Pesachim 40b (מ:) — the Talmud in English

And even

Mar, son of Ravina,

his mother would place it for him

[his mother would hold the wheat for him] for the sake of Passover,

within

the

arvei

[troughs, bowls]! For from the beginning of its harvesting she guarded the wheat for the sake of the mitzva.

There was a certain shipload of wheat

[a ship laden with wheat]

that sank

before Passover

in

the river called

“Ḥishta.”

The wheat fermented in the water, and afterward it was salvaged.

Rava permitted selling

the wheat

to gentiles.

Rabba bar Livai raised an objection to Rava:

It was taught in a beraita:

A garment in which

a thread of kilayim was woven, and

it was lost in it

[it was no longer recognizable in it]—that

thread of kilayim—

one may not sell it to a gentile!

Although kilayim in general may be sold, this case is different. Since the kilayim is not recognizable in the garment, we are concerned that the gentile may sell the garment to another Jew, causing that Jew to violate the prohibition by wearing kilayim.

And

likewise,

he may not make it

into

a saddlecloth for a donkey!

Since the kilayim is not recognizable in it, we are concerned that he may later remove it from the donkey and sew it into one of his garments.

But one may make

the

same

garment in which kilayim was lost

a shroud for the dead!

Since the garments of the dead are prohibited for benefit, there is no longer concern that someone will remove it and wear it. And there is no concern about kilayim in what the dead person wears, since mitzvot do not apply to him, as it is written: “And to the dead, freedom.” And we expound: Once a person has died, he becomes free of the mitzvot.

Rabba concluded his objection:

For what reason

did they decree that he

may not

sell it to a gentile?

Is it

not because

we are concerned

that he will again sell

it, the gentile,

to a Jew

elsewhere?! If so, the wheat that sank in the river should likewise be prohibited from being sold to a gentile, since its fermentation is not recognizable. Perhaps the gentile will sell it to a Jew for Passover.

Rava then said: Let him sell them

before Passover,

a kav

one to this Jew, and

another kav

to another

Jew

—so that he does not sell a large quantity to one person, but only a small amount to each person.

So that they will be finished before Passover

[so that they will be consumed before Passover].

The Sages taught: One may not knead

with flour [adding flour to a cold dish is called “kneading”]

the pot on Passover!

Because the flour may come to ferment in the dish before the water in it boils.

And one who wishes to knead

should follow this order. First he should

place the flour

into the dish,

and afterward

he should

place

upon it

the vinegar!

For the vinegar cooks the flour immediately and does not allow it to ferment.

But he may not first place the vinegar into the dish and afterward add the flour, because in that manner the vinegar has already mixed into the dish before the flour is added. Vinegar cooks only when it is present in its undiluted form.

And some say:

It is permitted for him to knead even if he

places

first

the vinegar

into the dish

and afterward places

in it

the flour!

For even when the vinegar is mixed into the dish, it cooks the flour placed into it.

The Gemara asks:

Who

are

the “some say”?

Rav Ḥisda said: It is Rabbi Yehuda,

who holds that even vinegar mixed with water cooks what is placed into it.

As we learned in a Mishna: An ilpas and a pot that one removed

from over the fire when they were

boiling—one may not place spices into them

on Shabbat, because a first vessel cooks what is placed into it even after it has been removed from the fire.

But

he

may place

the spices

into a bowl or into a serving dish

into which he poured the cooked food from the pot, because they are only a second vessel, and a second vessel does not cook.

Rabbi Yehuda says: Into any

second vessel

he may place

the spices,

except into

a

substance containing vinegar or fish brine

[the salty liquid that drips from salted fish], because vinegar and brine cook the spices even in a second vessel.

It follows that although the vinegar was placed into the vessel first and had already mixed into the dish, so that it was no longer present in its undiluted form, it nevertheless cooks. And this is consistent with the “some say,” who permit first adding the vinegar and afterward the flour.

The Gemara asks:

And let us establish

the view of the “some say” also

as the opinion of Rabbi Yosei!

For we find that Rabbi Yosei likewise said as they did.

