Torah Community Connections

Week 23 - Shabbat - 6 May 2000

PESACHIM: CHAPTER 9 : MISHNA 4

If the korban pesah was offered in a state of uncleanness, men suffering from a flux and women suffering from a flux, menstruant women or women after childbirth may not eat of it; but if they ate - they are not punishable by karet. Rabbi Eliezer exempts even if one enters the Temple.

Kehati

As has already been taught, if on the fourteenth of Nisan the majority of the people were unclean because of contact with a corpse, or the priests or the Temple vessels were unclean because of contact with a corpse, they are not deferred until Pesah Sheni, rather they all offer the korban pesah in a state of unlceanness and they may eat it at night in a state of uncleanness. As it is written, "If any man of you shall be unclean by reason of a dead body" (Num. 9:10); the Sages inferred from this that an individual is defered to Pesah SheniPesah Sheni (7:4, 6, above). It is only in a case of uncleanness because of contact with a corpse that the community is not deferred; but in the case of uncleanness due to a seminal flux, even the public is deferred (Rashi). This mishnah teaches that even though the korban pesah is offered in uncleanness and is eaten in uncleanness, nevertheless, it may be eaten only by those who are unlcean because of contact with a corpse, for the korban pesah overrides their uncleanness (this is also the halakhah for people with similar types of uncleanness, which is not generated by their own bodies - Rambam); people with other types of uncleanness, however, whose uncleanness is generated by their own bodies; e.g., men or women suffering from a flux, etc., may not eat of the korban pesah.

If the korban pesah was offered in a state of uncleanness - when the majority of the people were unclean because of contact with a corpse (see the introduction to the mishnah), men suffering from a flux - (see Lev. 15:1--15), and women suffering from a flux (ibid., vs. 22--30), menstruant women - (ibid., v. 19) and women after childbirth - (Lev. 12:1--8), may not eat of it - because the offering of the korban pesah only overrides uncleanness because of contact with a corpse, but not other types of uncleanness; but if they ate - from the korban pesah that was offered in a state of uncleanness, they are not punishable by karet - for it is written, regarding the shelamim sacrifice, "every one that is clean may eat therof. But the soul that eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of shelamim, that pertains to the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, that sould shall be cut off from his people" (Lev. 7:19--20). The Sages inferred the following from this: if meat that may be eaten only by clean people is eaten by unclean people, they are liable to karet on account of eating it in a state of uncleanness; however, if meat which may be eaten by unclean people, such as the korban pesah which is offered in a state of uncleanness, is eaten by unclean people, they are not liable to karet on account of eating it in a state of uncleanness.

Rabbi Eliezer exempts even if one enters the Temple - if an unclean person enters the Temple wilffully, he is liable to karet. Rabbi Eliezer holds that if men or women suffering from a flux, menstruant women, or women after childbirth entered the Temple when the korban pesah was offered in a state of uncleannesss, they are exempt from the punishment of karet. A baraita in the Gemara explains his reasoning: as it is written, "that they send out of the camp every leper, and every one that has an emission, and whoever is unclean by contact with a corpse" (Num. 5:2). Rabbi Eliezer derives from this that when those who are unclean because of contact with a corpse are sent out of the camp, those suffering from a flux and lepers are also sent out; if those who are unclean because of contact with a corpse are not sent out, those suffering from a flux and lepers are not sent out. I.e., when the korban pesah is offered in a state of uncleanness, then since those who are unclean because of contact with a corpse are not prohibited from entering the Temple, those suffering from a flux and lepers also are not liable to karet for entering the Temple, even though they may not offer the korban pesah. The halakhah is not in accordance with Rabbi Eliezer.

PESACHIM: CHAPTER 9 : MISHNA 5

What is the difference between the pesah of Egypt and the pesah of the generations? The pesah of Egypt, was purchased on the tenth, required sprinkling with a bunch of hyssop upon the lintel and on the two doorposts, and was eaten in haste, in one night; and the Pesah of all generations was observed throughout seven.

Kehati

The first Pesah that our fathers observed in Egypt, before their exodus, is called "the Pesah of Egypt." This mishnah teaches those things which were performed only for the Pesah of Egypt, and which are not performed after that.

What is the difference between the pesah of Egypt and the pesah of the generations? The pesah - sacrifice - of Egypt - that was offered in Egypt, was purchased on the tenth - they purchased it for a korban pesah on the tenth day of Nisan, as it is written, "On the tenth day of this month they shall take to them each man a lamb" (Ex. 12:3). The Sages derived from the wording "this" that the purchase of the pesah of Egypt was on the "tenth," while the purchase of the pesah of the generations is not on "the tenth." Even though the pesah of all generations requires inspection for blemishes four days before the slaughtering, nevertheless, there is no need to set it aside as a korban pesah from the "the tenth," rather a person inspects two or three lambs on the tenth of Nisan, and he sets one of them aside at the time of the slaughter (Rashi), required sprinkling with a bunch of hyssop upon the lintel and on the two doorposts - as it is written, "And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin" (Ex. 12:22). This was only a one--time obligation, as it is written in the following verse, "For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood upon the lintel, and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you" (ibid., v. 23), and was eaten in haste - as it is written, "and you shall eat it in haste" (ibid., v. 11), from which the Sages derived: "it" in haste, and not another korban pesah in haste, i.e., there is no obligation to eat the korban pesah of the generations in haste, in one night - another version reads "one night"; i.e., the night of the fifteenth of Nisan, and the korban pesah of the generations may also be eaten only one night (Rashi). The Tanna mentioned this only because he teaches later that the Pesah of Egypt was celebrated only one day, the fifteenth of Nisan, when they left Egypt. The Gemara explains that the clause "and the prohibition of hametz was observed one day" must be added here, meaning that the prohibition of hametz was in effect for one day on the Pesah of Egypt, as it is written, "there shall no hametz be eaten. This day you go forth in the month of Aviv" (Ex. 13:3--4). The Sages derived from this, that no hametz may be eaten on the day on which you go forth; and - but,

the Pesah of the generations - the prohibition of hametz - is observed all seven - days of the festival, as it is written, "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat matzot, until the twenty--first day of the month at evening. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses" (Ex. 12:18--19).

Return to Mishna Yomit Index

Visit the Mishna Yomit Archives