פסחים 46 — Soncino English Talmud

¹IN RESPECT TO combining for UNCLEANNESS on Passover, whereas during the rest of the year there is a distinction. How is that? E.g., if there are eatables less than an egg in quantity, and they were in contact with this dough: on Passover, when its prohibition renders the dough important, it combines. [But] during the rest of the year, when the matter is dependent on [his] objecting, IF HE OBJECTS TO IT, it combines; [while] IF HE DESIRES ITS PRESERVATION, IT IS LIKE THE KNEADING-TROUGH. To this Raba demurred: Does he then teach, it combines; surely he teaches, IT INTERPOSES! Rather, said Raba: [The meaning is], AND IT IS LIKEWISE IN RESPECT TO cleaning the kneading-trough. How is that? E.g., if this kneading-trough became unclean, and he wishes to immerse it. On Passover, when its interdict [renders it] important, IT INTERPOSES, and the immersion is not efficacious for it. But during the rest of the year the matter is dependent on his objecting: IF HE OBJECTS TO IT, IT INTERPOSES, WHILE IF HE DESIRES ITS PRESERVATION, IT IS LIKE THE KNEADING-TROUGH. To this R. Papa demurred: Does he teach, And it is likewise in respect to cleanness? Surely he teaches, AND IT IS LIKEWISE IN RESPECT TO UNCLEANNESS! Rather, said R. Papa: [The meaning is], AND IT IS LIKEWISE IN RESPECT TO causing UNCLEANNESS to descend upon the kneading-trough. How so? E.g., if a sherez touched this dough: on Passover, when its interdict [renders it] important, IT INTERPOSES, and uncleanness does not descend upon it; [but] during the rest of the year, when the matter is dependent on [his] objecting, IF HE OBJECTS TO IT, IT INTERPOSES; WHILE IF HE DESIRES ITS PRESERVATION, IT IS LIKE [i.e., identical with] THE KNEADING-TROUGH. MISHNAH. [REGARDING] ‘DEAF’ DOUGH, IF THERE IS [A DOUGH] SIMILAR TO IT WHICH HAS BECOME LEAVEN, IT IS FORBIDDEN. GEMARA. What if there is no [dough] similar to it? — Said R. Abbahu in the name of R. Simeon b. Lakish: [The period for fermentation is] as long as it takes a man to walk from the Fish Tower [Migdal Nunia] to Tiberias, which is a mil. Then let him say a mil? — He informs us this, [viz.,] that the standard of a mil is as that from Migdal Nunia to Tiberias. R. Abbahu said in the name of R. Simeon b. Lakish: For kneading, for prayer, and for washing the hands, [the standard is] four mils. R. Nahman b. Isaac said: Aibu stated this, and he stated four [laws] about it, and one of them is tanning. For we learned: And all these, if he tanned them or trod on them to the extent of tanning, are clean, excepting a man's skin. And how much is ‘the extent of tanning’? — Said R. Aibu in R. Jannai's name: The extent of walking four mils. R. Jose son of R. Hanina said: They learned this only [about going on] ahead: but [as for going] back, he need not return even a mil. Said R. Aha: And from this [we deduce]: it is only a mil that he need not go back, but less than a mil he must go back. MISHNAH. HOW DO WE SEPARATE HALLAH ON THE FESTIVAL [FROM DOUGH WHICH IS] IN [A STATE OF] UNCLEANNESS? R. ELIEZER SAID: IT MUST NOT BE DESIGNATED WITH THE NAME [OF HALLAH] UNTIL IT IS BAKED. THE SON OF BATHYRA SAID: LET IT [THE DOUGH] BE CAST INTO COLD WATER. SAID A. JOSHUA:^ᵃ^ᵇ^ᶜ^ᵈ^ᵉ^ᶠ^ᵍ^ʰ^ⁱ^ʲ^ᵏ^ˡ^ᵐ^ⁿ^ᵒ^ᵖ^ᵠ^ʳ^ˢ^ᵗ^ᵘ

^ᵃnote:This being the minimum standard which can defile.
