Daniel Ettedgui asks:
Why are there 3 separate names for saffron on today's daf? (Kurtemi, Karkuma, Morika)
Daniel Ettedgui, Boca Raton, FL
The Kollel replies:
That is an excellent point. Here is what we could find:
(a) Morika is the standard Aramaic word for saffron in the Gemara (Pesachim 110b, Gitin 47a and elsewhere). The Hebrew word for it is Karkom (Shir Hashirim 4:14), which is the word used in the Mishnah and Beraisa (Bava Kama 81a, Nidah 19a).
(b) Kurkema Rishka, or garden saffron, refers to the most costly and sought after species of saffron (Bava Metzia 107b, 109a).
(c) The word Kurtemei apparently refers to crushed saffron seed (Berachos 38a and Rashi).
Best regards,
Mordecai Kornfeld
Kollel Iyun Hadaf