A free account is required to play audio and download files.
No community start suggestion yet.
Why did Hillel eat matzah and maror together when the rabbinic maror seems to nullify the taste of deoraisa matzah? The shiur develops that Hillel held mitzvos ein mevatalot zu et zu - mitzvos don't nullify each other but create a combined taste experience the Torah (תורה) specifically desired. This reframes korech as achieving both individual mitzvah (מצוה) fulfillment plus an additional Torah-mandated combined experience.
This shiur begins with a hazara (review) of the din hasava according to the Rama, establishing that hasava is a din in seuda (requirement in the meal context) rather than an integral part of each specific mitzvah (מצוה). The Rama holds that one needs a proper seuda consisting of arba kosos of wine and a kezayis of matzah - not necessarily the first kezayis from the mitzvah itself. This differs from the Chayei Adam's interpretation that hasava must accompany the actual mitzvah performance. The discussion explores why certain Rishonim (Rash, Mordechai, Tosafos (תוספות) Rabbeinu Peretz, possibly Ramban (רמב"ן)) require going back to repeat the mitzvah if hasava wasn't performed, raising fundamental questions about how Chachamim can define deoraisa obligations and why some people are exempt from hasava entirely. The main focus then shifts to Pesachim 115a and Hillel's statement that one should not eat matzah and maror together because the mitzvah derabanan of maror is mevatal (nullifies) the taste of matzah deoraisa, preventing proper fulfillment of the matzah obligation. This raises several difficulties: why taste should matter when one can fulfill matzah by swallowing, why people without taste buds can still be obligated, and most critically, why the rabbinic status of maror creates this problem when both being mitzvos should make it acceptable.
Looking for the full summary?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Pesachim 115a
Looking for the full transcript?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Dedicate a Shiur in Gemara
L'ilui nishmas a loved one. In honor of a simcha or yahrzeit. As a zechus for a refuah sheleimah. Your dedication helps carry Rabbi Zweig's Torah to learners around the world.
When an animal damages crops, the Torah prescribes a unique payment formula based on multiplying the damaged area by sixty. Does this formula redefine the actual loss, or does it merely create a payment mechanism that still acknowledges the full damage sustained? The Gemara explores whether someone who ate in doubt should pay the higher-quality amount, examining how the principle of motzi me-chaveiro alav haraya applies when payments fall within the range of actual loss.
What makes testimony valid when different witnesses testify to different parts of the same event? The Gemara debates whether the principle of "davar v'lo chatzi davar" (complete testimony, not partial) disqualifies witnesses who testify separately to theft and slaughter. Rashi's approach reveals that the issue is not merely combining elements, but whether each witness's statement is independently meaningful.
Why is a ganav who sells a stolen animal on Shabbos exempt from the fourfold/fivefold payment? The shiur analyzes whether this exemption stems from kam lei b'derabbah or from the absence of a valid mechira. The Rashba's principle that matana resembles mechira when it is "nishtarish b'chet" is explored, along with the Rambam's position on hekdesh and the distinction between giving to bedek habayis versus mizbe'ach.
When a ganav shechts a stolen animal l'avodah zarah, why isn't he patur from payment since it's already isur hana'ah? The shiur explores the fundamental machloket Rashi-Tosafot on whether the isur derives from the act of shechita or from the din shechita itself. The Gemara's application of davar garem be'mamon ke'mamon domi extends the analysis to when borrowed animals become niskal.
