Welcome to your ASBEE Mishpacha
Anshei Sphard - Beth El Emeth Congregation
120 East Yates Rd. North, Memphis, TN 38120
901-682-1611, Fax: 901-682-1641
asbee@aol.com
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Welcome to your ASBEE Mishpacha Anshei Sphard - Beth El Emeth Congregation 120 East Yates Rd. North, Memphis, TN 38120 901-682-1611, Fax: 901-682-1641 asbee@aol.com |
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What's in a little Egg Matza? Toward a Definition of Chametz1. What is chametz?2. Talmud in 3 places: Fruit juices do not become chametz. 'Mei perot ein machmitzin' 3. How do we understand that statement? a. Rashi: It is bad chametz, chametz nuksha, which is a violation if you eat it, but it is not punishable by excision, kares. (According to Rabbeinu Tam of Tosaphot, chametz such as this should not be accessible on Pesach, but you may possess it.) b. Tosaphot: It is punishable as a violation, but has no excision. c. Rabbeinu Tam: It is not chametz at all. With water and fruit juice it can quickly become chametz. d. Rabbeinu Yitzchak Alfasi: It is not good for the first night, since it is rich man's bread, but it is fine for other days of Pesach. 4. How do these different Rabbis come to these different conclusions? a. Talmud Pesachim 35a: Reish Lakish says, a dough which is kneaded with wine, oil, and honey, one is not obligated excision for its chametz...(at first it was suggested that it is not chametz because it creates rich man's bread. That was rejected since the inability to become matza for the seder does not necessarily exclude the possibility to be chametz. When the dozing rabbi overheard this, he stirred and said, "Children! This is the reason of Reish Lakish; It is fruit juice, and fruit juice does not become chametz." 1. Whose position above (#3) does this support? 2. Rashi: 'wine and oil' without water. 'It does not become chametz' to the level of being obligated for excision, but a violation there is. 3. Tosaphot: it is not punishable by excision but it has a violation for chametz. b. ibid. 36a: According to Rabbi Akiva, 'poor man's bread' excludes a dough made with wine, oil, and honey. A bread made according to Rabbi Akiva with wine, oil and honey is not matza? Did we not learn: we do not knead a dough on Pesach with wine, oil, and honey, and if he did, Rabban Gamliel says let it be burnt immediately. The Sages say let it be eaten (Rashi: it doesn't say 'immediately'. Rif: 'let it be baked immediately. Behag: like RG. Rosh: like Rif's Sages) Rabbi Akiva said, I was once for a Shabbat with R. Eliezer and R. Yehoshua, and I kneaded for them with wine, oil, and honey, and they said nothing to me. No question (as to the contradiction between Rabbi Akiva's position.) This is on the first holiday, this is on the second. c. ibid 43a: "all chametz types 'machmetzet' you should not eat." This includes (different mixtures including) Edomite vinegar. You might think that it is punishable by excision? The Torah states, "Anyone who eats chametz will be cut off, but on its mixture it is a mere violation. However, Noksha, bad chametz is not mentioned (it may not be punishable at all). Ibid 42b: Edomite vinegar has barley in it. d. Ibid. 39b: Vatika is permitted. (Rashi: a flour food) Didn't we study that Vatika is forbidden. No problem. That is when he made it with oil and salt. This is when he made it with water and salt. e. Ibid 40 a: Abayey said, a person should not roast two grains of wheat together lest the juice of one goes out and is absorbed in the other. Rava said, this is fruit juice which does not become chametz. Abayey changed his mind because he said a vat for drying kernels, slanted is permitted, straight is prohibited. Rava says, even straight is permitted. It is fruit juice, and fruit juice does not become chametz. f. Talmud Menachot 57: "All meal offerings which you offer to Hashem, you cannot make them chametz "(Lev. II) This includes the meal offering of a libation that it can become chametz. These are the words of R. Jose the Gallean. Rabbi Akiva says, it includes the shew bread, for the libation offerings are fruit juice and fruit juice does not become chametz. Reish Lakish says, RY the Galilean would say that the libation offering we knead with water and it is kosher. 5. What types of juices are included? a. Maimonides V, 2: The 5 types of grain if you knead them in fruit juice only without water at all, will never become chametz, rather even if you leave it all day until it swelled up it is permitted to eat it, for fruit juice does not become chametz rather it spoils. Fruit juice includes wine, milk, honey oil, apple juice, pomegranate juice, and anything like them from other wines, oils and drinks, as long as no water gets mixed up at all, but if it did it can become chametz. b. Ibid 20: One may knead the dough with (water), oil, and honey and milk, but on the first day it is forbidden, only with water, not because of chametz rather so that it will be poor man's bread, and it is only on the first day that one needs a remembrance of poor man's bread. c. ibid. VI, 5: A matza which was kneaded with fruit juice one could fulfill the obligation on Pesach, but not with wine oil and milk because of 'poor man's bread'. and if he did knead it and eat it, he did not fulfill his obligation. d. Tosaphot: with eggs, Rashi wasn't sure if it was considered fruit juice or not, since we see that it becomes chametz quickly. But RT was lenient in the matter and would eat it after 4 hours on the eve of Pesach. Beit Yoseph. The custom has spread to be lenient. Code: 462: Without water it can never become chametz. With water it is very fast, so if you made it, bake it right away. Egg matzah is like fruit matza. Ramah: here in these countries it is not customary to knead with fruit juices, or even to smear it.. and one should not deviate except for sick or elderly. MB: only without water can even a sick person use it.
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