Pesachim 33b — the Talmud in English

When Rav Huna son of Rav Yehoshua came, ![](pamud.bmp "

precise page location")

he said:

Even grain that became leavened while detached, and had a time when it was fit [for separation as teruma], no name of teruma takes effect upon it on Passover. Because

the verse says

with regard to teruma:

“The first

of your grain.” For it implies: it shall be the first, and through it the remainder shall become permitted from the prohibition of tevel. And it is called “first” only at a time

when its remainder is recognizable

as having been permitted

to Israelites. This

leavened teruma

is excluded, for its remainder is not recognizable .

For even the rest of the tevel remains prohibited with the prohibition of leaven. And since it does not permit the remainder, and is not called “first,” it did not become sanctified .

And even according to Rabbi Yosei the Galilean, who holds that leaven is permitted in benefit, the teruma did not permit the remainder in any way, since even beforehand the tevel had been permitted in benefit. For it had been prohibited only in eating.

Rav Aha son of Rav Avya sat before Rav Hisda, and he sat and said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: Grapes that became impure

he may

press them little by little, less than an egg-bulk at a time.

And he should not press together an amount of grapes that contains an egg-bulk. For through this the wine will become impure upon its emergence, because of its contact with the impure grapes, with food impurity. Therefore, if he wishes that the wine not become impure, he should press each time separately, an amount that does not contain an egg-bulk. For food renders a liquid impure only if the food contains the measure of an egg.

And

if he does so,

their wine

that emerges from them is pure. And it is

fit for libations.

And we infer:

Apparently, Rabbi Yohanan holds

Rabbi Yohanan,

liquids

absorbed in grapes

are deposited and stored!

For while the wine is still in the fruit, it is not joined to it and is not considered as one body with it. Rather, the grapes are like a vessel in which the wine is placed. Therefore, when the grape skin [the grape peel] becomes impure, the liquid does not become impure with it through food impurity. For it is not food.

And although it touches the grape skin, and a liquid contracts impurity through any amount, nevertheless it does not become a secondary degree of impurity through its contact. For it does not even have the status of a liquid, as long as it is inside the fruit .

And

when do the liquids become impure

the liquids?

When he squeezes them.

For then the liquid of one grape touches the skins of the other grapes. And since

when he squeezes them,

he squeezes separately less than an egg-bulk,

there is not

in the grape skins

the measure

of food that renders others impure, which is an egg-bulk.

It is necessarily the case that this is what Rabbi Yohanan held. For if he had held that the liquids are absorbed and submerged, and they are one body with the grape, then they become impure with it together through food impurity, even before they emerge from it. For they are not liquids, but food. And what benefit would there be if he pressed them little by little, less than an egg-bulk?

And we raise an objection:

If so,

why does he need to press them less than an egg-bulk? For even grapes of the measure

of an egg-bulk also

would not render the wine that emerges from them impure. For when the liquid is squeezed out of them, their measure is reduced, and they no longer contain an egg-bulk.

For we learned: A person impure through a corpse

who pressed olives and grapes

that contain

exactly an egg-bulk,

if he did not touch the liquids that emerge from them [for example, he pressed them with plain wooden vessels, which do not contract impurity], the liquids are

pure!

And although the grape skins became impure through contact with the corpse-impure person, they do not render the liquids impure. For immediately when the first drop emerged from them, they were already reduced below the measure of an egg-bulk, and do not render [the liquids] impure.

But if there is something more than an egg-bulk in the grapes, the liquids are impure. For once the first drop has emerged, it becomes impure from the grapes, since an egg-bulk still remains in them. And although the grape skins alone do not contain an egg-bulk, except together with the liquids absorbed in them, the liquids join to complete the measure . And we do not say that they are not one body with the fruit except with regard to the fact that they do not become impure together with it through food impurity.

At any rate, it teaches that if they contain exactly an egg-bulk, they do not render the liquids that emerge from them impure. And this is difficult for Rabbi Yohanan, who declares them pure specifically when they contain less than an egg-bulk.

And we answer:

There

it is speaking with regard to after the fact.

For if he did

and pressed an egg-bulk, the liquids are pure. But

here

Rabbi Yohanan says that

at the outset

he should press them only little by little, less than an egg-bulk. For because of a

decree,

he should not press even exactly an egg-bulk,

lest he come to do

and press

more than an egg-bulk

at one time.

