Pesachim 114a — the Talmud in English

And now the Gemara continues and says another matter:

Rabbi Isaac ben Aḥa, in matters of shametta!

Whenever Rabbi Isaac is mentioned without a patronymic in matters of halakha, he is Rabbi Isaac ben Aḥa.

Rabbi Isaac ben Pinḥas, in matters of aggadata!

Rabbi Isaac mentioned without a patronymic in aggadic matters is Rabbi Isaac ben Pinḥas.

And your sign is: “Hear now, my brothers and my companions.”

For Rabbi Isaac mentioned in matters of shametta [and hinted at by “Hear now”] is Rabbi Isaac ben Aḥa [and hinted at by “my brothers and my companions”].

Rabbah bar bar Ḥana said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan in the name of Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Ilai: Eat onion

or other kinds of vegetables, whose price is inexpensive,

and sit in an onion

in your house. That is to say, so that you will not need to sell your house.

And do not eat geese and chickens, and let your heart pursue you,

so that you will always desire them, since you have become accustomed to them.

Less,

decrease

from your eating and from your drinking

from your food and from your drink,

and add to your dwelling.

When Ulla came, he said: They tell a proverb in the West

They told a proverb in the Land of Israel:

He who eats a tail,

one who is accustomed to eating a tail, that is, fatty meat,

hides in the upper room!

He must hide in the upper room of his house because of his creditors who press him.

He who eats kakulei

vegetables,

may lie on the refuse-heaps of the city!

He can sit on the refuse-heaps of the city, that is, in an ordinary and common place, a place where the other inhabitants of the city sit, without being afraid of creditors.

Mishna:

They poured for him

for the master of the house

the first cup,

The House of Shammai say: He recites the blessing over the day

first—the blessing of the kiddush of the day,

and afterward he recites the blessing over the wine

“Who creates the fruit of the vine.”

And the House of Hillel say: He recites the blessing

first

over the wine, and afterward he recites the blessing over the day.

This dispute of theirs applies to every kiddush of the nights of Shabbat and festivals, as is explained in the Gemara, and they also disputed concerning one who recites kiddush over bread, whether the blessing “Who brings forth bread” takes precedence or the blessing over the day.

Gemara:

The Sages taught:

One of the

matters between the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel

over which they disputed

concerning

the laws of

the meal [

and in Berakhot 51b all of them were enumerated]:

The House of Shammai say: He recites the blessing over the day, and afterward he recites the blessing over the wine, because the day causes the wine to come.

For it is only because of the kiddush of the day of Shabbat or the festival that they bring the wine before the meal in order to recite kiddush over it. Therefore, he must precede the blessing of the kiddush of the day to the blessing over the wine.

And another reason:

The day has already been sanctified

at the appearance of the stars, or earlier, when he accepted Shabbat upon himself,

but wine has still not come

to the table.

That is to say, the entry of the day preceded the arrival of the wine; therefore, it also precedes the blessing.

And the House of Hillel say: He recites the blessing over the wine and afterward he recites the blessing over the day, because the wine causes

the

blessing of the

kiddush that you will recite.

For if he has no wine [or bread], he does not recite kiddush; therefore, the blessing over the wine [or the bread] takes precedence.

Another matter: The blessing over the wine is regular, whereas the blessing over the day is not regular. And the rule is: That which is regular and that which is not regular—the regular takes precedence!

And the halakha is in accordance with the words of the House of Hillel!

And we inquire concerning it:

What

is “another matter”?

Why did the House of Hillel need to state an additional reason for their words, and not suffice with the first reason?

And we answer:

If you would say,

perhaps you would say:

There, two [reasons],

to precede the blessing of kiddush, there are two reasons, as explained in the words of the House of Shammai,

but

here, to precede the blessing over the wine, there is only

one,

only one reason, that the wine causes the kiddush.

For this reason the House of Hillel said that

here too, there are two

reasons

indeed!

And they added the reason:

That which is regular and that which is not regular—the regular takes precedence.

And the Gemara objects to what the beraita said,

and the halakha is in accordance with the words of the House of Hillel: Is it obvious!?

For, behold, a heavenly voice went forth

that the halakha is in accordance with the House of Hillel everywhere.

And we answer:

If you wish, say:

This beraita was taught

before

the

heavenly voice went forth.

And if you wish, say,

even if it was taught

after the heavenly voice, and

this beraita is in accordance with the view of

Rabbi Yehoshua, who says: One does not pay heed to a heavenly voice!

According to his view, the halakha was not established in accordance with the House of Hillel; rather, each person may act either in accordance with the House of Shammai or in accordance with the House of Hillel. Therefore, the beraita needed to teach us that in this dispute the halakha is in accordance with the House of Hillel.

Mishna:

They brought before him

vegetables, after he recited kiddush over the wine [and this is the karpas that we are accustomed to bring], and he dips them in salt water so that the children will be aroused to ask why vegetables are brought before the meal, for this is not the usual practice [and this is the question: “On all nights we do not dip even once”].

And if he has no other vegetable,

he dips in ḥazeret,

They brought before him

Until he reaches the relish of the bread.

And if he has no other vegetable,

That is to say, this dipping is not for the mitzva of eating maror, but only to arouse the children to ask.

Afterward

they brought before him matza,

The lettuce dipped in charoset or salt water is eaten before he reaches the lettuce eaten after eating matza, for the sake of the mitzva of bitter herbs. This eating is called “the accompaniment of the bread,” because it draws on and brings the meal [Tosafot].

one as a remembrance of the Paschal offering, and one as a remembrance of the festival offering.

Afterward,

they brought before him matza,

and lettuce, and charoset, and two cooked dishes,

one as a remembrance of the Paschal offering and one as a remembrance of the festival offering.

As for the fact that they brought charoset, they did so

is a mitzva,

for it is a remembrance of the mortar with which Israel worked in Egypt.

And in the Temple,

when the Temple existed,

they would bring before him the body of the Paschal offering,

the roasted Paschal offering.

And in the Temple,

when the Temple was standing,

they would bring before him the Paschal offering itself,

the roasted Paschal offering.