Si uno iba en camino [el día catorce de Nissan] para sacrificar su ofrenda de Pesaj, o circuncidar a su hijo, o para comer la fiesta de compromiso en la casa de su suegro, y recordaba que tenía jametz en su casa —si puede regresar (a casa) y quemarlo y regresar a su mitzvá, debe hacerlo; si no, debería anularlo en su corazón.] (Si estuviera en camino) para salvar a alguien [un judío] de una tropa [que lo persigue], de una inundación, de ladrones, de un incendio o de una cueva -en, debería anularlo en su corazón. (Si estaba en camino) para establecer un descanso para algo permitido (en oposición a algo que es una mitzvá) [es decir, si iba a esperar la noche en el límite (del Sábado), para establecer "descansar" allí, de modo que podría caminar dos mil codos desde allí (en el festival) por algo permitido], debe regresar de inmediato. [Pero si iba a establecer un descanso por el bien de una mitzvá, por ejemplo, para ir al día siguiente a la casa de un doliente o a una casa de (mitzvá) festejando, es como si fuera a matar a su Pesaj ofrecimiento.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
ההולך – it is referring to the fourteen [of Nisan].
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
Introduction
This mishnah discusses a person who starts on a journey and once he has already left he remembers that he forgot to remove his chametz. The question is whether or not he must return home to remove the chametz or whether he may continue on his way.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
אם יכול – that there is time during the day.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
He who is on his way to slaughter his Pesah sacrifice or to circumcise his son or to dine at a betrothal feast at the house of his father-in-law, and remembers that he has chametz at home: if he is able to go back, remove [it], and [then] return to his religious duty, he must go back and remove [it]; but if not, he annuls it in his heart. In the first section, the person is on his way to perform a commandment when he remembers that he forgot to remove his chametz. The first two commandments are extremely significant and time-bound. The commandment to participate in the Pesah sacrifice and the commandment to circumcise are the only two positive commandments which carry with them the punishment of karet for lack of fulfillment. Furthermore, the Pesah must be sacrificed on the fourteenth of Nisan and if the eighth day of a boy’s life falls out on the fourteenth of Nisan then it must take place then. It is not surprising that the halakhah allows him to continue on his way to perform these weighty commandments. What is perhaps more surprising is that participating in a betrothal feast is placed in the same category. This perhaps can be read as a rabbinic statement concerning the importance of marriage. In any case, if a person sets off to engage in one of these activities and realizes that he has not burned his chametz, if he can still return home, burn the chametz and get to where he needs to be on time, then he must do so. However, if there is not sufficient time for this, then he need not return. Rather, in his heart he annuls the chametz, that it should be to him as is the dust of the earth.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
להציל מן הגייס – Israelites being pursued.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
[If he is on his way] to save from an invasion or from a river or from brigands or from a fire or from a collapse [of a building], he annuls it in his heart. In this section he is on his way to save someone’s life. In such a case, even if he could return to remove his chametz and still make it to where he needs to go on time, he need not do so. Since these are matters of life or death, he shouldn’t hesitate or take a risk by returning to remove his chametz. Life takes precedent over all commandments. Therefore, all he should do is annul the chametz in his heart.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
יבטל בלבו – and he should not go back, even if there is time, since according to the Torah, mere nullification is sufficient.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
[But if] to rest for pleasure, he must return immediately. If he sets out just for pleasure, for instance on a vacation, without there being any commandment that he is going to perform, then he must return and remove his chametz even if this will cause him to not be able to get to where he needs to go. In such a case, the mishnah does not allow him to annul the chametz in his heart.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
לשבות שביתה הרשות – that he was walking to wait for the nightfall on the Sabbath limit and to purchase something for the Sabbath/Holy Day to walk from there and further two thousand cubits for a matter that is for pleasure/permissible, he must return immediately [and get rid of his Hametz at home]. But if it is to purchase something for the performance of a commandment such if he needs to go tomorrow to the house of mourning or the house of rejoicing, that is like his doing to slaughter his Passover sacrifice.