Fresh Bread: The Original Baker’s Dozen

This song would seem to fit with the opinion of the Rambam. The Rambam in his commentary on the Mishnah writes that the kohanim were permitted to eat the showbread only on Shabbos day. Consequently, if there was some bread left over on motzaei Shabbos it was forbidden for them to eat it. The kohanim couldn’t fast Shabbos day, because that was the only time available for eating the lechem ha’panim.

However, other Rishonim disagree. They say that the lechem ha’panim followed the same laws as other kodshai kodshim (sacrificial food). The time allowed for consumption of the lechem ha’panim was therefore Shabbos day and motzaei Shabbos. However, even they agree that any bread left over for Sunday morning was not allowed to be eaten.

According to the Rishonim that differ with the Rambam, even if the kohanim fasted Shabbos day, they could still eat the lechem ha’panim on motzaei Shabbos. So why does the song state that the kohanim couldn’t fast because of the lechem ha’panim? Does the Ibn Ezra follow the shitah of the Rambam? The Mishnas Chayim says that possibly even according to the other Rishonim the preferable time to eat the lechem ha’panim was Shabbos day. Only if that was not possible should it be left over for motzaei Shabbos. Zerizim makdimin l’mitzvos. Why wait until the last minute? So even according to those Rishonim, the kohanim couldn’t fast on Shabbos because then they would not be able to eat the lechem ha’panim in the preferred time.

The Mishnah (Menachos 100b) bolsters the opinion that the lechem ha’panim could be eaten on motzaei Shabbos. As an aside, the Midrash Rabbah in Emor quotes this very mishnah. The pasuk states, “And he, the son of an Israelite woman, went out—and he was the son of an Egyptian man …” (Vayikra 24:10). The verse is referring to the illegitimate son of Shlomis bas Divri who lost a legal dispute and cursed Hashem. The Midrash expounds many different interpretations of the phrase “And he went out.” One possibility is that he went out of the World to Come. In other words, he lost his share in Olam HaBa by cursing Hashem.

Another interpretation offered is that the Torah is informing us the root of his transgression. How did this man stray so far that he ended up cursing G-d? The answer is he went out from the previous parashah. The Torah earlier was discussing the lechem ha’panim. The lechem ha’panim was always at least nine days old before it was consumed. It was baked on Friday and placed on the Shulchan on Shabbos. It was not eaten until the following Shabbos. Counting the day it was baked and the day it was consumed, the total comes out to nine days.

This individual started poking fun at this halachah. “Does a king eat fresh bread or nine-day-old bread? Why is the service performed for Hashem with stale bread?” Of course, the Gemara says that the bread miraculously stayed warm and fresh, but this individual chose not to believe that. This little joke set this man on a slippery slope that eventually led him to spiritual ruin.

We realize that of course it was improper to make fun of the Torah, but was it really a big deal to ridicule one halachah? Could that really lead him to blaspheme Hashem? Pinnacle of Creation, a sefer published by ArtScroll, discusses this very topic and offers the following (p. 172):

“We tend to overlook and sweep under the carpet the small, relatively minor infractions in our daily rush and routine. ‘Those little things don’t count anyway,’ soothes the rationalizing voice inside us. However, Chazal teach us that these seemingly minor habits can have a decisive impact in shaping our own lives and actions . . . Tiny misdeeds, little compromises of halachah, can sow the seeds of catastrophe.”

Back to our topic. The Mishnah/Midrash continues that on occasions the bread was 11 days old. If Rosh Hashanah fell on Thursday and Friday, then they had to bake the bread on Wednesday. From Wednesday until the following Shabbos, including both those days themselves, is 11 days.

Rashi asks how they could have eaten the lechem ha’panim on the following Shabbos. If the first day of Rosh Hashanah falls on Thursday, then the following Shabbos is Yom Kippur! Rashi answers that they ate the lechem ha’panim on motzaei Shabbos/motzaei Yom Kippur. This is not considered a 12th day, because in matters of eating kodshim, the night follows the day. Rashi clearly permits the lechem ha’panim to be eaten on motzaei Shabbos as well.