the concept of מנחה גדולה ומנחה קטנה

מנחה גדולה ומנחה קטנה

זמן מנחה – The time for davening מִנְחָה is in the afternoon. (The RaMBaM says that מנחה actually means – “afternoon”). The תּוֹרָה tells us to bring two daily sacrifices in the בֵּית המִקְדָשׁ – the first a תָּמִיד שֶׁל שַׁחַר – a sacrifice brought in the morning, and the 2nd a תָּמִיד שֶׁל בֵּין הָעַרְבָּיִם – a sacrifice brought בֵּין הָעַרְבָּיִם – “between the darkenings” – that is in the period between when the sun begins to dip in its journey towards the West, and it’s final setting in the West at night.

The time when the sun begins to start dipping towards the west is at one-half hour after midday – that is at six-and-a-half-hours into the day, or at 12:30 on the standard clock.

The “afternoon period” is made up of two parts.
- The first part of the afternoon, during which time מנחה may be davened, is called “מנחה גדולה“, the large מנחה – because it includes a long period of time, from 12:30 – 6:00, a total of 5 and a half hours.
- The second part of the afternoon is called “מנחה קטנה“ – it begins at 9-and-a-half hours in the day, at 3:30 in the afternoon on the standard clock.

The תמיד של בין הערבים , the afternoon sacrifice could be brought from the beginning of the time of מנחה גדולה. However, for most of the year, in the בית המקדש the sacrifice was not brought this early. Rather they waited until the time of מנחה קטנה , and brought the תמיד של בין הערביים at 8 ½ hours in the day, (completing its offering at 9 ½ hours) . They delayed the bringing of the תמיד של בין הערבים because after it is brought no more voluntary קרבנות may be brought that day, and they did not want to limit the opportunity for people to bring voluntary קרבנות.

One day in the year, the תמיד של בין הערביים was brought earlier, and that was on ערב פסח. On ערב פסח all of the Jewish people had to bring a קרבן פסח and the קרבן פסח was brought after the תמיד של בין הערביים. Thus to allow more time for bringing the קרבן פסח they brought the תמיד earlier, at 7 ½ hours in the day (completing its offering at 8 ½ hours). When ערב פסח fell on ערב שבת, the schedule was even tighter, because people needed time to roast the קרבן פסח before שבת, the תמיד של בין הערביים was brought still earlier, at 6 ½ hours in the day.

It is because there is one time that the תמיד של בין הערביים is brought at 6 ½ hours, that the הלכה is that one who davens מנחה right at the beginning of the time of מנחה גדולה is יוצא.

Having divided the “afternoon” into “two afternoons” the question we now need to answer is what רבי יהודה meant when he said that you may daven מנחה until the פלג המנחה – half of the afternoon. Thus;
- did he mean “half of מנחה גדולה - the whole afternoon (i.e. half of 12:30 – 6:00 p.m.)? [Which would be at 3:15 p.m. on the standard clock. Can you figure out why? (half of 5 & ½ hours = 2 ¾ hours. 2 & ¾ hours after 12:30 is 3:15).]
- Or did he mean “half of מנחה קטנה – the small afternoon, (i.e. half of 3:30 – 6:00 p.m.)? [Which would be at 4:45 p.m. on the standard clock. Can you figure out why? (half of 2 & ½ hours = 1 ¼ hours. 1 & ¼ hours after 3:30 is 4:45 p.m.)]

The גמרא answers this question by citing a ברייתא which explicitly quotesרבי יהודה saying the by פלג המנחה he means half of the מנחה קטנה which is at the end of the 11th Mishna hour of the day minus one quarter hour. This is 4:45 p.m. on our clock.