Torah Community Connections

Week 23 - Friday - 5 May 2000

PESACHIM: CHAPTER 9: MISHNA 2

What is a distant journey? From Modi'im and beyond or a similar distance in every direction; the opinion of Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Eliezer says, from the threshhold of the Temple Courtyard and beyond. Rabbi Yose said, Therefore there is a dot over the letter heh to say, not because it is actually distant, but rather from the threshhold of the Temple Courtyard and beyond.

Kehati

What is a distant journey - that exempts a person from the first pesah? From Modi'im and beyond - the Gemara explains that Modi'im is a city at a distance of fifteen miles from Jerusalem; this is the distance a person walks at a normal pace in a day during Nisan (when the days and nights are of equal length), from sunrise to noontime or from noontime until sunset. Therefore, if one was beyond Modi'im at the onset of the time for the slaughtering of the korban pesah, this is considered a "distant journey" that exempts him from the korban pesah, because he is unable to come to the Temple at the time of the slaughtering, for the time of slaughtering of the korban pesah is from noontime until sunset (Rashi). According to Rambam, if he was beyond Modi'im on the fourteenth of Nisan (at sunrise), then he is on a "distant journey." I.e., Rambam interprets the question and answer in the Gemara, (Pes. 93b), "What is a distant journey? Any in which a person cannot enter at the time of slaughtering," to mean: Any which does not permit a person to enter at the onset of the time of slaughtering (Kesef Mishneh on Hil. Korban Pesah 5:9), or a similar distance as the distance between Jerusalem and Modi'im, i.e., fifteen mils or more, is considered to be a "distant journey" - in every direction - from Jerusalem; the opinion of Rabbi Akiva - who holds that the "distant journey" mentioned in the Torah refers to an actual distance, which is a half-day's walk from the Temple.

Rabbi Eliezer says, From the threshhold of the Temple Courtyard and beyond - whoever, at the time of the slaughter of the korban pesah was outside the Temple Courtyard, even though he was within Jerusalem, but was unable to arrive at the Temple Courtyard at the time of the slaughtering because of some delay, e.g., he was ill or he was occupied, etc., is considered to have been on a distant journey.

Yose said, Therefore there is a dot over the letter heh - of the word rehokah in the phrase "or on a distant [rehokah] journey" (Num. 9:10). Such a dot is used to lessen the meaning of the word; it is used here - to say, not because it is actually distant - not that one is actually far away, but rather from the threshold of the Temple Courtyard and beyond as explained above. Rashi cites an interpretation that the letter heh (which has the numerical value of five), alludes to five amot, i.e., even if a person is only five amot distant from the threshhold of the Temple Courtyard at the time of the slaughtering of the korban pesah, he is considered to be on a distant journey. The Jer. Talmud explains that the dot has the function of deleting the letter heh., i.e., instead of being read "rehokah" (feminine gender, qualifying the word "journey"), it is to be read as "rahok" (masculine gender), referring to the word "man," i.e., a "distant man" (because of his troubles or his weakness). Rabbi Akiva, on the other hand, holds that whoever was within the Modi'im-Jerusalem distance and was unable to arrive at the Temple Courtyard is considered to be prevented by unforseen circumstances, and not by a distant journey. The halakhah is in accordance with Rabbi Akiva. PESACHIM: CHAPTER 9: MISHNA 3

What is the difference between the first and the second Pesah? On the first, there is the prohibition of "it shall not be seen" and "it shall not be found," and on the second - one has matzhah and hametz in the house; the first requires Hallel at its eating, and the second does not require Hallel at its eating. Both require Hallel when offered, and they are eaten roasted together with matzah and bitter herbs, and both override the Shabbat.

Kehati

What is the difference between the first - Pesah - on the fourteenth of Nisan, and the second Pesah - on the fourteenth of Iyar? On the first, there is the prohibition of "it shall not be seen" and "it shall not be found" - for it is written, "Matzot shall be eaten throughout the seven days, and there shall be no hametz be seen with you, neither shall there be leaven seen with you, in all your borders" (Ex. 13:7), and "Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses" (Ex. 12:19), and on the second - Pesah Sheni, one has matzah and hametz in the house - as it is written, regarding Pesah Sheni, "they shall eat it with matzot and bitter herbs. They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break a bone thereof; according to all the statute of the pesah they shall observe it," these details teach that the general rule refers only to laws involved with the korban pesah itself, in which the two are identical, e.g., that it be an unblemished lamb, a male yearling; its Temple service; its being eaten roasted. The laws which are not directly related to it, however, are not the same; it follows from this that the first korban pesah may not be slaughtered when one has hametz in his possession, while the second korban pesah does not require the removal of hametz, and hametz and matzah may be in his possession;

the first requires Hallel at its eating - the Hallel must be recited while eating it, and the second does not require Hallel at its eating - the Gemara deduces this from the verse, "You shall have a song (on the day that you are redeemed from the Exile - Rashi) as in the night when a Festival is hallowed" (Isa. 30:29) (as they are accustomed to sing on the night in which the Festival is hallowed, and the only Festival night requiring song is Pesah night, during its eating - Rashi): the night which is hallowed as a Festival (i.e., the night of the first Pesah) requires Hallel, the night which is not hallowed as a Festival (i.e., the night of the eating of the Pesah Sheni) does not require Hallel. Both - whether the first pesah or the second pesah, require Hallel when offered - when being slaughtered, as was taught above (5:7), so as not to lessen the joy of the Temple Courtyard, for they said, "Is it possible that Israel are slaughtering their pesah sacrifices and they do not recite the Hallel?" (Pes. 95b), and they are eaten roasted - for this is an obligation involving the korban pesah itself, together with matzah and bitter herbs - as it is stated in the Torah: "they shall eat it with matzot and bitter herbs," and both override the Shabbat - for it written, regarding Pesah Sheni as well, "in its appointed time" ("Because he brought not the offering of the Lord in its appointed time" - Num. 9:13). According to one interpretation, however, the wording "in its appointed time" refers to the first pesah. According to this opinion, the halakhah that Pesah Sheni also overrides the Shabbat is derived from the clause, "according to all the statue of the Pesah they shall observe it" (see Tosafot, Yoma 51a). The second korban pesah does not, however, override uncleanness, as the Gemara states: "Because of uncleanness I deferred it, shall I now observe it in uncleanness?" (Gemara, ibid.). There are other practices as well which do not apply to the second korban pesah, e.g., it is not slaughtered in three groups, and is not accompanied by a haggigah offering; however, the Tanna of this mishnah did not intend to list all the differences between the first korban pesah and the second (the mishnah "states some cases, but leaves others out").

Return to Mishna Yomit Index

Visit the Mishna Yomit Archives