Perek I Daf 2 Amud a N NOTES mishna On the evening [or] of the fourteenth of מתני׳ אוֹר ְל ַאְר ָּב ָﬠה ָﬠ ָׂשר ּב ְוֹד ִקין אוֹר ְל ַאְר ָּב ָﬠה – the month of Nisan, one searches for leav- On the evening [or] of the fourteenth As the Gemara will explain, the word or, which : ָﬠ ָׂשר ֶאת ֶה ָח ֵמץ ְלאוֹר ַה ֵּנר. ָּכל ָמקוֹם ׁ ֶש ֵאין ened breadH in his home by candlelight. Any place into which literally means light, is in this context a euphemism for ַמ ְכ ִנ ִיסין ּבוֹ ָח ֵמץ – ֵאין ָצִר ְיך ְּבִד ָיקה. one does not typically take leavened bread does not require a darkness or night. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi did not want to search, as it is unlikely that there is any leavened bread there. And start the tractate with a word with negative connotations ּו ַב ָּמה ָא ְמ ּרו ׁ ְש ֵּתי ׁש ּורוֹת ַּב ַּמְר ֵּתף – ָמקוֹם .(with regard to what the Sages of previous generations meant when (Rambam’s Commentary on the Mishna ׁ ֶש ַּמ ְכ ִנ ִיסין ּבוֹ ָח ֵמץ, ֵּבית ׁ ַש ַּמאי ְאוֹמִרים: ְל ָעוֹלם – ”they said that one must search two rows of wine barrels in a cellar, A person should always enter with “it is good ׁ ְש ֵּתי ׁש ּורוֹת ַﬠל ְּפ ֵני ָּכל ַה ַּמְר ֵּתף, ּו ֵבית Some commentaries infer from the fact : ִי ָּכ ֵנס ָאָדם ְּב ִכי טוֹב ,i.e., a place into which one typically takes some leavened bread ִה ֵּלל ְאוֹמִרים: ׁ ְש ֵּתי ׁש ּורוֹת ַה ִחיצוֹנוֹת, the early tanna’im are in dispute. Beit Shammai say that this is that Rav first spoke about a person who enters a place ׁ ֶש ֵהן ָה ֶﬠ ְליוֹנוֹת. referring to searching the fi rst two rows across the entire cellar, and only afterward mentioned one who leaves, that he and Beit Hillel say: Th ere is no need to search that extensively, as is referring to a traveler who stops there en route to his it is suffi cient to search the two external rows, which are the upper final destination. Such a traveler needs to take extra care to enter and leave this unfamiliar place safely (see Me’iri). To- ones. Th is dispute will be explained and illustrated in the Gemara. safot claim that one cannot draw any conclusions from the Th e Gemara asks: What is the meaning of order in which the cases are cited, and that the Gemara is gemara referring to any manner of travel. This issue may depend גמ׳ ַמאי אוֹר? ַרב ּהו ָנא ָא ַמר: ַנ ְג ֵהי, the term or, translated as: Th e evening of? on the rationale for leaving and entering by daylight, a ְוַרב ְי ּהוָדה ָא ַמר: ֵל ֵילי. ָקא ַס ְל ָקא ַ ּד ֲﬠ ָת ְך Th e Gemara provides two answers. Rav Huna said: It means light, matter of dispute between the later authorities. Some ְ ּד ַמאן ְ ּד ָא ַמר ַנ ְג ֵהי – ַנ ְג ֵהי ַמ ָּמ ׁש, ּו ַמאן and Rav Yehuda said: In this context, it means evening. At fi rst say one must enter when it is light due to fear of thieves glance, it could enter your mind to suggest that the one who said and wild animals, and others claim that this is due to fear ְ ּד ָא ַמר ֵל ֵילי – ֵל ֵילי ַמ ָּמ ׁש. light means that one searches for leaven by the actual light of day, of demons. Yet others suggest the concern is that as the on the morning of the fourteenth of Nisan, and the one who said cover of darkness is conducive to illicit conduct, people evening is referring to the actual evening of the fourteenth. will suspect the traveler of performing immoral acts, and people will spread rumors of this kind about him. ְזִר ַיחת ׁ ֶש ֶמ ׁש – To clarify the meaning of the word or, the Gemara analyzes biblical The rising of the sun for the righteous ֵמ ִית ִיבי: ַ״ה ּבֹ ֶקר אוֹר ְו ַה ֲא ָנ ׁ ִשים ׁ ֻש ְּל ּחו״, Some commentaries explain that this is referring : ַל ַּצִ ּד ִיקים verses and rabbinic statements. Th e Gemara raises an objection ַא ְל ָמא: אוֹר ְי ָמ ָמא ּהוא! ִמי ְּכ ִתיב ָ״האוֹר -from a verse: “As soon as the morning was or, the men were sent to the fact that in the morning the sunlight becomes pro ּבֹ ֶקר״? ַ״ה ּבֹ ֶקר אוֹר״ ְּכ ִתיב, ְּכ ַמאן ְ ּד ָא ַמר: away, they and their donkeys” (Genesis :). Apparently, or is gressively brighter, but once it reaches its peak the light ַצ ְפָרא ְנ ַהר. ְו ִכְדַרב ְי ּהו ָדה ָא ַמר ַרב, day. Th e Gemara rejects this contention. Is