Pesachim 40b — the Talmud in English

And

Mar, the son of Ravina, ![](pamud.bmp "

exact location of the page")

his mother would take it for him

[she would reserve wheat for him] the wheat for the purpose of Passover,

in

within

troughs

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

A certain shipload of wheat

[a ship laden with wheat],

sank

before Passover

in

the river called

“Hishta.”

The wheat became leavened 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:

A garment in which

a thread of kilayim was woven, and

it was lost in it

[it was not discernible in it] that thread of

the kilayim—

he may not sell it to a gentile!

And even though ordinary kilayim is permitted to be sold, here it is different. Since the kilayim is not discernible in it, we are concerned that perhaps the gentile will sell this garment to another Jew, and the Jew will stumble by wearing kilayim.

And

so

he may not make it

for this garment

a saddlecloth for a donkey!

Since the kilayim is not discernible in it, we are concerned that perhaps he will later remove it from the donkey, and it will be sewn into one of his garments.

But they may make

the

same

garment in which kilayim was lost

shrouds for a dead person!

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

And Rabba concludes his objection:

As for a gentile, for what reason

did they decree that he

not

sell it?

Is it

not because

we are concerned

that he will then sell

it, the gentile,

to a Jew

elsewhere?! If so, even the wheat that sank in the river should be forbidden to sell to a gentile, since its leavening is not discernible. Perhaps the gentile will sell it to a Jew for Passover.

Rava then said: Let him sell it

that wheat before Passover,

a kav

one to this Jew, and

another kav

to another

Jew

! He should not sell much of it to one person, but a little to each person.

So that it will be consumed before Passover

[so that it will be consumed before Passover].

The Sages taught: One may not rub

with flour [putting flour into a cold dish is called “rubbing”]

the pot on Passover!

For the flour in the dish may come to leavening before the water in it boils.

And one who wishes to rub,

should do it in the following order. First he should

put the flour

into the dish,

and afterward

he should

put

upon it

the vinegar!

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

But he should not first put the vinegar into the dish and afterward put in the flour, because in this manner the vinegar has already mixed into the dish before the flour is put into it. And the vinegar cooks only when it is undiluted.

And some say:

It is permitted for him to rub, even if he

puts

first

the vinegar

into the dish,

and afterward puts

into it

the flour!

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

And we inquire about it:

Who

are

“some say”?

Rav Hisda said: It is Rabbi Judah

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

As we learned: The pot and the dish that they removed

from over the fire while they were

boiling—one may not put spices into them

on Shabbat, because a first vessel cooks what is put into it even after they have removed it from the fire.

But

he

puts

the spices

into the bowl or into the serving dish

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

Rabbi Judah says: Into every

second vessel

he puts

the spices,

except

into

something that contains vinegar and brine

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

It follows that although the vinegar was put into the vessel first, and had already mixed into the dish and is not undiluted, nevertheless it cooks. And this is like “some say,” that it is permitted to put in the vinegar first and afterward the flour.

And we inquire:

And let us establish

the method of “some say” also

as Rabbi Yosei!

For we find that Rabbi Yosei too said like them.

As

it was taught: Rabbi Yosei says:

Barley that was soaked in water and split—

he soaks it in vinegar, and the vinegar congeals it

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

And we reject this: There is no proof from Rabbi Yosei’s words for the words of “some say.” For

when Rabbi Yosei teaches us

that vinegar cooks,

this applies

where

it is present

the vinegar

undiluted,

and it 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 he puts in the vinegar first or puts in the flour first,

it is forbidden

to rub the pot on Passover at all,

because

of distancing oneself from the possibility of transgression. As it is stated:

“Go, go,”

we say to the nazirite, “round about, round about,”

[go around],

“do not approach the vineyard!”

For in order to distance oneself from a forbidden matter, we tell the nazirite to distance himself from the vineyard, so that he will not stumble in the prohibition of eating grapes.

Rav Pappi permitted the bakers

[to the bakers] of

the house of the Exilarch to stir the pot with roasted flour

on Passover, because he permitted putting into the dish “flour of roasted grain.” It is flour made from wheat roasted in an oven, since it can no longer come to leavening.

Rava said:

But

is there anyone who permits

doing

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

And although by strict law it is permitted to rub the pot with this flour, nevertheless, in a place like the house of the Exilarch, where slaves are common, this should not be permitted. For the slaves treat forbidden matters lightly. And if we permit them flour of roasted grain, they will come to permit even ordinary flour.

Some say: Rava himself would stir

on Passover

a pot with roasted flour!

And he too was not concerned about leavening with flour of roasted grain.

Mishna:

1.

They may not put

on Passover

flour into haroset or into mustard!

For there is vinegar in the haroset. And it is made for dipping meat into it. They are accustomed to put flour into it in order to blunt its taste. The flour becomes leavened after a time and blunts the taste of the vinegar. And they likewise put it into mustard in order to blunt its strength. On Passover one should not do so, because the flour will thereby come to leavening.

And if he put

flour into them,

he shall eat

it

immediately!

Before the flour has time to become leavened in them.

And Rabbi Meir forbids

eating them even immediately, for he holds that the vinegar in the haroset and the strength of the mustard hasten the leavening, and it becomes leavened immediately.

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

And it is forbidden to cook it not only in water, but

they may not cook the

Passover

offering

even

in

other

liquids.

And

not even in fruit liquid!

And the reason will be explained in the Gemara.

But they may anoint

the Passover offering with them before roasting it.

And

so

they may dip it in them

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

3.

The water used by a baker,

in which he cools his hands while arranging and cutting the dough,

must be poured out

on Passover,

because they cause leavening

because of the crumbs of dough that fall into them.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: “And if he put in flour, he shall eat immediately. And Rabbi Meir forbids”!

Rav Kahana said: The dispute

between the Sages and Rabbi Meir is only when he put the flour

into the mustard.

For according to the Sages, it does not become leavened immediately, whereas according to Rabbi Meir it becomes leavened immediately.

But

if he put the flour

into

the

haroset,

according to

everyone, it must be burned immediately!

The Sages permitted it specifically in mustard, because it is strong and prevents the flour from becoming leavened quickly. But haroset causes the flour to become leavened immediately.

And it was likewise taught: One may not put flour into haroset. And if he put it in, it must be burned immediately!

And if he put the flour

into the mustard—

Rabbi Meir says: It must be burned immediately!

And the Sages say: He shall eat it immediately!

It follows that they disagree only regarding mustard. But as for haroset, according to everyone it must be burned.

Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehuda, said in the name of Rav Nahman, who said in the name of Shmuel: The halakha is according to the words of the Sages!

And after the fact, if he put in the flour, it is permitted to eat it immediately.