As

it was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Yosei says:

Barley that was soaked in water and split open—

he soaks it in vinegar, and the vinegar seals it

so that it will not ferment! It follows that vinegar cooks flour even if the barley had previously been soaked in water.

And we reject this: Rabbi Yosei’s words do not prove the position of the “some say.” For

when Rabbi Yosei teaches us

that vinegar cooks,

that applies

where

it is present

as vinegar

in its undiluted form,

and is not mixed with another substance.

But

with vinegar that is mixed

through admixture

into the dish,

he did not

say that it cooks.

Ulla said: Both this and that,

whether one adds the vinegar first or the flour first,

it is prohibited

to knead the pot on Passover at all,

because

of creating a safeguard against possible transgression. As it is said:

“Go, go,”

we say to the nazirite, “go around, go around,”

[go around],

“do not approach the vineyard!”

As a safeguard against a forbidden matter, we tell the nazirite to keep away from the vineyard, so that he will not come to violate the prohibition against eating grapes.

Rav Pappi permitted the bakers

[of the household] of

the house of the Exilarch to thicken a pot with ḥasisei

on Passover, because he permitted them to put into the dish “roasted-flour flour,” flour made from wheat roasted in an oven, since it can no longer come to ferment.

Rava said:

But

is there anyone who permits

doing

such a thing in a place where slaves are common?!

Although as a matter of law it is permitted to knead the pot with this flour, nevertheless, in a place such as the house of the Exilarch, where slaves are common, this should not be permitted. For slaves treat prohibited matters lightly; if we permit them to use roasted flour, they will come to permit ordinary flour as well.

Some say: Rava himself thickened

on Passover

a pot with ḥasisei!

He too did not fear that roasted flour might ferment.

Mishna:

1.

One may not place

on Passover

flour into ḥaroset or into mustard!

Because ḥaroset contains vinegar. It is made for dipping meat, and it is customary to add flour to blunt its flavor. The flour ferments after some time, thereby blunting the taste of the vinegar. Likewise, flour is added to mustard to blunt its sharpness. On Passover one may not do so, because the flour will thereby come to ferment.

And if one placed

flour into them,

he may eat

it

immediately!

Before the flour has time to ferment in them.

But Rabbi Meir prohibits

eating them even immediately, because he holds that the vinegar in the ḥaroset and the sharpness of the mustard hasten fermentation, so that it ferments immediately.

2. It is written concerning the Paschal offering: “You shall not eat of it raw, or boiled in water, but roasted over fire, its head with its legs and with its innards.”

It is not only prohibited to cook it in water;

one may not cook

the

Paschal offering

even

in

other

liquids.

And

not even in fruit juice!

The reason will be explained in the Gemara.

But one may smear

the Paschal offering with them before roasting it.

And

likewise,

one may dip it in them

[in other liquids and fruit juice] at the time of eating it!

3.

The water used by a baker,

in which he cools his hands while shaping and trimming the dough,

must be poured out

on Passover,

because it causes fermentation

due to the crumbs of dough that fall into it.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: “And if one placed [flour into them], he may eat immediately. But Rabbi Meir prohibits.”

Rav Kahana said: The dispute

between the Sages and Rabbi Meir applies only when one placed the flour

into the mustard.

According to the Sages, it does not ferment immediately; according to Rabbi Meir, it ferments immediately.

But

if one placed the flour

into

the

ḥaroset,

according to

everyone, it must be burned immediately! The Sages permitted the flour only in mustard, because mustard is sharp and prevents the flour from fermenting quickly.

But ḥaroset causes the flour to ferment immediately. And it was likewise taught in a beraita: One may not place flour into ḥaroset. And if one did place it, it must be burned immediately!

If one placed the flour

into the mustard—

Rabbi Meir says: It must be burned immediately!

And the Sages say: He may eat it immediately!

It is evident that they disagree only with regard to mustard. But with regard to ḥaroset, everyone agrees that it must be burned.

Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehuda, said that Rav Naḥman said that Shmuel said: The halakha is in accordance with the statement of the Sages!

After the fact, if one placed the flour into it, he may eat it immediately.

After the fact, if one put in the flour, he may eat it immediately.