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Why did Chazal institute the ad chatzos rule limiting when certain mitzvos can be performed? Rashi (רש"י) holds it ensures proper mitzvah (מצוה) fulfillment by preventing people from eating nosar, while the Rambam (רמב"ם) argues it prevents negligence in mitzvah observance. This fundamental disagreement affects whether one can still fulfill these obligations after midnight.
This shiur presents an in-depth analysis of a fundamental machloket (disagreement) between Rashi (רש"י) and the Rambam (רמב"ם) regarding the reason behind Chazal's institution of the ad chatzos (until midnight) rule for various mitzvos. The discussion centers on whether this gezeirah (rabbinic decree) was designed to ensure mitzvah (מצוה) performance or to prevent transgression. Rashi's position is that the ad chatzos rule exists to ensure people fulfill their mitzvos properly. According to Rashi, the concern is that if people delay too long, they might end up eating kodashim (sacrificial offerings) when they become nosar (leftover beyond the permitted time), thereby transgressing the severe prohibition of eating nosar, which carries the punishment of kares (spiritual excision). However, this creates a fundamental problem: by instituting the ad chatzos rule, Chazal are actually creating more cases of nosar, since they're preventing people from eating within the Torah (תורה)-mandated timeframe.
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