Whose Oil Lights the Menorah, Yours or the Community's

Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 378:1

"And they shall take to you" (Exodus 27:20). It was taught: "Take for yourself" (Exodus 30:23) means from what is yours; "and they shall take to you" means from the community's property; these are the words of Rabbi Yoshiyah. Rabbi Yonatan says: whether it says "take for yourself" or "they shall take to you," it is from the community's property. If so, why does Scripture say "take for yourself"? As if to say, I prefer it to be from yours rather than from theirs. Abba Hanan says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer: this one ["take for yourself"] speaks of a time when Israel does the will of the Omnipresent, and this one ["they shall take to you"] of a time when Israel does not do the will of the Omnipresent. Up to here they disagree only about ordinary "takings" and ordinary "makings." Ordinary takings, as in "take for yourself spices" (Exodus 30:23); ordinary makings, as in "make for yourself two trumpets" (Numbers 10:2). But here Scripture is explicitly explaining that it must be from what is yours. Concerning the days of investiture: since it is written, "And to the children of Israel you shall speak, saying, Take a he-goat for a sin offering" (Leviticus 9:3), and "he said to Aaron, Take for yourself a calf, a young bull, for a sin offering" (Leviticus 9:2), why is this needed? Learn from it that "take for yourself" means from what is yours. Concerning the Day of Atonement: since it is written, "With this shall Aaron come into the holy place," and "from the congregation of the children of Israel he shall take two he-goats" (Leviticus 16:5), and "Aaron shall offer the bull of the sin offering which is his" (Leviticus 16:6), why is this needed? Learn from it that it is from his own.

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