Rav Hisda said

to Rav Aha:

Who will heed you and your master Rabbi Yohanan,

who declares the liquids pure when he presses them less than an egg-bulk?! But while they were still inside the fruit, they had already become impure together with it. And why should they return and become pure upon their emergence?

And where has the impurity that was in them gone?!

And we infer:

Apparently Rav Hisda holds

Rav Hisda,

the liquids

inside the grapes

are absorbed and submerged

in the fruit. And they are joined to it, and are considered as one body.

And since the food became impure for him [

the grapes],

it became impure for him

with them as well, the

liquids

absorbed in them, through food impurity.

He said to him,

Rav Aha:

And

if so,

will you not accept that the liquids are deposited and stored

in the grapes, and are not joined with them?!

For we learned: A person impure through a corpse who pressed olives and grapes of

the measure of

exactly an egg-bulk,

if he did not touch the liquids, they are

pure!

Granted, if you say

the liquids

are deposited and stored, for this reason they are pure!

For they do not become impure through contact with the grape skins, since the grape skins have already been reduced below the measure of an egg-bulk.

But if you say

the liquids

are absorbed and submerged, why

are they

pure?

For while they were still inside the olives and grapes, they had already become impure together with them through food impurity, because of the corpse-impure person’s contact with the skins.

He said to him,

Rav Hisda:

With what are we dealing

here?

With grapes that

still

have not been made fit

by liquids to contract impurity [for food does not contract impurity until liquids come upon it]. And those grapes that the corpse-impure person touched,

when are they made fit

for them? They are fit only

when he squeezes them,

through the squeezed liquid that moistens them. And if they contain only exactly an egg-bulk, then

when he squeezes them, their measure is reduced below

the measure of an egg-bulk. Therefore, even the grapes themselves are pure, because they do not contain the measure required to contract impurity .

And the liquids are pure as well. For the impure person touches only the grapes, as is explicit there in the Mishna.

And Rav Hisda proved his words: it is necessarily the case that the liquids are absorbed and submerged.

For if you do not say so,

but say that they are deposited and stored, then

the

beraita above will be difficult.

For it was taught:

Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri said to Rabbi Akiva: But leavened teruma has no benefit whatsoever.

To what is this comparable? To teruma of figs and grapes that became impure, which has neither permission for eating nor permission for kindling [

for it is not fit for kindling]. Therefore, a non-priest who ate it is exempt from payment.

And if you say, “The liquids are deposited and stored,”

it also has permission for eating. For

indeed,

if he wishes, he can press them

the impure figs and grapes

little by little, less than an egg-bulk at a time,

and the liquids will be pure.

Rava said:

It is prohibited to press impure teruma in order to extract the liquids from it, even though the liquids themselves are pure.

It is a decree lest he come through it to a mishap !

For we are concerned that perhaps while he presses it, he will eat from it, and thereby transgress the prohibition against eating impure teruma.

Abaye said

to Rava:

And are we concerned about a mishap

of this kind?

But it was taught: One may kindle with bread and oil of teruma that became impure!

For the bread and oil are not consumed all at once, but little by little. Apparently, we are not concerned that perhaps he will eat from it while using it.

He said to him:

It was not permitted to kindle with

bread

of impure teruma except when

he throws it among the wood!

that is designated for kindling, whereby it becomes disgusting, and he will no longer come to eat it. And likewise, what they permitted to kindle with

oil

impure

of teruma,

they permitted only where

he places it in a repulsive vessel!

For since it is repulsive, there is no concern that he will eat it.

The matter itself: One may kindle with bread and oil of teruma that became impure!

Abaye stated it,

this beraita,

in the name of Hezekiah. And Rava said

it in the name of

the school of Rabbi Yitzhak bar Marta.

Rav Huna said:

This that it was taught, that one may kindle with impure teruma,

was taught

so

only with bread

of teruma.

But

with

wheat

of impure teruma,

no,

one may not kindle. Lest it lead to a mishap! Since they do not become disgusting through kindling, we are concerned that perhaps he will eat from them.

And Rabbi Yohanan said:

One may kindle

even

with

wheat

of impure teruma!

And we discussed it:

And why

is it permitted to do so? Since they do not become disgusting,

let us be concerned lest it lead to a mishap with them,

and he will eat them.