Pesachim 119b — the Talmud in English

We learned there: In a place where they were accustomed ![](pamud.bmp "

precise column location")

to double

each and every verse in the Hallel,

he doubles.

And in a place where they were accustomed

to recite plainly,

not to double,

he recites plainly.

A place where they were accustomed

to recite a blessing after it,

after the Hallel,

he recites the blessing.

Everything, according to the custom of the country.

Abaye said: They taught

that the blessing of the Hallel depends on custom

only

with regard to the blessing

after it. But

the blessing

before it,

it is a mitzva

to recite.

For Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: With regard to all mitzvot, one recites a blessing over them beforehand

before

performing them.

And we raised it:

What is the indication,

from where did we learn

that this

“before”

is an expression of preceding?

And we answered:

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: For it is written

“And Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and he preceded

the Cushite,”

for he preceded him in running.

Abaye said: From here:

as it is stated concerning Jacob when he went toward Esau,

“And he passed before them.”

Some say: From here: “And their king shall pass before them, and the Lord at their head.”

It was taught: Rabbi would double some of its words,

for he did not double all of the Hallel, but only a little, such as from “Blessed is he who comes” onward.

Rabbi Elazar ben Perata adds some of its words.

What does “adds” mean?

Abaye said: He adds

to Rabbi’s doubling

to double from “I thank You”

and below.

Rav Avira expounded: Sometimes he said it in the name of Rav, and sometimes he said it in the name of Rav Ashi: What is the meaning of that which is written

“And the child grew and was weaned”? In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will make a feast for the righteous, on the day when He will wean His kindness toward the seed of Isaac.

That is, in the future.

After they eat and drink

they

will give our forefather Abraham a cup of blessing to recite the blessing. And

he

will say to them: I do not recite the blessing!

Because

Ishmael came forth from me.

He says to Isaac: Take and recite the blessing!

And he

says

to them: I do not recite the blessing!

Because

Esau came forth from me.

He says to Jacob: Take and recite the blessing!

And he

says to them: I do not recite the blessing!

Because

I married two sisters during their lifetimes, whom the Torah was destined to forbid to me.

He says to Moses: Take and recite the blessing!

And he

says to them: I do not recite the blessing!

Because

I did not merit entering the Land of Israel, neither during my lifetime nor after my death.

For even my bones did not merit being buried in the Land of Israel like the bones of Joseph.

He says to Joshua: Take and recite the blessing!

And he

says to them: I do not recite the blessing!

Because

I did not merit a son.

For it is written

concerning

Joshua son of Nun

in the book of Chronicles, which enumerates the lineage of the family of Ephraim up to

“Nun his son, Joshua his son”

[of Nun]. But Scripture did not enumerate sons for Joshua himself.

He says to David: Take and recite the blessing!

And he

says to them: I shall recite the blessing!

And it is fitting for me to recite the blessing! For it is stated

“I shall lift up the cup of salvations, and I shall call upon the name of the Lord.”

Mishna:

One does not conclude

[from the expression “one who takes leave of his fellow”] one does not finish the meal

after

eating the

Paschal offering

[which is eaten at the end when satiated] by eating

the afikoman.

And the Gemara explains it.

Gemara:

And we raised it:

What is afikoman?

And we answered:

Rav said: That they should not move from one fellowship to another,

after the members of the fellowship finish eating their Paschal offering, they should not go to another fellowship to eat there either bread or anything else, a decree lest they come to eat the Paschal offering itself in two places, which is forbidden. But in their original place they are permitted to eat anything. And afikoman means “bring out your vessels,” that is, it is forbidden to say, “Take out your vessels from here, and let us go and eat in another place.”

And Shmuel said:

It is not only forbidden to move to another fellowship; rather, even in one’s own fellowship it is forbidden to eat anything, even sweets, after the Paschal offering, so that the taste of the meat of the Paschal offering will remain in his mouth [for it is eaten at the end when satiated]. And afikoman means “bring out—the kind,” that is, bring out and bring sweets for the conclusion of the meal,

such as mushrooms

truffles and mushrooms

for me,

which I am accustomed to eat as the conclusion of my meal.

And fledglings

young birds

for Father,

for Rav, who was accustomed to eat fledglings as the conclusion of his meal.

And Rav Hanina bar Sheila and Rabbi Yohanan said: Such as dates, parched grain, and nuts.

For they were accustomed to conclude their meals with these.

It was taught in accordance with Rabbi Yohanan: One does not conclude after the Paschal offering with such as dates, parched grain, and nuts.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: One does not conclude after matza with afikoman.

For nowadays one must eat an olive-bulk of matza at the end of the meal, in remembrance of the matza that was eaten in the time of the Temple together with the Paschal offering [the matza that we call “afikoman,” though of course it is not afikoman], and after that matza it is forbidden to eat anything [afikoman], so that the taste of the matza will remain in the mouth.

And we objected:

We learned

in the Mishna:

One does not conclude after the Paschal offering with afikoman.

And we precisely inferred:

It is after the Paschal offering that one may not,

only after it is it forbidden to eat anything.

But after matza,

nowadays, when at the end they eat only matza,

one may conclude!

And this is difficult for Rav Yehuda in the name of Shmuel, who forbids eating even after matza nowadays?

And we answered: In truth, even after the matza one may not conclude. And the Mishna

“It is not necessary”

is stating!

It is not necessary to state after matza, whose taste is not strong,

for its taste is not strong; certainly it is forbidden to eat after it, so that one will not forget its taste.

But after the Paschal offering, whose taste is strong, and one cannot remove it,

the eating after it does not have the power to remove the taste of the Paschal offering, and therefore I might say that

we have no concern,

and it would be permitted to eat after the Paschal offering.

It teaches us

that it is forbidden.

Let us say that it supports

Rav Yehuda in the name of Shmuel, that one does not conclude after matza with afikoman.

For it was taught:

The sponge-cakes

thin wafers made like a sponge, and because their dough is soft they do not have the status of “bread,” and one cannot fulfill the obligation of matza with them, for it is written concerning it “bread of affliction.”

And the honey-cakes

dough fried in oil and honey, which is disqualified for the mitzva of matza because it is not “bread of affliction” but rather rich bread,

and the iskiritin

whose dough is very soft and does not have the status of “bread,”

a person may fill his belly with them

on the night of Passover,

provided that he eats an olive-bulk of matza last.