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Pesachim 40a

פסחים מ׳ ע״א

Learn Pesachim 40a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Moisture and חמץ in grain, soaking grain for פסח, and guarding (שימור) מצה from the start

Overview

This עמוד deals with how grain can become חמץ through moisture, and how grain for מצה must be prepared. רב יוסף warns against boiling two wheat grains together, and אביי warns against roasting two stalks together. רבא answers that the grain's own liquid is מי פירות, and מי פירות do not cause leavening, and אביי retracts his stalk ruling. A ברייתא then forbids soaking barley on פסח. מר עוקבא and שמואל argue about what counts as 'split' grain, and שמואל rules against רבי יוסי's vinegar remedy. רבה, רב נחמן and רבא give different views on soaking grain. רבא first forbids it, then permits it, and finally says it is a מצוה, based on 'וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת הַמַּצּוֹת'. A proof from רב הונא's ruling about dough of גוים is pushed off, but רבא keeps his view. He has the grain handled לשם מצוה from the harvest onward. A story about מר בריה דרבינא begins, and it continues on the next עמוד.

Opening lines

תְּרֵי חִיטֵּי בַּהֲדֵי הֲדָדֵי,

[a person should not boil] two wheat grains together,

דִּילְמָא אָזְלָא חֲדָא

lest one of them move

וְיָתְבָה בְּצִירְיָא דַחֲבֶרְתַּהּ,

and settle in the crease of the other,

וְלָא סָלֵיק לְהוּ דִּיקּוּלָא דְמַיָּא

and the surge of boiling water will not reach them

The steps (37)

  1. StatementDo not boil two wheat grains together
  2. StatementDo not roast two stalks together
  3. Challengeרבא: then even one stalk should be forbidden
  4. Statementרבא's view: grain liquid is fruit juice
  5. Conclusionאביי retracts his stalk ruling
  6. Proofאביי's jug ruling shows his later view
  7. Statementרבא permits even an upright jug
  8. Statementברייתא: do not soak barley on פסח
  9. Statementרבי יוסי: vinegar can stop the grain from leavening
  10. Conclusionשמואל rules against רבי יוסי
  11. Statementמר עוקבא: 'split' includes grain that is about to split
  12. Statementשמואל: only grain that really split is forbidden
  13. Proofשמואל ruled this way in a real case
  14. Statementרבה: a pious person should not soak grain
  15. ChallengeWhy only a pious person? Everyone is told not to soak barley
  16. ResolutionA pious person avoids soaking even firm wheat
  17. Challengeרב נחמן: following רבה leads to poor bread
  18. ProofGreat houses did soak their grain
  19. Statementרבא: soaking is forbidden
  20. ChallengeA ברייתא seems to allow soaking wheat
  21. ResolutionThe ברייתא means 'needless to say wheat, even barley'
  22. Statementרבא changes his mind and permits soaking
  23. ProofProof: refined מצה is valid, and refining requires soaking
  24. Challengeרב פפא cites a ברייתא about flour of גוים
  25. ChallengeVillage flour is unsoaked yet called refined
  26. Resolutionרבא says the village-flour teaching is about plain flour
  27. Challengeרב פפא's afterthought: meal-offering wheat is called refined flour without soaking
  28. Statementרבא now rules that soaking is a מצוה
  29. ProofGuarding only makes sense if it covers soaking
  30. Proofרב הונא: one may eat dough of גוים but must finish with real מצה
  31. QuestionWhy doesn't the gentiles' dough count for the מצוה?
  32. ResponseBecause no guarding was done
  33. ChallengeHe could still guard it from baking onward
  34. ProofProposed proof: guarding is required from the very beginning
  35. RejectionThe proof from dough of גוים is pushed off
  36. Conclusionרבא keeps his view and has the grain harvested for the sake of the מצוה
  37. StatementOpening a new story about מר בריה דרבינא