Pesachim 81b

פסחים פ״א ע״ב

Learn Pesachim 81b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

The source and limits of טומאת התהום for the תמיד, the נזיר and the פסח, and where an impure פסח is burned

Overview

The amud opens by rejecting a קל וחומר that would allow טומאת התהום for a כהן bringing communal offerings, because a קל וחומר cannot be built on a הלכה למשה מסיני. רבא instead learns the leniency for the תמיד from a גזירה שוה of "מועדו" from the פסח. The גמרא then looks for a verse that teaches טומאת התהום itself: רבי אלעזר points to "עליו" by the נזיר, and רבי יוחנן and ריש לקיש point to "לכם" and "דרך" by the פסח. A ברייתא says that if even one person anywhere knew of the corpse, it is not טומאת התהום, and none of the three readings fits that test. So the גמרא concludes that טומאת התהום is a received הלכה and the verses are only an אסמכתא. מר בר רב אשי's ruling on whether the ציץ helps when the impurity was known before the זריקה is corrected to say that it does help, and the גמרא then studies the ברייתא about a corpse found across a road, with its many limits. A new משנה explains where an impure or leftover פסח is burned, and רבי יוסי בר חנינא says the public burning is meant to embarrass careless owners. The amud ends as the גמרא begins a contradiction from meat carried out of ירושלים, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (31)

1. ProofEnd of the proposed reasoning: the כהן should certainly be allowed טומאת התהום
2. RejectionRejection: you cannot build a logical argument on a tradition from Sinai
3. ProofProof from a ברייתא: רבי אליעזר tells רבי עקיבא the same rule
4. Resolutionרבא's new source: a גזירה שוה from the word "מועדו"
5. QuestionWhere is טומאת התהום itself hinted in the Torah?
6. Responseרבי אלעזר: "עליו" means the death must be clearly known to him
7. QuestionWe have a source for the נזיר. What about the פסח?
8. Responseרבי יוחנן: the word לכם means clear to you
9. Responseריש לקיש: impurity is like a road, out in the open
10. ChallengeA ברייתא defines hidden impurity: nobody in the world knows of it
11. ChallengeThe clash with רבי אלעזר: he needs the person himself to know
12. ChallengeThe clash with רבי יוחנן: the plural לכם means two people
13. ChallengeThe challenge also hits ריש לקיש's 'road' reading
14. ConclusionHidden impurity is a received tradition, and the verses are only a hint
15. StatementThe ציץ helps only if the impurity was discovered after the sprinkling
16. ChallengeA ברייתא calls him pure even before the sprinkling
17. Resolutionמר בר רב אשי's statement is rewritten: the ציץ helps even before the זריקה
18. StatementBack to the ברייתא: a corpse lying across the road
19. StatementFirst limit: only when there was no way to get around the body
20. StatementSecond limit: only when the body was whole
21. StatementA grave is different: it joins the pieces together
22. StatementThe broken-body leniency applies only to someone walking on foot
23. StatementThe leniency for a נזיר and a פסח applies only to an unknown impurity
24. StatementDefining טומאת התהום: nobody anywhere knew about it
25. StatementWhich hiding places count as טומאת התהום
26. StatementThe rule of טומאת התהום applies only to a dead body
27. StatementA fully or mostly impure פסח is burned in front of the בירה
28. StatementA slightly impure or leftover פסח is burned at home
29. QuestionWhy must a mostly impure פסח be burned in front of the בירה?
30. ResponseThe public burning is meant to embarrass the owners
31. ChallengeA contradiction from meat carried out of ירושלים begins