Pesachim

two grains of wheat together, lest one becomes wedged in the cleft of the other, so that the column of water will not surround it on all1 sides, and [thus] it will come to fermentation. And Abaye said: A man must not singe two ears of corn together. lest sap [water] issue from one and the other absorb it, and [thus] it will come to fermentation. Said Raba to him: If so, [forbid] even one also, lest it [the sap] issues from one end and the other end absorbs it? No, said Raba: It is sap [water] of fruit,2 and sap of fruit does not cause fermentation. Now Abaye retracted from that [view], because as long as they [the grains] absorb [liquid], they do not ferment.3 For Abaye said: The jar for roasting [ears of corn]: if it is inverted, it is permitted;4 if upright, it is forbidden.5 Raba said: Even if upright it is still permitted [because] it is the sap of fruit, and the sap of fruit does not cause fermentation. Our Rabbis taught: One may not wash6 barley on Passover; and if one did wash [them] and they split, they are forbidden;7 if they did not split, they are permitted. R. Jose said: He can soak them in vinegar. and the vinegar binds them.8 Samuel said: The halachah is not as R. Jose. R. Hisda said in Mar ‘Ukba's name: It does not mean literally split, but [if they reach] such [a condition] that if placed on the mouth of a [wine] cask they will split of themselves. (9 ) But Samuel said: It means literally split. Samuel acted in the vicinity of the home of Bar Hashu [on the view that] ‘split’ is meant literally.10 Rabbah said: A conscientious man should not wash [corn].11 Why particularly a conscientious man: even any other man12 too, for surely it was taught: One may not wash barley on Passover? He says thus: He should not wash even wheat, which is hard.13 Said R. Nahman to him: He who will heed Abba14 will eat mouldy bread.15 For Surely the household of R. Huna washed [it], and the household of Raba b. Abin washed [it]. But Raba said: It is forbidden to wash [wheat]. But what of what was taught: You may not wash barley on Passover, [implying] barley only may not [be washed], but wheat is permitted? — He leads to a climax!16 It is unnecessary [to teach about] wheat, for since it has splits the water enters it;17 but barley, which is smooth, I would say that it is allowable. Therefore he informs us [otherwise]. Subsequently Raba said: It is permitted to wash [wheat]. For it was taught: One can discharge [the obligation] with fine bread and with coarse bread.18 Now fine bread is impossible without washing [the grain]. R. Papa raised an objection against Raba: [With regard to] the flours and fine meals of Gentiles, those of villages are clean, while those of towns are unclean. What is the reason that those of villages [are clean]? Is it not because they do not wash [the grain],19 yet he calls it ‘fine meal’?20 — Explain [this21 as referring to] ‘flour’. After he [Raba] departed, he [R. Papa] said [to himself]. Why did I not cite him [an objection] from what R. Zera said in R. Jeremiah's name in Samuel's name: The wheat for meal offerings must not be washed; yet he calls it fine meal?22 Subsequently Raba said: It is obligatory to wash [the grain].23 for it is said, And ye shall guard the unleavened bread.24 Now, if not that it requires washing, for what purpose is the guarding?25 If guarding for the kneading.26 the guarding of kneading is not guarding,27 for R. Huna said: The doughs of a heathen,28 a man may fill his stomach with them,29 providing that he eats as much as an olive of unleavened bread at the end. [Thus] only at the end, but not at the beginning:30 what is the reason? Because he had not afforded it any guarding. Then let him guard it from the baking and onwards?31 Hence this surely proves that we require guarding from the beginning. Yet whence [does this follow]: perhaps it is different there, because when guarding became necessary.32 he did not guard it;33 but where he did guard it when guarding became necessary. it may indeed be that the guarding at the kneading is [truly] considered ‘guarding’. Yet even so,34 Raba did not retract. For he said to those who handled sheaves,35 Handle them for the purpose of the precept.36 This proves that he holds [that] we require guarding ab initio, from beginning to end. Mar the son of Rabina, where he singes two ears of corn together, which on this view must be permitted. Thus he retracted from his former view. only barley is forbidden in the Baraitha. purpose of fulfilling the law prescribing the eating of unleavened bread. Hence, if a man eats on the first night of Passover only unleavened bread which was not guarded expressly for that purpose, he does not do his duty. Now Raba states that the guarding that is given to it at the stage of kneading is not considered ‘guarding’ in this respect. dough which he eats at the beginning. The unleavened bread eaten in fulfilment of the precept comes at the end of the meal with the Paschal lamb, v. infra 119b. moment when water was added to the flour making fermentation possible.