Pesachim 2a (ב.) — the Talmud in English

Mishna:

On the night of the fourteenth,

on the night of the fourteenth of Nisan,

one searches for the leaven,

searching for leaven that is in the house,

by the light of a lamp,

so that one will not violate the prohibitions of “it shall not be seen” and “it shall not be found” with regard to it during Pesach.

The obligation to search applies only in places where the practice is to bring leaven during the year. But

any place into which leaven is not brought—

does not require

a search.

The Mishna explains:

And

since we have said that a place into which leaven is not brought does not require a search, if so,

with regard to what did they say

the Sages [in the Mishna below], that one must search

two rows

of arranged wine barrels

in a wine cellar?

But a wine cellar is not a place into which leaven is brought! They said this only with regard to a cellar that is

a place into which leaven is brought.

For example, a cellar from which wine is taken during the meal, where sometimes the attendant stands and pours wine for those reclining at the meal while holding his bread in his hand. When the wine runs out, he enters the cellar to bring more wine while the bread is still in his hand, and at times he forgets it there. With regard to such a cellar they said that two rows of barrels require searching.

Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disputed which two rows these are.

It was customary for wine merchants to arrange the barrels in rows in the cellar until they filled the entire floor of the cellar with barrels. Afterward, they placed additional layers of barrels on them, up to the ceiling.

Beit Shammai say:

One must search

two rows

full

across the entire cellar.

That is, the outer row opposite the entrance, from bottom to top, and the row parallel to it farther inside.

[Alternatively, according to another opinion in the Gemara, these two rows are the outer row from bottom to top and the uppermost row extending across the entire length and width of the cellar.]

And Beit Hillel say:

One need search only two individual rows, namely,

the two outer rows, which are the uppermost.

The outer row in the uppermost layer, and one additional individual row farther inside. [According to another opinion in the Gemara, the additional row is the row beneath the uppermost row.]

Gemara:

We learned in our Mishna: “On the night of the fourteenth one searches for the leaven.”

The Gemara raises a question concerning this:

What

is ‘light’?

Rav Huna said: “‘Light’ means

‘light of day,’” that is,

daybreak,

meaning as soon as the day begins to grow light, on the morning of the fourteenth.

And Rav Yehuda said: “‘Light’ means

‘nighttime,’”

the night

of the fourteenth.

It might enter your mind—the Gemara now assumed—

that

the one who says

“daybreak”

means actual daybreak,

that Rav Huna holds that one searches for leaven only in the morning of the fourteenth and not on the preceding night.

And the one who says

“nighttime”

means actual nighttime,

he said.

The Gemara raises an objection to Rav Yehuda from what is stated concerning Joseph’s brothers [Genesis 44:3]:

“The morning became light, and the men were sent away.”

“The morning became light, and the men were sent away.”

The Gemara assumed that the verse means that in the morning, which is called “light,” the men were sent away.

Apparently,

it is evident from here that

“light”

is daytime

[morning]

itself.

This is difficult for Rav Yehuda, who says that “light” means nighttime!

And we answer:

Is it written

“the light was morning,”

which would indicate that “light” is a noun, the name of the morning?

But

“the morning became light”

is written!

Here, “light” is a verb, meaning that the morning became bright and the men were sent away.

And

it is according to the one who says,

as people say,

“the dawn shone,”

meaning that the morning became bright. But “light” as a noun means only nighttime.

The verse therefore comes to teach incidentally a proper conduct, based on Joseph’s brothers, who waited until the day became light.

And this is in accordance with what Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav.

For Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: A person should always enter a city

from the road

“when it is good,”

when the sun is still shining [based on the phrase, “And God saw the light, that it was good”].

And

likewise

he should leave

the city

“when it is good,”

when the sun is already shining, in order to be protected from wild animals and bandits.

Meitivי

Rav Yehuda with a verse stated in David’s last words [II Samuel 23:4],

“And like the light of morning, the sun will shine forth.”

