Pesachim 109a — the Talmud in English

Rather, they divide among them ![](pamud.bmp "

exact page location")

roasted kernels,

roasted wheat in fire,

and nuts on the eve of Pesach, so that they should not sleep and should ask

the four questions.

They said about Rabbi Akiva that he would distribute roasted kernels and nuts to the children on the eve of Pesach, so that they should not sleep and should ask.

It was taught: Rabbi Eliezer says: They snatch the matza.

They hurry to eat on the night of the Seder

for the sake of

the

children, so that they should not sleep.

Another explanation: They raise the tray in which the matzot and the maror are, so that the children should ask why they eat matza and maror tonight [and the Bach wrote that according to this explanation, we do not read “so that they should not sleep"].

It was taught: They said about Rabbi Akiva,

that

never in his life did he say: The time has arrived

for

rising in the beit-midrash

to stop from Torah study,

except for the eves of Pesach and the eve of the Day of Atonement.

On the eves of Pesach: for the sake of the children

he would say that everyone should go to their homes during the day to put the children to sleep

so that they should not sleep

at night at the time of the Haggada.

The eve of the Day of Atonement: so that they should feed their children.

The Sages taught: A person is obligated to gladden his sons and the members of his household on the Festival, as it is stated: “And you shall rejoice on your Festival.”

With what does he gladden them?

With wine.

Rabbi Judah says: Men

he gladdens the members of his household

with what is fitting for them.

And women

he gladdens them

with what is fitting for them.

And we explain:

men, with what is fitting for them,

that is,

with wine.

And women, with what?

Rav Yosef taught: In Babylonia: with colored garments.

In the Land of Israel: with ironed linen garments.

It was taught: Rabbi Judah ben Beteira says: When the Temple is standing, there is no joy except with meat

of peace-offerings.

As it is stated: “And you shall slaughter peace-offerings, and you shall eat there and rejoice before the Lord your God.”

And now, when the Temple is not standing—

there is no joy except with wine.

As it is stated: “And wine gladdens the heart of man.”

Rabbi Isaac said: The kasta of moraisa

a measure with which they sell the moraisa [a food made from fish fat, roasted flour, and water

that was in Sepphoris; it was like the log of the Temple

it was the size of the log that was in the Temple.

And with it they measure a revi'it

of the log

of

four cups

of Pesach,

for they would fill it and divide it into four.

Rabbi Yohanan said: The ancient tamniyata

a name of a measure

ancient

old

that was in Tiberias,

and it

was larger than this

it was larger than the tamniyata of today,

a quarter

by a quarter.

And with it they measure the revi'it of Pesach.

For they would pour the old measure into the new one, and what remained in the old one was a revi'it.

Rav Hisda said: The revi'it of Torah [

its measure [in a square vessel

two fingerbreadths by two fingerbreadths, in height

in height

two fingerbreadths, and half a fingerbreadth, and a fifth of a fingerbreadth.

And we learned this from the measure of a ritual bath.

As it was taught:

it is written: “And when a man has a discharge of semen from him,

and he shall wash all his flesh in water.”

And we expound: “In water—his flesh”; this teaches

that there shall not be

at the time of immersion

anything intervening between his flesh and the water.

“In water”

is vocalized with a patah, which takes the place of the definite article, and it means designated water, namely

the water of a ritual bath,

which gathered there initially by itself, and not drawn water, which a person drew now.

“All his flesh,”

implies that he must immerse all his flesh at once. To teach that he should immerse in

water into which all his body rises [

enters

in them,

which is entirely covered by them.