Pesachim 40b

פסחים מ׳ ע״ב

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

Open Pesachim 40b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Preventing חמץ: wet wheat, flour in a pot or in sharp foods, and the משנה about חרוסת, mustard, the קרבן פסח, and a baker's water.

Overview

The amud opens at the end of a story about how carefully wheat was kept dry for מצה. Next, a boat of wheat sinks in a river, and רבא first allows the wet wheat to be sold to גוים. רבה בר לוואי challenges him with a ברייתא about a garment with hidden כלאים, since a גוי might resell it to a Jew. רבא changes his ruling: sell the wheat to Jews in small amounts, so it is all eaten before פסח. A ברייתא then discusses stirring flour into a pot on פסח with vinegar. רב חסדא links the lenient view to רבי יהודה, while עולא forbids every method. The גמרא also tells of roasted grain stirred into pots, with two versions of רבא's view. A new משנה forbids flour in חרוסת or mustard, cooking the קרבן פסח in liquids, and keeping a baker's used water. The גמרא limits the argument to mustard and rules like the חכמים, and רב נחמן בר יצחק begins a question that continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (21)

1. StatementHis mother guarded his wheat in troughs
2. Statementרבא allows selling wheat from a sunken boat to gentiles
3. Challengeרבה בר לוואי quotes a ברייתא about a garment with lost כלאים
4. ChallengeThe reason: the gentile may resell it to a Jew
5. Resolutionרבא changes his ruling: sell the wheat to Jews in small amounts
6. Statementברייתא: stirring flour into a pot on פסח
7. QuestionWho is the unnamed 'some say' opinion?
8. Responseרב חסדא: it is רבי יהודה, who treats vinegar as strong as boiling
9. ChallengeWhy not say the second view is רבי יוסי?
10. Resolutionרבי יוסי only relies on pure vinegar
11. Statementעולא forbids both methods
12. Statementרב פפי lets the cooks use roasted grain
13. Challengeרבא objects: servants will not be careful
14. StatementAnother version: רבא did it himself
15. StatementNo flour in חרוסת or mustard
16. StatementThe קרבן פסח may not be cooked in liquids
17. StatementA baker's used water must be poured out
18. StatementThe argument is only about mustard
19. ProofA ברייתא supports רב כהנא: the argument is only about mustard
20. Statementשמואל rules that the הלכה follows the חכמים
21. Questionרב נחמן בר יצחק turns to question רב הונא