Siman - Pesachim Daf 46

• Travelling up to 4 mil

Rebbe Abahu said in the name of Rebbe Shimon ben Lakish, לגבל ולתפילה ולנטילת ידים ארבעה מילין – For a hired kneader, and for tefillah, and for netilas yadayim, there is an obligation to travel up to four mil. Rashi explains that the case of the hired kneader is one who is hired to knead the customer’s dough in the customer’s keilim, which are tamei. The question is how far must the hired kneader travel to immerse the keilim so that the dough will be kneaded in a state of taharah? Tefillah is referring to someone travelling and wants to retire for the night. How far must he travel in order to daven in a shul with a minyan? Netilas yadaim is also referring to someone travelling. Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said it was Aivu who said this, not Rebbe Abahu, and also that he included a fourth case, saying that animal skins which are considered edible and mekabel tumah, must be tanned for the amount of time it takes to walk four mil, in order for the skins to be no longer considered food.

Rebbe Yose b’Rebbe Chanina said that the Mishnah said four mil only in regard to travelling the distance ahead of the person, but in regard to travelling behind him, he does not even have to travel the distance of a mil. Rav Acha says that this implies that one must travel less than a mil.

• כיצד מפרישין חלה בטומאה

The next Mishnah asks, כיצד מפרישין חלה בטומאה ביום טוב – How does one separate challah from tamei dough that is baked on the Yom Tov of Pesach? Rashi explains that this tamei dough cannot be baked for a Kohen, since he is not permitted to eat tamei challah. It also cannot be set aside and burned after Yom Tov, since it might become chametz in the interim. To destroy the challah by burning it or feeding it to an animal, is also forbidden because אין שורפין קדשים ביום טוב - it is forbidden to burn sacred food on Yom Tov.

Rebbe Eliezer says, לא תקרא לה שם עד שתאפה – The woman baking it should not designate a portion as challah until after it is baked. Ben Beseira says, תטיל בצונן – She should put the challah in cold water, since this prevents the challah from becoming chametz. Rebbe Yehoshua says that this is not the category of chametz that one transgresses בל יראה ובל ימצא, since he is not considered the owner of this chametz. Once the challah is separated it is considered the collective property of the Kohanim. Rather, he should separate it and set it aside until the evening, ואם החמיצה החמיצה – and if it leavens it leavens.

• הואיל

The Gemara seeks to define the point of disagreement between Rebbe Yehoshua in the Mishnah, who says that one is not responsible for challah that has leavened, and Rebbe Eliezer, who says that one must bake the dough from which the challah will be taken, so that it will not become chametz. The Gemara first suggests that they are arguing if טובת הנאה ממון, if the benefit that the owner retains by being able to select which Kohen to give the challah, and even the right to accept money from a friend or relative of the Kohen, is considered equity in the challah. Rebbe Eliezer would hold that it is and Rebbe Yehoshua would say that it is not.

The Gemara says that perhaps everybody agrees that טובת הנאה אינה ממון, and that the machlokes is regarding the principle of הואיל – since. Rebbe Eliezer holds that "since" he can go to a Chochom to annul his designation of challah, it is considered his property even now, and Rebbe Yehoshua does not say הואיל, and therefore it is not considered his property, and therefore he can keep it in his possession.