Shalom,
96a - ha'Ika Kanim Kanim Mishka Shekuei Le'hu. Why is the gemara concerned about the extra height of the kanim if we learn on 97a that the kohanim insert the kanim on yom rishon? The shulchan is mekadesh the lechem hapanim on shabbos, so why should we be concerned that from yom rishon onwards the top breads will be slightly above 12/15 tefachim?
Akiva, England
Your question is that the only part of the Shulchan that becomes Kadosh is the part where the bread is situated at the time that the bread becomes Kadosh. Therefore, since the time when the bread becomes Kadosh is Shabbos, and since the Kanim were not placed on the table on Shabbos, this means that no more than a height of 15 Tefachim of the Shulchan will become Kadosh.
This question is in fact asked by the Beis Meir, cited by the Mesivta edition. The Mesivta edition records two possible answers.
a. Tosfos (97a, DH Lo) writes that the prohibition against arranging the Kanim on the Shulchan on Shabbos is only a Rabbinical one. Therefore, when the Gemara (96a) asks "ha'Ika Kanim," the Gemara is asking about the procedure before Chazal made the Gezeirah not to arrange the Kanim on Shabbos. Since the Kanim were present when the bread became Kadosh, it follows that the height of the Kanim will make the height of the bread greater than 15 Tefachim!
4) Another answer given is based on the Minchas Chinuch (97:14, DH v'Ani), who says that when Yom Tov falls on Sunday, there is no Gezeirah and the Kanim Are arranged on Shabbos. Since it is sometimes possible that there is even no Rabbinical prohbition against Sidur ha'Kanim on Shabbos, it follows that in such a case the Shulchan would be Mekadesh more than 15 Tefachim.
Dovid Bloom
Thank you for you explanation, but it is still somewhat difficult, because the gemara on 96. (bottom) says that the horns of the lechem hapanim would be folded in so the next tier of chalot would rest upon them, from this it is possible to conclude that the horns of the top tier were not folded in thus sticking up above 15 tefachim, and in any case even if the kanim were inserted on shabbos, why was it not sufficient that the shulchan was mekadesh only the bottom of the top tier? It was the same bread, if one part of it was sanctified, so was the rest of it.
Thank you,
Akiva
1) That is a nice diyuk; that since the Gemara states that the next tier of bread rested upon the folded horns, one can conclude that the horns of the top tier were not folded. However even though it seems to be a logical argument, the Gemara clearly did not draw this conclusion, because if so the Gemara would not be able to justify what R. Yochanan said that the Shulchan was only mekadesh 15 tefachim.
It must be that the Gemara understood that all the chalot were uniform. Even though the top one did not have to be folded, we do not want it to look different from the other 5.
2) On the contrary, it is because of the fact that if part of a loaf of bread is sanctified that the entire bread is automatically sanctified, that the Gemara could not say that the Shulchan was only mekaedsh the bottom of the top tier.
Akiva, many thanks for your very interesting comments.
KOL TUV
Dovid Bloom