The Gemara assumes that the “light” mentioned here is a noun. David said as follows: In the World-to-Come, the righteous will emerge from their darkness, and the sun will shine for them, like this “light,” which is the morning.

Thus,

“light”

means daytime!?

And we answer:

Does it say

“the light of morning,”

which would imply that “light” is a noun?

After all,

“and like the light of morning”

is written!

It is not a noun; rather, its meaning is “the illumination” of the morning.

And this is what

David

said: “And like the light of morning,”

the time when the morning begins to illuminate—that is, at dawn—which here,

in this world,

is still dark and gloomy; at that time there will be abundant light,

like the rising of the sun for the righteous in the World-to-Come.

In the future, the light of the sun will be very great, so that even at dawn there will be a strong light like that at sunrise in this world.

Meitivי

Rav Yehuda with what is stated [Genesis 1:5]:

“And God called the light

day.”

Thus,

“light”

is the name of

daytime!

And we answer: The “light” mentioned here is not a noun; rather,

this is what

the verse

means: “To the one that illuminates and comes,

from the time it begins to illuminate,

He called it day!”

And we challenge this:

If so,

with regard to what is stated later in the verse,

“And He called the darkness night,”

shall we also interpret it

as “to the one that darkens and comes,”

when it begins to grow dark,

He called it night!?

But

this cannot be interpreted in that manner, because

we hold

that even after it begins to grow dark, it is still not night,

for until the emergence of the stars,

which is later than the time when it begins to grow dark,

it is daytime!

The proof is from the construction of the Second Temple, as it is stated [Nehemiah 4:15]: “And we were engaged in the work, while half of them held the spears, from the rising of the dawn until the emergence of the stars.” Necessarily, this entire period is day, for the following verse states: “And the night was for us a guard, and the day for work” [Berakhot 2b].

If so, what is stated, “And God called the light day,” also cannot be interpreted as meaning “from the time it begins to illuminate.”

Rather, it must be that “light” is the noun denoting day. And this is a difficulty against Rav Yehuda.

And we answer:

Rather, “And God called the light day” is not an expression of assigning a name [that God called the name of the light “day”]; rather, it is an expression of calling by command.

And

this is what

the verse

means: “The Merciful One called the light,

the illuminating creation that He created from the splendor of the garment of His vestment,

and appointed it to the mitzva of daytime,”

commanding it to serve before Him during the day.

“And the Merciful One called the darkness, and appointed it to the mitzva of nighttime.”

He called the darkness and commanded it to serve before Him at night.

Meitivי

Rav Huna with what is stated in Psalms [148:3]:

“Praise Him, all stars of light.”

This implies that they are “the stars of night,” since the stars are visible only at night.

Thus,

“light”

means nighttime

[night]

is.

This is a difficulty against Rav Huna, who says that “light” means “daytime”?

And we answer: The “light” mentioned here is not the noun denoting night, but rather an expression meaning a luminary, and

this is what

the verse

means: “Praise Him, all illuminating stars.”

And we ask:

If so,

according to your statement, this is difficult: Does it mean that only

the illuminating stars are the ones that must be praised

before the Holy One, blessed be He, whereas

the non-illuminating ones do not have to be praised

before Him!?

But it is written

[there, verse 2],

“Praise Him, all His hosts,”

which implies all of them, both those that illuminate and those that do not illuminate!?

And we answer: Indeed, “stars of light” means illuminating stars, but the verse did not come to exclude stars that do not illuminate, for all stars have light.

Rather, this teaches us

the verse

that the light of the stars is also called light.

And we explain:

What practical difference

does it make whether the light of the stars is called “light” or not?

With regard to

one who

vows

not to derive benefit

from light.

He is forbidden to derive benefit even from starlight.

And

as it was taught:

One who vows not to derive benefit from light

is forbidden

to derive benefit

from the light of the stars,

for, as stated, it too is called “light.”

Meitivי

Rav Yehuda with what is stated [Job 24:14]:

“At daylight the murderer rises; he kills the poor and the needy, and at night he is like a thief.”