Pesachim 68 - Where is the resurrection of the dead in the Torah?

It says in the Torah, "I put to death and I make live,"  and it continues, "I have wounded, and I will heal." You could say that some people die while some other people come alive. However, just as healing only applies to the person who had been previously wounded, so too, life applies to that one who had previously died. Incidentally, we also see the order of the events: at first, "what I had put to death, I will make live," and then - "what I have wounded, I will heal." Who will be doing the resurrection? - It's the righteous, with their staffs, hinting at the staff of Elisha who "placed it on the face of the boy."

The page also deals with removing a wart, which represents a temporary blemish on the Passover sacrifice.

Art: St Anthony of Padua Healing a Youth by Sebastiano Ricci 

Pesachim 67 - Pesach sheni and community that is not pure

If one is not pure with the dead's impurity and does not have the time to purify himself - since this requires seven days - he will be celebrating a repeat, called Pesach Sheni, a month later. However, if the whole community is not pure, then the Passover offering is brought nevertheless. Where is this in the Torah?

It said, "Any person who would be impure from a corpse...celebrates it a month later". This tells us that any individual is barred from bringing the sacrifice, but the community is not. That was the suggestion of Rabbi Yochanan. However, his student, colleague, and constant opponent Resh Lakish suggested that it could mean the following: an individual has a way out by celebrating Pesach Sheni, but a community has no way out at all. The Talmud goes through a string of proofs and confirms our rule.

Art:  The Death of Marat by Jacques-Louis David

Pesachim 66 - How Rabbi Akiva has set up Rabbi Eliezer

When Passover eve - time to bring the Passover sacrifice - falls out on Shabbat, it is still permitted to bring this sacrifice even if this violates Shabbat laws. One can do the slaughter, throw the blood on the Altar walls, and remove the intestines and the waste. However, roasting the meat can and should be done after Shabbat.

Likewise, such acts as carrying the sacrifice on one's shoulders to the Temple or bringing it from afar do not override Shabbat rules. Here Rabbi Eliezer disagrees and says that they do override Shabbat because, in his view, the love of the mitzvot tells us to violate Shabbat in preparing for a mitzvah that will be done on Shabbat.

As Rabbi Eliezer got carried away defending his position, Rabbi Akiva prepared a trap for him. He constructed a logical argument that seemed to uproot the teachings of the Torah. He said, "Look at the mitzvah of purifying one for the Passover - it did not become permitted on Shabbat even though it was needed! So, Rabbi Eliezer, don't be surprised that the Torah did not allow the Passover sacrifice to be brought on Shabbat."

Rabbi Eliezer fell for it and exclaimed, "Akiva! You are ruining what the Torah said! It told us to bring the sacrifice at the appointed time!" Now Rabbi Akiva countered, "Please show me where the Torah says the appointed time for those other acts that you allow."

Art: Vendor of Roast Meat by  Pietro Longhi 

Pesachim 65 - Passover sacrifice blood on the Temple floor

If the time to bring the Passover sacrifice fell on Shabbat, it proceeded as on weekdays - because the Torah said to bring it at "its appointed time" - even on Shabbat. The Kohanim priests would even wash the floor on Shabbat, but here the Sages disagreed with them - because washing the floor wasn't for the sacrifice's needs.

Since some blood would inevitably spill on the Courtyard's floor, Rabbi Yehudah recommended scooping a cup from the floor and throwing it on the Altar walls. Otherwise, that sacrifice for which the blood spilled would be invalid. The Sages disagreed because the minor amount of blood that spilled would be nullified in all other blood. Rabbi Yehudah answered that like does not get nullified in like.

Art:  The Floor Scrapers by Gustave Caillebotte

Pesachim 64 - The order of Passover sacrifice

All the people who came to slaughter their Passover sacrifices were divided into three groups, one entering the Courtyard after another. Why three? - In the phrase "the entire community, assembly of Israel," each word indicates a group. The group comes in, the gates close, the Levites blow the trumpets. The Kohanim priests stood ready in rows. Some rows had all golden vessels and some - all silver.

The sacrifice owner would slaughter it (if he knew how), and a Kohen would receive the blood and pass it to the next Kohen in line. This continued until they reached the Kohen closest to the Altar, who would then throw the blood on the Altar's wall. Everybody sang the Hallel. If they had to, they would repeat it, but Kohanim were fast, and they seldom had to repeat the Hallel, and definitely not sing it the third time.

There were hooks on which they could suspend and flay the offerings. For those for whom there was not a hook, there were planks of wood. One could set the plank on his and his friend's shoulder and flay it.

Three groups of people were a requirement, but the third was called "the lazy group." This agrees with Rabbi Yehudah's philosophy that "The world needs perfume makers and leather makers (which is associated with bad odor). But one should strive to be among perfume makers."

Art: Potpourri by Herbert James Draper

Pesachim 63 - Clean up your act

On Passover, one should not own any chametz. If he is slaughtering the Passover offering while he still has some chametz, he is kind of adding insult to the injury and thus transgresses a separate prohibition of "you should not own any chametz while offering a sacrifice."

Now we get into some disagreements over the details. Rabbi Shimon qualifies that he only transgresses if he has the right intentions for the sacrifice. Otherwise, his sacrifice is invalid, and according to Rabbi Shimon, any slaughter that is not valid is not considered slaughter at all. Thus, he is not liable for an additional prohibition of slaughtering while owning chametz.

Furthermore, Resh Lakish says that the chametz must be with him in the Temple Courtyard. Why is that? - To be liable for any prohibition, one must receive a warning just before the act. If this chametz is not with him but is at his home, the witnesses giving the warning can never be sure that the chametz indeed exists in his possession. Therefore, their warning will be conditional, like "keep in mind that if you have chametz - then..." and conditional warnings do not count.

Art: Slaughtering by Jan Stobbaerts

 

Pesachim 62 - How to use 'since'

We have seen the principle of since again and again, but now Rav Chisda is using it in a novel way. The Passover offering must be brought, having in mind the people who can eat it, who have signed up for it, and who are circumcised. What if he brought it for someone who has not signed up for this lamb and who is not circumcised? The uncircumcised person cannot eat the Passover, and he is not even part of the Seder! He is so far removed from it that slaughtering it for him does not invalidate the sacrifice. Right? - Wrong, says Rav Chisda. Since he could circumcise himself, it is as if he can eat it now.

But wait, Rav Chisda! You yourself did not agree with the principle of since. When we talked about baking at the very end of a Holiday, Rav Chisda did not allow the logic of "since guests might still come and eat it on a Holiday, let's bake!" Here is the answer: Rav Chisda would not allow using since for leniency (like to permit baking). He would allow the reasoning of since for stringency, like to declare the sacrifice invalid.

Art: Woman baking bread by Jean-Francois Millet