Pesachim 119b (קיט:) — the Talmud in English

We learned there: In a place where the custom is

to repeat

each and every verse of Hallel,

one repeats them.

And in a place where the custom is

to recite plainly,

not to repeat them,

one recites them plainly.

In a place where the custom is

to recite a blessing after it,

after Hallel,

one recites the blessing.

Everything follows the custom of the country.

Abaye said: They taught

that the blessing over Hallel is dependent upon custom

only

with regard to the blessing

after it. But

the blessing

before it,

it is a mitzva

to recite.

As Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: For all mitzvot, one recites the blessing over them before

performing them,

before carrying them out.

And we raised the following question:

What is the implication,

from where did we learn

that this

“before”

is an expression of precedence?

And we answered:

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: As it is written,

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

the Cushite,”

as 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 in a baraita: Rabbi would repeat some of the words

rather than repeating all of Hallel, but only a portion of it, such as from “Blessed is he who comes” onward.

Rabbi Elazar ben Perata would add some of the words.

What does “add” mean?

Abaye said: He added

to Rabbi’s repetitions

by repeating 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 bestow His kindness upon the descendants of Isaac.

That is, in the future era.

After they eat and drink,

they

will give our father Abraham a cup of blessing so that he may recite the blessing. And

he

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

Because

Ishmael issued from me.

He will say to Isaac: Take it and recite the blessing!

And he

will say

to them: I will not recite the blessing!

Because

Esau issued from me.

He will say to Jacob: Take it and recite the blessing!

And he

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

Because

I married two sisters during their lifetimes, whom the Torah would ultimately prohibit to me.

He will say to Moses: Take it and recite the blessing!

And he

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

Because

I was not privileged to enter the Land of Israel, neither during my lifetime nor after my death.

For even my bones were not privileged to be buried in the Land of Israel, as were the bones of Joseph.

He will say to Joshua: Take it and recite the blessing!

And he

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

Because

I was not privileged to have a son.

As it is written

concerning

Joshua son of Nun

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

“Nun his son, Joshua his son”

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

He will say to David: Take it and recite the blessing!

And he

will say to them: I will recite the blessing!

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

“I shall raise the cup of salvations, and call upon the Name of the Lord.”

Mishna:

One may not conclude

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

after

eating the

Paschal offering

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

afikoman.

And the Gemara explains it.

Gemara:

And we raised the following question:

What is afikoman?

And we answered:

Rav said: That the members of one group may not move from group to group,

after the members of the group have finished eating their Paschal offering, they may not go to another group to eat there, neither bread nor anything else. This is a decree, lest they come to eat the Paschal offering itself in two places, which is prohibited. But in their original place they may eat anything. And “afikoman” means “bring out your utensils,” that is, it is prohibited to say: “Take out your utensils from here, and let us go eat somewhere else.”

And Shmuel said:

It is not only prohibited to move to another group; rather, even within one’s own group it is prohibited to eat anything at all, including sweets, after the Paschal offering, so that the taste of the meat of the Paschal offering will remain in his mouth,

such as ordelay,

truffles and mushrooms,

for me,

as I am accustomed to eating them as dessert at my meal.

And gozalaya,

young birds,

for Father,

for Rav, who was accustomed to eating young birds as dessert at his meal.

And Rav Ḥanina bar Sheila and Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Such as dates, roasted grain, and nuts.

For they were accustomed to use these to conclude their meals.

A baraita was taught in accordance with Rabbi Yoḥanan’s opinion: One may not conclude after the Paschal offering with such things as dates, roasted grain, or nuts.

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

For nowadays one must eat an olive-bulk of matza at the end of the meal, in commemoration of the matza that was eaten in Temple times together with the Paschal offering [the matza that we call “afikoman,” although of course it is not afikoman], and after that matza it is prohibited 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 may not conclude after the Paschal offering with afikoman.

And we inferred:

It is only after the Paschal offering that one may not,

only after it is one prohibited from eating anything.

But after matza,

nowadays, when one eats only matza at the end,

one may conclude!

But this contradicts Rav Yehuda in the name of Shmuel, who prohibits eating even after matza nowadays.

And we answer: In reality, one may not conclude even after the matza. And the Mishna

is stating “it is not necessary”

to say so:

It is not necessary to state that one may not conclude after matza, whose taste is not strong,

as its taste is not powerful, and it is certainly prohibited to eat after it, so that one will not forget its taste.

But after the Paschal offering, whose taste is strong and cannot be removed,

the food eaten afterward does not have the power to remove the taste of the Paschal offering, and therefore one might say that

we have no concern,

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

It teaches us

that it is prohibited.

Let us say that this supports

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

As it was taught in a baraita:

Sufganin,

thin wafers made like a sponge; because their dough is soft, they are not considered “bread,” and one cannot fulfill the obligation of matza with them, since matza is called “the bread of affliction.”

And dvashnin,

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

and iskaritin,

whose dough is very soft and is not considered “bread,”

a person may fill his stomach with them

on the night of Pesaḥ,

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