Commentaire sur Halla 2:4

קבים – Kab by Kab on its own

Introduction Our mishnah deals with the topic of how kavs of dough that were kneaded separately can join to constitute the necessary amount of dough to be liable for hallah.

ונגעו זה בזה – their coming into contact does not combine them to be liable for Hallah.

One who makes his dough [in separate] kavs, and they touch one another, they are exempt from hallah unless they stick together. If one makes separate batches of dough and they merely touch one another, they are still exempt from hallah. Touching does not turn them into one batch. However, if they stick together, then they are considered one batch and they are liable for hallah. They are considered to be “sticking together” if when they are pulled apart, some of one batch sticks to the other batch.

עד שישוכו – that they would stick one to the other so much that if one comes to separate them, they would be detached from this one to [become attached] to that one.

Rabbi Eliezer says: also if one takes out [loaves from an oven] and puts [them] into a basket, the basket joins them together for [the purposes of] hallah. If one takes loaves out of an oven and puts them all into one basket, the loaves, which were not originally liable for hallah, join together to constitute an amount liable for hallah. Even though hallah is usually taken out from the dough, according to Rabbi Eliezer they can still be joined together by the basket even after they have been baked.

אף הרודה ונותן לסל – He who detaches Hallot from [where they stick on] the oven after they have baked and places them in the basket.

הסל מצרפן לחלה – and even though they don’t stick together, and the Halakha is according to Rabbi Eliezer. But the fact that the Rabbis require sticking together and Rabbi Eliezer [requires] coming into contact/touching, these words are to combine two pieces of dough together, for each one is not according to the [required] measure [for Hallah]. But regarding the matter of devoting for sacred purposes from that which is near, even contact is not required, but they must be near one to the other. And at the end of the chapter (Mishnah 8) when Rabbi Eliezer that one puts less than an egg’s [bulk] in the middle in order to dedicate sacred gifts from that which is near, so we see, that we require contact for the purpose of being near, pure and impure is different because it is a matter which one is strict with its mixture, but the utensil does not combine.