Who's And What's נסכים

We learn in this weeks parsha when one offers a korban, besides being obligated to bring the animal, there is an obligation to bring libations together with it.  There are two ways to understand this obligation.  One way is that it is included in the obligation of the גברא, it is as if the person took an obligation to bring both a korban and libations.  Or it can be viewed as an obligation of the korban, it is a din in the korban that libations must accompany it just as there are other dinim of the korban.  The Rambam in מעשה קרבנות (16:17) says שאין הנסכים באין לעולם אלא מן החולין כמו שביארנו לפי שנאמר בהן והקריב המקריב קרבנו עד שיהיו משלו ולא יהיה בהן צד לגבוה כלל.  Why does the Rambam need a possuk, this should fit under the general rule that דבר שבחובה אינו בא אלא מו החולין?  We see from the Rambam that the obligation of the נסכים isn’t part of the נדר, it is part of the dinim of the korban and therefore there is a need to learn from an additional possuk that they can only be brought from חולין.  (Toras Hakodesh volume 2 #35, see further discussion there and in Maseh Yad volume 1 on this weeks parsha.)

The Gemorah in Temurah 2b and Menachos 73b has a derasha from the words in possuk 13  כׇּל־הָאֶזְרָ֥ח יַעֲשֶׂה־כָּ֖כָה אֶת־אֵ֑לֶּה, אזרח comes to  exclude a gentile.  Rashi understands the derasha to mean that a gentile can’t volunteer to bring נסכים but they can bring נסכים together with their korban if they want.  This is supported by the Mishna in Shekalim (7:6) that if a gentile sends נסכים we accept it.  The Rambam however, understands that a gentile is completely exempt from bringing נסכים as he says in מעשב קרבנות (3:5) עולות העכו"ם אין מביאין עמהן נסכים שנאמר כל האזרח יעשה ככה אבל נסכיהם קריבין משל צבור שנאמר ככה תעשו לאחד כמספרם.  So how does the Rambam understand the Mishna in Shekalim, furthermore, the Rambam himself cites it in the Laws of Shekalim (4:3,) seemingly a contradiction in the Rambam himself (see Lechem Mishne)? 

The Briskor Rav explains that the derasha excludes the gentile as the owner of the korban for bringing the libations but there still remains an obligation in the cheftza of the korban.  The Rambam in מעשה קרבנות is addressing the obligation on the owner of the korban and explains a gentile is exempt from his obligation as the owner of the korban.  The Rambam in the Laws of Shekalim is discussing a separate issue, the obligation of the cheftzh of the korban and he rules that the gentile may send in the נסכים to be offered for the obligation that exists on the korban.  These two dinim of the Briskor Rav seem to reflect the previous chakirah.  The obligation on the individual is part of the vow of the person, the obligation on the cheftzah of the korban is the obligation of the korban to have נסכים because its part of the dinim of the korban.   

The Sforno explains that the din and need for נסכים only came about after the meraglim.  In his words:הנה עד העגל היה הקרבן ״ריח ניחח״ בזולת מנחה ונסכים, כענין בהבל ובנח ובאברהם, וכענין ״וישלח את נערי בני ישראל, ויעלו עלת ויזבחו זבחים שלמים לה׳ פרים״ (שמות כ״ד:ה׳), לא זולת זה. ובחטאם בעגל הצריך מנחה ונסכים לעולת התמיד שהיא קרבן צבור. ומאז שחטאו במרגלים הצריך מנחה ונסכים להכשיר גם קרבן יחיד.  After the sins of Klal Yisroel, a person has to do more work in order to achieve the connection to Hashem.