The seven branches of the menorah are essential to [the validity of] one another. Its seven lamps are essential to [the validity of] one another. The two [Scriptural] passages which are in a mezuzah are essential to [the validity of] each other, and even the writing of one [letter] is essential to them. The four passages which are in tefillin are essential to [the validity of] one another, and even the writing of one [letter] is essential to them. The four fringes of the tzitzis are essential to the validity of one another, as they are all four one mitzvah. R’ Yishmael says: The four of them are four mitzvos.

The blue thread is not essential to [the validity of] the white thread, and the white is not essential to [the validity of] the blue. The tefillah of the hand is not essential to [the validity of] that of the head, and that of the head is not essential to [the validity of] that of the hand. The flour and the oil are not essential to the wine, nor is the wine essential to them. The blood applications on the outer Altar are not essential to [the validity of] one another.

The bulls, the rams, and the lambs are not essential to one another’s [validity]. R’ Shimon says: If they had many bulls but no libations, they should bring one bull with its libations rather than offering all of them without libations.

The bull, the rams, the lambs, and the goat are not essential to the [validity of the] bread, nor is the bread essential to their [validity]. The bread is essential to the [validity of the] lambs, but the lambs are not essential to the [validity of the] bread; [these are] the words of R’ Akiva. Said Shimon ben Nannas: Not so; rather the lambs are essential to the [validity of the] bread while the bread is not essential to the [validity of the] lambs. For we find that when Israel was in the Wilderness for forty years, the lambs were offered without bread; therefore, now too the lambs can be offered without bread. Said R’ Shimon: The halachah follows the words of Ben Nannas, but not for his reason. For whatever is mentioned in the Book of Numbers was offered in the Wilderness, and whatever is mentioned in Leviticus was not offered in the Wilderness; once they came to the Land [of Israel], both these and those were offered. Why [then] do I say that lambs may be offered without bread? Because the lambs render themselves permissible without bread, [but the] bread without the lambs has nothing to render it permissible.