Pâte dans les fissures d'une areiva (une auge à pétrir) [utilisée pour renforcer les fragments et les fissures] —S'il y a une taille d'olive (de pâte) à un endroit, il doit la retirer. Sinon, il est neutralisé par sa petitesse. [Et s'il n'est pas utilisé pour le renforcement, même moins d'une taille d'olive doit être enlevé, car il ne l'annule pas là (à l'areaiva), et il pourrait décider de le prendre à partir de là.] Il en va de même pour l'impureté (tumah). [Si un sheretz touchait cette pâte à Pessa'h ("dont l'interdiction lui donne une signification")—s'il y a une pâte de la taille d'une olive, elle agit comme une cloison contre la tumah (c'est-à-dire contre la transmission de la tumah à l'aréiva). Il n'est pas considéré comme (faisant partie de) l'areiva et la tumah n'y est pas transférée. Avec moins d'une taille d'olive—s'il ne s'en soucie pas, il est annulé à l'areiva; il est considéré comme si le sheretz avait touché l'aréiva elle-même, et il devient tamei.] S'il est préoccupé par elle (c'est-à-dire par son existence), c'est une partition; et s'il le veut là-bas, c'est comme l'areivah. [C'est ce que cela signifie: et les autres jours de l'année, "lorsque son interdiction ne lui donne pas de signification", cela ne dépend pas de la taille (de la pâte), qu'elle soit ou non de la taille d'une olive, mais sur sa préoccupation. S'il est préoccupé par son existence et qu'il finira par l'enlever de là, c'est une partition contre le (transfert de la) tumah, qu'elle soit ou non de la taille d'une olive, et elle ne confère pas la tumah à l'areivah. Et s'il ne s'en soucie pas et souhaite qu'il y reste, même s'il contient plusieurs tailles d'olive, c'est comme une partie de l'aréiva, et quand le sheretz touche la pâte, c'est comme s'il touchait l'aréiva elle-même. ] Batzek hacheresh (pâte «sourd-muet») [qui, frappée à la main, n'émet pas de son, comme un sourd-muet, qui est appelé et ne répond pas. Une autre interprétation: "Batzek hacheress" ("pâte à tessons") [qui est aussi dure qu'un éclat, de sorte qu'on ne peut pas déterminer si elle est devenue ou non hamets]— S'il y a quelque chose de semblable qui est devenu hamets, [c'est-à-dire s'il y a une autre pâte qui a été pétrie en même temps qu'elle l'était, et qui est devenu hamets], c'est interdit, [et s'il n'y a rien de semblable , alors la norme (pour devenir hamets) est le temps qu'il faut pour marcher un mil à un rythme normal, environ les deux cinquièmes d'une heure.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
בצק שבסידקי עריבה – and it is made to strengthen its breaks and cracks. If there is the equivalent of an olive’s bulk in one place, he liable to remove it; less than this, it is made void in its minority. But if it is not made to strengthen, even less than an olive’s bulk must be removed because it is not made void there and it is impossible that he will decide to take it from there.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
Introduction
Most of this mishnah deals with dough which is found in the crevices of a kneading trough and whether or not one must remove this dough on Pesach. The final clause of the mishnah deals with dough that may or not have already begun to become chametz.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
וכן לענין הטומאה – If an unclean reptile came in contract with this dough on Passover, for its prohibition is considered, if it has the equivalent of an olive’s bulk separating from before the impurity, and there isn’t something like a trough and the impurity does not go down to the trough, and with less than an olive’s bulk, if he is not strict upon it, it is null in regard to the trough and it is as if the unclean reptile had come in contact with the trough itself, and it is impure.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
[With regard to] the dough in the cracks of the kneading trough: if there is as much as an olive in one place, he must remove [it]; but if not, it is nullified through the smallness of its quantity. With regard to removing the dough from the cracks of the kneading trough, it all depends on whether or not there is an olive’s worth of dough in one place. If there is, then he must remove it; but if not the dough is considered as if it doesn’t exist and he need not bother removing it.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
אם מקפיד עליו חוצץ – this is how it should be read: And in the rest of the days of the year when it’s prohibition is not considered, the matter is not dependent upon the measurement if there is an olive’s bulk or not, but rather matter is dependent upon the stringency/fastidiousness. If he is fastidious about it and will eventually take it from there, it interposes in the face of the impurity, whether there is within it an olive’s bulk or not and the impurity does not descend into the trough. But if he is not fastidious about it and wishes for its existence, even if there are in it several olives it is considered as if it is in the trough. And when the unclean reptile comes in contract with the dough, it is as if it has come in contact with the actual trough.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
And it is likewise in the matter of uncleanness: if he objects to it, it makes a break; but if he desires its preservation, it is like the kneading-trough. There is a similar rule with regard to uncleanness, but the rule is actually different. With regard to uncleanness the issue is whether or not the dough is an essential and desired part of the kneading trough. If the dough is an essential part of the trough, then if a sheretz (an impure creeping thing) touches the dough the entire trough is impure, even if though the sheretz didn’t touch the trough itself. If the dough is not an essential part of the trough, then only the dough is impure and the rest of the trough remains pure. The mishnah says that the dough’s being an essential part of the trough hinges on the desire of its owner. If the owner wishes the dough to remain there because it is helping to fill a gap in the trough (functioning like plaster), then it is part of the trough and does not stop the uncleanness from spreading. If the owner wants it to be removed, it does break the uncleanness; only the dough is impure and not the trough.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
בצק החרש – that we strike it with a hand and it does emit a sound and it is similar to a deaf-mute that when we call it, it does not respond. Another commentary: dough of the earthenware which is hard like earthenware and it is not known if it has fermented.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
[With regard to] “deaf” dough, if there is [a dough] similar to it which has become chametz, it is forbidden. Dough is here compared to a deaf person. When one talks to a deaf person (they didn’t have sign language back then) the deaf person doesn’t get up to respond. So too, this “deaf” dough does not seem to be “getting up” meaning it doesn’t seem to be rising. The mishnah says that if other dough that was kneaded with it is rising, then the deaf dough must also be chametz and it needs to be removed. If not, then the deaf dough is not chametz and need not be removed before Pesah.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
אם יש כיוצא בו שהחמיץ – if there is another started dough that was to be kneaded at the at the same time that this one is being kneaded and has already fermented, it is considered prohibited. And if there isn’t there something similar, its measure is as long as it takes an average man to walk a mile, and this measure is like the time of two-fifths of an hour.
