BACKGROUND ON THE DAF - PESACHIM 109

BACKGROUND TO THE DAILY DAF

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Previous Daf PESACHIM 109

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[a - 31 lines; b - 16 lines]

1) [line 1] KELAYOS - roasted kernels of grain (from wheat that is not Chadash; see Background to Pesachim 55:35)
2) [line 3] B'EREV HA'PESACH - see below, entry #4
3a) [line 5] CHOTFIN MATZAH B'LEILEI PESACHIM BISHVIL TINOKOS KEDEI SHE'YISH'ALU - we should raise the [Seder plate which contains the] Matzah on Seder night so that [those] children [present] will [take note and] ask [about it] (first Girsa in RASHI)
  b) CHOTFIN MITZVOS ... - we should raise the [Seder plate which contains the] Mitzvos [of Matzah, Maror, the shank bone, and the boiled egg] on Seder night so that [those] children [present] will [take note and] ask [about them] (Girsa according to the third explanation in RASHBAM)
  c) CHOTFIN MATZAH B'LEILEI PESACHIM BISHVIL TINOKOS SHE'LO YISHNU - we should eat the Matzah quickly on Seder night so that those children present do not fall asleep [during the recitation of the Hagadah] (second GIRSA in Rashi, which he says is the proper one)
  d) CHOTFIN MATZAH B'LEILEI PESACHIM BISHVIL TINOKOS SHE'LO YISHNU - we should steal the Matzah away from those children present on Seder night [before they have a chance to eat it and] become drowsy
*4*) [line 8] B'ARVEI PESACHIM BISHVIL TINOKOS KEDEI SHE'LO YISHNU - a) on [the day of] Erev Pesach so that the children would [take naps and therefore] be awake for the Seder (RASHI, RASHBAM first explanation); b) [when the learning of] Erev Pesach [stretched into the night] so that the children would not fall asleep at the Seder (Rashbam second explanation); c) TOSFOS DH Chutz agrees with second explanation of the Rashbam, but changes the Girsa to LEILEI PESACHIM ...
5) [line 15] BIGDEI TZIV'ONIN - colorful garments
6) [line 16] BIGDEI PISHTAN MEGUHATZIN - pressed linen garments
7) [line 21] KISTA D'MORISA - the vessel used when selling Muryis (a brine containing fish-hash and sometimes wine). The capacity of this measure was the Greek sextarius or xestes, a unit nearly equal to a pint.
8) [line 22] HI HAVAS K'MIN LOGA D'MAKDESHA - was equal to the Log measurement used [for Korbanos] in the Beis ha'Mikdash
9) [line 23] U'VAH M'SHA'ARIN REVI'IS SHEL PESACH - and they used it to determine the Revi'is [necessary for the four cups drank over the course] of [the] Pesach [Seder by splitting its contents into four equal parts]
10) [line 24] TAMNAISA KADMAISA - the old Tamnaisa (a measure which was 1/8 of a Kav)
11) [line 25] HAVAS YESEIRAH AL DA RIV'A - exceeded the present-day Tamnaisa by one Revi'is (a quarter of a Log)
12) [line 25] U'VAH M'SHA'ARIN REVI'IS SHEL PESACH - and they used it to determine the Revi'is [necessary for the four cups drank over the course] of [the] Pesach [Seder by filling the new Tamnaisa from the old one and measuring what remained]

13) [line 27] ETZBA'AYIM (MEASUREMENTS OF LENGTH)

1 Amah = 2 Zeres
1 Zeres = 3 Tefachim
1 Tefach = 4 Etzba'os
1 Etzba = approximately 2 cm (.79 in.) or 2.4 cm (.94 in.), depending upon the differing Halachic opinions

Etzba'ayim means the width of two fingers.

14) [line 27] B'RUM - the height of
*15*) [line 30] "BA'MAYIM," B'MEI MIKVAH - From that which the word written in this verse is "b'Mayim" and not "ba'Mayim" we deduce that the Torah is specifically referring to naturally gathered water as opposed to drawn water (RASHBAM). From that which the Torah does not describe this water as "Mayim Chayim", as the water in which a Zav must immerse in is (Vayikra 15:13), we see that this water need not be flowing (RASHI Chagigah 11a).

109b---------------------------------------109b

*16*) [line 1] ... V'SHI'ARU CHACHAMIM SHI'UR MEI MIKVAH ARBA'IM SE'AH - This Beraisa establishes the relationship between volume and linear measurements. Using this ratio, a box measuring two fingers wide by two fingers wide which is two and 7/10 fingers high contains one Revi'is (see RASHI DH Amah or RASHBAM DH d'Hainu for a detailed calculation).

17) [line 2] ARBA'IM SE'AH (MEASUREMENTS OF VOLUME)

1 Eifah = 3 Se'ah
1 Se'ah = 6 Kav
1 Kav = 4 Log
1 Log = 6 Beitzim = 4 Revi'is
1 Beitzah = approximately .0576 liters or .1 liters, depending upon the differing Halachic opinions

40 Se'ah = approximately 331.7 liters or 576 liters, depending upon the differing Halachic opinions

18) [line 4] SHEL PERAKIM HAVAH - was made up of separable parts
19) [line 4] HADUKEI HAVAH MIHADAK - it (the Shulchan) was made up of firmly attached pieces
20) [line 5] AMASA B'AMASA HEICHI MITBALYAH? - how can [the Shulchan, which was] an Amah [wide,] be immersed in [the Mikvah in the Beis ha'Mikdash, which was also] an Amah [wide]?
21) [line 7] YAM SHE'ASAH SHLOMO - the pool built by King Solomon in his palace (Melachim I 7:23)
22) [line 10] TREI - double; in pairs (anything done in pairs -- called "Zugos" -- causes one to be vulnerable to an attack by Sheidim [demons])
23) [line 11] LO YEKANE'ACH - one should not wipe oneself
24) [line 11] LO YA'ASEH TZRACHAV - one should not have marital relations
25) [line 14] KOS SHEL BRACHAH MITZTAREF L'TOVAH, V'EINO MITZTAREF L'RA'AH - the cup upon which Birkas ha'Mazon is recited is considered the third cup so that there is an odd number of drinks, but does not count as the third cup toward the completion a pair together with the fourth cup