Pesachim 120b

פסחים ק״כ ע״ב

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Topic

Dozing versus deep sleep at the פסח meal, the חצות deadline for the פסח and מצה, and the decree that פיגול and נותר make the hands טמא

Overview

This amud finishes the last משנה of מסכת פסחים and its גמרא. רבי יוסי rules that someone who only dozed during the פסח meal may keep eating, but someone who fell into a deep sleep may not. רב אשי defines dozing as being half-asleep, and a story about אביי and רבה shows the rule in practice. The משנה also says that the פסח after חצות makes the hands טמא, which implies that it becomes נותר at חצות. רב יוסף explains that this follows רבי אלעזר בן עזריה, who learns a חצות deadline from 'בלילה הזה' by comparing it to the night of מכת בכורות. רבי עקיבא disagrees and allows eating until dawn because of 'חפזון', and the two תנאים explain the words 'בלילה', 'הזה' and 'בקר' according to their views. רבא adds that for רבי אלעזר בן עזריה, מצה nowadays also must be eaten before חצות. Finally, רב הונא and רב חסדא disagree about why the חכמים decreed that פיגול and נותר make the hands טמא, and about the minimum amount needed.

Opening lines

The steps (23)

1. Statementרבי יוסי: Dozing Versus Deep Sleep at the פסח Meal
2. StatementThe פסח After חצות Makes the Hands טמא
3. QuestionWhat Counts as Dozing?
4. Responseרב אשי Defines Dozing
5. Questionאביי Sees רבה Nodding Off
6. Responseרבה: I Am Only Dozing, So I May Eat
7. StatementInference: The פסח Becomes נותר at חצות
8. QuestionWho Is the תנא Behind This View?
9. Responseרב יוסף Names the תנא: רבי אלעזר בן עזריה
10. ProofThe ברייתא: Learning חצות from the Night of מכת בכורות
11. Challengeרבי עקיבא: the word 'haste' means until dawn
12. QuestionThen why does the verse say 'at night'?
13. Response'At night' teaches that the פסח is not eaten by day
14. QuestionWhat does רבי עקיבא learn from the word 'that'?
15. ResponseThe word 'that' excludes a second night
16. Resolutionרבי אלעזר בן עזריה learns 'one night' from 'do not leave over until morning'
17. Rejectionרבי עקיבא: 'morning' alone could mean the second morning
18. Resolutionרבי אלעזר: 'morning' always means the first morning
19. Statementרבא: מצה eaten after חצות nowadays does not count, according to רבי אלעזר בן עזריה
20. ChallengeIsn't this obvious, since מצה is linked to the קרבן פסח?
21. ResolutionThe verse took מצה out of the link, but then put it back
22. StatementWhy the חכמים decreed that פיגול and נותר make the hands טמא
23. StatementHow much פיגול or נותר is needed to make the hands טמא