Pesachim 80a

פסחים פ׳ ע״א

Learn Pesachim 80a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Pesachim 80a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Bringing the קרבן פסח when part of the people is טמא: splitting the community, creating a majority, and when פסח שני applies

Overview

This amud deals with bringing the קרבן פסח when part of the Jewish people is טמא. It finishes a ברייתא: רבי אלעזר בן מתיא's פסוק, then רבי שמעון and רבי יהודה, who both agree that one שבט counts as a קהל. רבי שמעון lets the pure and the impure each bring their own פסח. רבי יהודה says a קרבן ציבור cannot be split, so everyone brings it in טומאה. When the people are exactly half pure and half impure, רב says to make one pure person טמא with a שרץ. After several questions, the גמרא explains that רב said this only for someone who holds like both the תנא קמא and רבי יהודה. עולא instead sends one person on a דרך רחוקה, and the גמרא explains why he avoids a שרץ or a מת, using his view that all the festival days are תשלומין of the first day. רב נחמן rejects עולא's plan as impractical. רב then rules that if most of the people are זבין, the minority of טמאי מתים lose both the first פסח and פסח שני, and he defends this against שמואל's challenge from בְּמוֹעֲדוֹ. Finally, רב הונא and רב אדא בר אהבה argue whether there is a make-up for a פסח brought in טומאה. The גמרא rejects tying their argument to דחויה versus הותרה and begins a new explanation that continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (32)

1. ProofThe verse: not in any one of your cities
2. Statementרבי שמעון: each group brings its own פסח
3. QuestionWhy does רבי שמעון rule this way?
4. ResponseOne tribe counts as a community
5. Statementרבי יהודה: everyone brings it in impurity
6. StatementExplaining רבי יהודה: half and half
7. Statementרב: if exactly half are impure, make one more impure
8. ChallengeWhy not let each group bring its own offering, as רב himself rules?
9. ResolutionThe case is where the impure outnumber the pure by one
10. ChallengeIf the impure are the majority, all should bring it in impurity
11. Resolutionרב holds like רבי אלעזר בן מתיא: one person cannot tip the community
12. ChallengeThe original question comes back
13. Resolutionרב's שרץ ruling is advice for one who holds two other views
14. Statementעולא: send one pure person on a distant journey
15. ChallengeWhy not just make him impure with a שרץ?
16. ResolutionWhy עולא does not use a שרץ
17. ChallengeSuggestion to make him impure with a corpse
18. ResolutionA corpse would take away his חגיגה
19. ChallengeSending him away also costs him a מצוה
20. ResolutionHe can still bring it on פסח שני
21. ChallengeThe טמא מת can also make up his חגיגה
22. Resolutionעולא holds that all festival days only make up for the first day
23. Challengeרב נחמן says עולא's plan is impractical
24. Statementרב's ruling when most are זבין and a minority are טמאי מתים
25. StatementWhy the טמאי מתים lose both the first and second פסח
26. Challengeשמואל challenges רב from the verse 'in its appointed time'
27. Resolutionרב answers: what is impossible is impossible
28. StatementNew case: most are impure from a corpse, a minority are זבין
29. Statementרב הונא and רב אדא בר אהבה argue about a make-up
30. StatementSuggested root of the argument: impurity is only pushed aside
31. StatementThe other side of the proposal: רב אדא בר אהבה holds טומאה is fully permitted
32. RejectionRejection: both hold טומאה is only pushed aside, and they argue about something else