it writt en: Th e light fades throughout the rest of the day. In other words, the verse is interpreted as saying that the sun for the righteous ,was morning? “Th e morning was light” is writt en. In this context ְ ּד ָא ַמר ַרב ְי ּהוָדה ָא ַמר ַרב: ְל ָעוֹלם ִי ָּכ ֵנס in the future will always be like sunrise in this world, with ָאָדם ְּב ִכי טוֹב ְו ֵי ֵצא ְּב ִכי טוֹב. or is a verb not a noun, as the one who said: Th e morning light- the light growing continuously stronger (Tosefot Rid). ened. And this is in accordance with that which Rav Yehuda said The internal order : ֵסֶדר ַה ָהוֹכחוֹת – that Rav said, as Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: A person should The order of the proofs N of this discussion is difficult. Why doesn’t the Gemara cite always enter an unfamiliar city with “it is good” (Genesis :), first the verse from the beginning of the Torah, “And God i.e., before sunset, while it is light, as the Torah uses the expression called or Day,” especially as this verse provides a stronger “it is good” with regard to light upon its creation. Th is goodness is proof than the verses cited earlier in the Gemara. Appar- manifest in the sense of security one feels when it is light. And ently, the Gemara first mentions the verse with regard likewise, when one leaves a city he should leave with “it is good,” to Joseph’s brothers because it will later derive halakhot meaning aft er sunrise the next morning. of searching for leaven from that verse. The next verse is cited due to its similarity to the first one, after which the Th e Gemara raises an objection from another verse: “And as the Gemara proceeds to cite the verses in the order in which ֵמ ִית ִיבי: ּ״ו ְכאוֹר ּבֹ ֶקר ִיְזַרח ׁ ָש ֶמ ׁש״ ַא ְל ָמא they appear in the Bible (Penei Yehoshua). light [or] of the morning, when the sun rises, a morning without אוֹר ְי ָמ ָמא ּהוא! ִמי ְּכ ִתיב ״אוֹר ּבֹ ֶקר״? clouds; when through clear shining aft er rain the tender grass ּ״ו ְכאוֹר ּבֹ ֶקר״ ְּכ ִתיב. ְו ָה ִכי ָק ָא ַמר: ּו ְכאוֹר springs out of the earth” ( Samuel :). Apparently, or is day. HALAKHA ּבֹ ֶקר ָּב ָעוֹלם ַהֶזּה – ְּכ ֵﬠין ְזִר ַיחת ׁ ֶש ֶמ ׁש -One search : ְּבִד ַיקת ָח ֵמץ – Th e Gemara rejects this proof as well: Is it writt en that the light The search for leavened bread was morning? “As the light of the morning” is writt en, and this es for leaven by candlelight at the beginning of the night ַל ַּצִ ּד ִיקים ָל ָעוֹלם ַה ָּבא. of the fourteenth of the month of Nisan, just as the stars is what the verse is saying: And as brightly as the morning light emerge, when a small amount of daylight remains (see of this world shines at its peak, so will be the rising of the sun for Vilna Gaon). One must search in all holes, crevices, and N the righteous in the World-to-Come, as in those days the light places where he ordinarily takes leavened bread (Shulĥan of the sun will be seven times stronger than at present (see Isaiah Arukh, Oraĥ Ĥayyim 431:1). :). Th e Gemara raises an objection: “And God called the or Day, and ֵמ ִית ִיבי: ַ״ו ִיּ ְקָרא ֱאלֹ ִהים ָלאוֹר יוֹם״ .the darkness He called Night” (Genesis :). Apparently, or is day ַא ְל ָמא אוֹר ְי ָמ ָמא ּהוא! ָה ִכי ָק ָא ַמר: N Th e Gemara rejects this proof as well. Th is is what the verse is ַל ֵּמ ִאיר ּו ָבא ְקָראוֹ יוֹם. ֶא ָּלא ֵמ ַﬠ ָּתה saying: God called the advancing light Day. As stated previously, ְ״ו ַלחֹ ֶש ְך ָקָרא ָל ְי ָלה״ – ַל ַּמ ְח ׁ ִש ְיך ּו ָבא the word or can also be a verb; in this context, God called the begin- -ning of that which eventually brightens, Day. Th e Gemara chal ָקָרא ַל ְי ָלה?! ְו ָהא ָקְי ָימא ָלן ְ ּד ַﬠד ֵצאת lenges this explanation: However, if that is so, the continuation of ַה ּכ ָוֹכ ִבים ְי ָמ ָמא ּהוא! the verse, “and the darkness He called Night,” should be under- stood to mean: He called the advancing darkness Night, even before it is actually dark. However, this cannot be the correct in- terpretation of the verse, as we maintain it is day until the emer- gence of the stars. Since the stars emerge only aft er the sky begins to darken, the advancing evening cannot be defi ned as part of the night.