^ᵇnote:Lit.,’its prohibition is important .
^ᶜnote:With the eatables. I.e., the dough, if an olive in quantity, is important in so far as its prohibition necessitates its removal, and owing to this it combines with the eatables to the standard of an egg, whereby if unclean they can together defile other food.
^ᵈnote:Which gives it an importance.
^ᵉnote:Lit., ‘bringing it up’ — from its uncleanness.
^ᶠnote:Between the Sherez, (v. Glos.) and the trough.
^ᵍnote:The trough does not become unclean, for we do not regard the sherez, as having touched it.
^ʰnote:So that the trough becomes unclean through the contact of the sherez with the dough.
^ⁱnote:An idiomatic expression: dough in which it is doubtful whether leavening has set in or not. Another reading: ‘potsherd’ dough, i.e., dough whose surface has gone hard and smooth and contains no splits, which are the usual signs of fermentation, and thus there is doubt.
^ʲnote:I.e., dough which was kneaded at the same time.
^ᵏnote:Two thousand cubits. This is generally regarded as an eighteen minutes’ walk. If it is eighteen minutes since the dough was kneaded (before being set in the oven), it is leaven.
^ˡnote:I.e., that they are a mil apart.
^ᵐnote:A paid kneader must go four mils to immerse the kneading vessels, if they are unclean. A man on a journey, when he wishes to stop for the night, must go on another four mils if there is a synagogue within that distance, to pray there. Similarly, he must go on four mils ahead to procure water for washing his hands prior to eating; but if no synagogue or water is available within that distance, he is not bound to undertake a longer journey.
^ⁿnote:In the name of R. Simeon b. Lakish, and not R. Abbahu.
^ᵒnote:Not three; i.e., the three already mentioned and another.
^ᵖnote:Hides were spread out to be trodden on, and this was part of the tanning process.
^ᵠnote:In Hul. 122a a number of animals are enumerated whose skins are the same as their flesh in respect of defilement, as they are likewise accounted as eatables (several animals unfit for food are included in the list). But if he tanned them, etc., they are clean, i.e., they lose the status of flesh and thus become clean.
^ʳnote:E.g., to procure water, etc.
^ˢnote:The reference is to Passover. Unclean hallah may not be eaten by the priest. Now this hallah may not be baked, since it cannot be eaten, and only the preparation of food is permitted on a Festival; it cannot be kept until evening, as it may turn leaven; nor may it be burnt or given to dogs, for sacred food must not be destroyed thus on a Festival. The actual Festival days are meant, i.e., the first and the last days (outside Palestine, the first two and the last two), but not the Intermediate Days, which possess only a semi sanctity.
^ᵗnote:I.e., the dough must first be baked, and then all the unleavened mazzoth are put in a basket, and one mazzah or so is declared hallah for all. Usually hallah must be separated from the dough, but when this is impossible, or if it was not done, it is separated from the baked bread.
^ᵘnote:I.e., the hallah must be separated from the dough in the usual way and placed in cold water until evening, to prevent it from fermenting.

