Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Pesachim 93 - How far is far?

We learned that if one happens to be far away from the Temple on Passover and cannot bring and eat a Passover offering, he can do it thirty days later, on Pesach Sheni. We also said that "too far" is the distance one can travel on foot on Passover's eve, starting out in the morning and arriving at the Temple in the afternoon.

In practical terms, this is the distance from Modiin to the Temple. Then you draw a circle with the Temple Mount as a center and with this radius. In real life, one would have to consider different opinions of understanding this rule, not just measure. 

Rabbi Eliezer disagrees: as long as one is outside the Temple Courtyard, that is already too far, and one is exempt from punishment for not bringing a Passover offering. Rabbi Yosi offers support for it: in the Torah scroll, there are dots above the word "distant." Such dots usually indicate a doubt. In this case, he is just somewhat distant from the Temple, that is, outside the Courtyard.

Art: Couple on a Walk by Gustave Caillebotte

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