Siman - Pesachim Daf 35
- Why rice and millet cannot be used for matzah
The next Mishnah identifies the five species of grain with which one can fulfill his chiyuv to eat matzah on the first night of Pesach. The Gemara notes that this implies that rice and millet ((אורז ודוחן are not valid and seeks the source for this rule.
Rebbe Shimon ben Lakish said, and so too was it taught in different batei midrashim, that the passuk states, לא תאכל עליו חמץ – You shall not eat chametz with it, referring to the korban Pesach, שבעת ימים תאכל עליו מצות – for seven days you shall eat matzos with it. From the juxtaposition of the pesukim we learn, דברים הבאים לידי חימוץ אדם יוצא בהן ידי חובתו במצה – It is only with things that come to leaven when left to rise, that a person fulfills his obligation to eat matzah, יצאו אלו שאין באין לידי חימוץ אלא לידי סירחון – excluded are these type of flours of orez and dochan which do not come to leaven but come to spoil. The Gemara clarifies that the Mishnah does not reflect the view of Rebbe Yochanan ben Nuri who said that rice is a species of grain and that one is chayav kareis for eating them in their leavened form on Pesach.
- No kares for eating chametz that was kneaded with wine, oil or honey
Rabbah bar bar Chanah said in the name of Reish Lakish, עיסה שנילושה ביין ושמן ודבש אין חייבין על חימוצה כרת – A dough that was kneaded with wine, oil or honey, instead of water, one is not chayav kareis for eating it in its leavened form. Rav Pappa said that the reason one is not chayav kareis is learned from the juxtaposition of chametz and matzah in the pesukim. Since a person would not fulfill his obligation to eat matzah with it, even if it were baked in its unleavened form דהויא ליה מצה עשירה – because the product would be “rich matzah”, one is not liable to kares on account of eating its leavened form either. Rashi explains that the Torah calls matzah לחם עני – a poor man’s bread. Therefore, matzah must be made from simple ingredients such as flour and water.
After Rav Pappa’s principle was refuted, Rav Idi bar Avin explained that Reish Lakish’s reason was משום דהוו להו מי פרות ומי פרות אין מחמיצין – It is because these liquids are fruit juices and juices of fruits cannot cause a dough to leaven.
- Matzah cannot be made from not fully tithed tevel
It was taught in a Baraisa, יכול יוצא אדם ידי חובתו בטבל שלא נתקן – One might have thought that a person can fulfill his chiyuv of eating matzah with tevel that has not been fixed, which the Gemara explains to mean fully tithed. From where do we know that this is not so? The Torah states, לא תאכל עליו חמץ – You shall not eat chametz with it. We derive from here that grain whose restriction comes exclusively on account of the prohibition of eating chametz can create matzah, which excludes grain of tevel that is excluded not on account of the prohibition of chametz but משום בל תאכל טבל – the prohibition of “do not eat tevel”. The Gemara asks, why is there no prohibition of chametz as well, when eating tevel? Rav Sheishess answered that this Baraisa reflects the opinion of Rebbe Shimon, who holds, אין איסור חל על האיסור – A prohibition cannot take effect upon a preexisting prohibition. Meaning, that it was already forbidden because of tevel before the possibility of it becoming forbidden because of chametz, and therefore it cannot become chametz.