²NOW THIS IS THE LEAVEN CONCERNING WHICH WE ARE WARNED WITH [THE INJUNCTIONS], ‘IT SHALL NOT BE SEEN , AND ‘IT SHALL NOT BE FOUND, BUT HE SEPARATES IT AND LEAVES IT UNTIL THE EVENING, AND IF IT FERMENTS IT FERMENTS. GEMARA. Shall we say that they differ in respect of goodwill benefit, R. Eliezer holding, Goodwill benefit is considered money, while R. Joshua holds, Goodwill benefit is not money? — No: all hold [that] goodwill benefit is not money, but here they differ in respect to ‘since’. For R. Eliezer holds: We say, since if he desires, he can have it [sc. the designation of hallah] revoked, it is his property. While R. Joshua holds: We do not say, since. It was stated: [With regard to] one who bakes [food] on a Festival for [consumption on] a weekday, — R. Hisda said: He is flagellated; Rabbah said: He is not flagellated. ‘R. Hisda said, He is flagellated’: We do not say, Since if guests visited him it would be fit for him [on the Festival itself]. Rabbah said: He is not flagellated: we say, ‘since’ Said Rabbah to R. Hisda, According to you who maintain, We do not say, ‘since’, how may we bake on a Festival for the Sabbath? — On account of the ‘erub of dishes, he answered him. And on account of an ‘erub of dishes we permit a Biblical prohibition! — Said he to him, By Biblical law the requirements of the Sabbath may be prepared on a Festival, and it was only the Rabbis who forbade it, lest it be said, You may bake on a Festival even for weekdays; but since the Rabbis necessitated an ‘erub of dishes for it, he has a distinguishing feature. He [Rabbah] raised on objection against him: [In the case of] an animal at the point of death, he must not slaughter it save when there is time to eat as much as an olive of it roast before night. [Thus, it states when] he is able to eat [thereof], [that is] even if he does not wish to eat. Now according to me, who maintain that we say, ‘since’, it is well: since if he desires to eat, he is able to eat, for that reason he may slaughter. But according to you who maintain, we do not say, ‘since’, why may he slaughter? Said he to him, On account of the loss of his money. And on account of the loss of his money we permit a Biblical prohibition! Yes, he replied: on account of the loss of his money he determined in his heart to eat as much as an olive, and as much as an olive of flesh is impossible [to obtain] without slaughtering. He [Rabbah] raised an objection against him: The shewbread^ᵛ^ʷ^ˣ^ʸ^ᶻ^ᵃᵃ^ᵃᵇ^ᵃᶜ^ᵃᵈ^ᵃᵉ^ᵃᶠ^ᵃᵍ^ᵃʰ^ᵃⁱ^ᵃʲ

^ᵛnote:I.e., even if it does turn leaven it is not subject to these prohibitions. The Gemara explains the reason.
^ʷnote:It does not matter.
^ˣnote:Goodwill benefit is a man's right to dispose of property to whomever he desires, though he may not keep it, and it is disputed whether such a right is accounted as of monetary worth. Naturally, even if it is, its value is small. Thus an Israelite must separate hallah, but he can give it to any priest he desires, and a friend of a particular priest might pay him a trifle to give it to that priest. Now, it has been stated supra 5b that the interdict against leaven being seen or found in the house applies only to one's own leaven. Now if goodwill benefit ranks as money, the hallah is accounted the Israelite's property, and therefore it is subject to this interdict: hence R. Eliezer holds that the dough must first be baked. But if goodwill benefit does not rank as money, the hallah is not accounted the Israelite's property, and therefore it is separated from the dough, and it does not matter if it turns leaven.
^ʸnote:When a man declares anything sacred, as hallah, it is really the equivalent of a vow that this shall be sacred, and therefore he can be absolved of it, whereby his declaration is annulled, just as in the case of other vows.
^ᶻnote:Until he gives it to the priest. Therefore it is subject to these injunctions.
^ᵃᵃnote:We disregard this possibility, since in fact he has not revoked it. Hence it is not his property. But v. infra 48a, p. 227f.
^ᵃᵇnote:Therefore his action is not culpable.
^ᵃᶜnote:But that we use this argument: since it is fit (of use) for him on that same day if he is visited by guests.
^ᵃᵈnote:V. Glos.
^ᵃᵉnote:Which is definitely forbidden.
^ᵃᶠnote:I.e., for cooking on a Festival for the Sabbath.
^ᵃᵍnote:Which makes it clear to him that cooking on Festivals is not permitted indiscriminately, but only for the Festival or the Sabbath.
^ᵃʰnote:Lit., ‘in danger’ — of death. Hence the owner wishes to slaughter it before it dies, which would render its flesh nebelah (v. Glos).
^ᵃⁱnote:On a Festival.
^ᵃʲnote:Lit., ‘while it is yet day’, — i.e., on the Festival itself.