Commentary for Pesachim 10:3

הֵבִיאוּ לְפָנָיו, מְטַבֵּל בַּחֲזֶרֶת, עַד שֶׁמַּגִּיעַ לְפַרְפֶּרֶת הַפַּת. הֵבִיאוּ לְפָנָיו מַצָּה וַחֲזֶרֶת וַחֲרֹסֶת וּשְׁנֵי תַבְשִׁילִין, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵין חֲרֹסֶת מִצְוָה. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בְּרַבִּי צָדוֹק אוֹמֵר, מִצְוָה. וּבַמִּקְדָּשׁ הָיוּ מְבִיאִים לְפָנָיו גּוּפוֹ שֶׁל פָּסַח:

They brought before him [greens, so that the child notice it and ask about it (for it was not the practice to bring greens before the meal)]. He dips the chazereth [Not necessarily chazereth, for this first dipping was with other greens; but if there were no other greens, he dips chazereth instead. "Dipping" here means "eating." (Since all of their eating was with dipping, eating was called "dipping") This dipping, however, was not in charoseth. (Its being stated afterwards: "They brought before him matzah, chazereth, and charoseth" indicates that the charoseth had not yet been brought)] until he comes to the eating of the loaf [i.e., the eating of the matzah. We are here apprised that no other eating intervenes between the eating of greens and the eating of matzah, that before he comes to that chazereth of mitzvah on which he blesses "al achilath maror," he first eats matzah, as it is written (Numbers 9:11): "With matzoth and merorim (biter herbs) shall they eat it" — first matzoth, then merorim.] They brought before him matzah, chazereth, charoseth [made from figs, hazel-nuts, pistachio nuts, and almonds and an assortment of fruits. They would place apples into it, pound it all in a mortar, mix it with vinegar, and place upon it spices, calamus reed, and cinnamon — long, thin strips, in remembrance of the straw (of Egypt). And it (the charoseth) must be thick, in remembrance of the lime (of Egypt)], and two dishes — even though charoseth is not a mitzvah [but a health-aid, to neutralize the acridity of the chazereth, which is "as sore as venom" to the body.] R. Eliezer b. Tzaddok says: It is a mitzvah [in remembrance of the apple (orchard) where they would give birth without travail, and in remembrance of the lime.] And in (the time of) the Temple, they would bring before him the Pesach (offering) itself.

Explore commentary for Pesachim 10:3. In-depth commentary and analysis from classical Jewish sources.