָטַעְנוּ בַּתְּחִלָּה בְּעִנְיַן הַקָּרְבָּן עַל צַד הַפְּשָׁט, כִּי מִתּוֹךְ הַמַּעֲשֶׂה, תִּתְעוֹרֵר מַחְשֶׁבֶת הָאָדָם אֶל הַדְּבָרִים, וְעַל כֵּן, כְּפִי חֲשִׁיבוּת הַקָּרְבָּן וַהֲכָנָתוֹ הַטּוֹבָה לֵב אָדָם מִתְעוֹרֵר אֵלָיו יוֹתֵר.
I have written from that which also suffices for the roots of the commandment of the two breads in the commandment of the omer, from the angle of the simple understanding. And my heart also tells me about the matter that because of [the following] was the commandment of wheat to be an offering of loaves of bread, and in the offering of barley with flour. Since wheat is for the food of man — and so it is fitting to prepare it in a way that man would enjoy and be nourished from it. And all of this is from the root that we planted at the beginning of the matter of the sacrifice from the angle of the simple understanding — that through the deed is the thought of a man aroused to things (Sefer HaChinukh 95). And therefore, according to the importance of the sacrifice and its goodly preparation is the heart of a man more aroused to it.
מִדִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה. מָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ (שם פג, ב) שֶׁאִם לֹא מָצְאוּ חָדָשׁ יָבִיאוּ מִן הָעֲלִיָּה, וְחִטִּין שֶׁיָּרְדוּ בֶּעָבִים לֹא יָבִיא לְכַתְּחִלָּה, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶן סָפֵק אִם אֲנִי קוֹרֵא בָּהֶן מִמּוֹשְׁבוֹתֵיכֶם אוֹ לָאו וְאִם הֵבִיא כָּשֵׁר. לִישָׁתָן שֶׁל שְׁתֵּי הַלֶּחֶם וַעֲרִיכָתָן בַּחוּץ, וַאֲפִיָּתָן בִּפְנִים כְּכָל הַמְּנָחוֹת, וְאֵין אֲפִיָּתָן דּוֹחָה יוֹם טוֹב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יב טז) יֵעָשֶׂה לָכֶם וְלֹא לְגָבוֹהַּ. הֲנָפַת הַלֶּחֶם עִם שְׁנֵי כִּבְשֵׂי הַשְּׁלָמִים הָיְתָה נַעֲשֵׂית בְּעוֹדָן חַיִּים. וְכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל נוֹטֵל אַחַת מִן הַכִּכָּרוֹת, וְהַשְּׁנִיָּה מִתְחַלֶּקֶת לְכָל הַמִּשְׁמָרוֹת. וְיֶתֶר פְּרָטֶיהָ, מִתְבָּאֲרִים בִּמְנָחוֹת פֶּרֶק רְבִיעִי, חֲמִישִׁי, שְׁמִינִי וְאַחַד עָשָׂר [ה' תמידין ומוספין פ"ו].
From the laws of the commandment is that which they said (Menachot 73b) that if they did not find new [wheat], they can bring it from the [storehouse]; and that one should not bring wheat that descended from the clouds at the outset, because there is a doubt if I call this, “from your inhabitations,” or not. But if he brought it, it is fit. The kneading of the two breads and their forming is outside [the courtyard] and its baking is inside, like all of the meal-offerings. And their baking does not push off [the prohibition of work on] the holiday, as it is stated (Exodus 12:16), “shall be done for you” — and not for the higher realm. The waving of the bread with the lambs of the peace-offerings was done while they were still alive. And the high priest takes one of the loaves, and the second is divided for all of the shifts. And the rest of its details are elucidated in Menachot, Chapters 4, 5, 8 and 11. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Daily Offerings and Additional Offerings 8.)
וְנוֹהֶגֶת מִצְוָה זוֹ בִּזְכָרִים וכו', כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַבְנוּ בְּמִצְוַת הָעֹמֶר.
And this commandment is practiced by the males, etc. like we have written in the commandment of the omer.