Queste sono le cose con cui si adempie al proprio obbligo [di mangiare Matzoth] la [prima notte di] Pesach, [quando è obbligato a mangiare Matzoth, vale a dire. (Esodo 12:18): "La sera mangerai matzoth"]: con grano, orzo, farro, avena e avena a coda di volpe, [ma non con riso, miglio e altre specie, essendo scritto (Deuteronomio 16: 3): "Non devi mangiare chametz su di esso; sette giorni devi mangiare matzoth su di esso." Uno adempie al suo obbligo matzah solo con cose suscettibili di diventare chametz—escludere riso, miglio e altre specie, che non diventano chametz, ma solo putrefazione.] E uno adempie al suo obbligo con demai, e con Ma'aser Rishon il cui terumah fu preso, e con Ma'aser Sheni e Hekdesh che erano redento [La necessità di elencare tutto ciò è spiegata nel diciottesimo capitolo di Shabbath] e Cohanim (adempiere ai loro obblighi) con Challah e Terumah. [(Se questo non fosse dichiarato) avrei potuto pensare che fosse necessario il matzah adatto a tutti gli uomini, ma Challah e Terumah non sono adatti per i non sacerdoti. Pertanto, siamo informati diversamente.] La sfida del todah (l'offerta del Ringraziamento) e i wafer dell'offerta del nazirita— Se uno li ha fatti per se stesso, [anche se sono in buona fede matzah], non adempie al suo obbligo con loro, [scritto (Esodo 12:17): "E guarderai il matzoth" —matzah che è sorvegliato per amore di matzah; escluderli, che non sono osservati per amore di matzah, ma per amore dell'offerta.]; se li ha costretti a venderli sul mercato, adempie al loro obbligo con loro. [Perché con qualunque cosa debba essere venduta sul mercato, si dice: "Se li vendo, bene; in caso contrario, li mangerò come matzah di mitzvah."]
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
ידי חובתו – because of the obligation of [eating] Matzah on the first night for he is obligated to eat Matzah as it is written (Exodus 12:18): “[In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month] at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread…”
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
Introduction
This mishnah lists those types of grains with which one can make the obligatory matzah on Pesah. There is a duel function to this list anything which can be used to make matzah can also become chametz. Hence, this mishnah also indirectly teaches us which types of grain must be removed before Pesah.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
בחטים ובשעורים – but not rice, millet and other species, as it is written (Deuteronomy 16:3): “You shall not eat anything leavened with it; for seven days thereafter you shall eat unleavened bread…” things that can become leavened, a person fulfills his religious obligation in consuming Matzah/unleavened bread, excluding rice and millet and other species that do not become leavened, but towards decay.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
These are the things with which they fulfill their obligation on Pesah: with wheat, with barley, with spelt, with rye, and with oats. This is the list of grains from which one may make the obligatory matzah. Note that rice is not on the list. According to the mishnah, matzah may not be made out of rice nor does rice become chametz.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
ובדמאי ובמעשר ראשון שנטלה תרומתו – all of these for what reason are they needed? They are explained in the Tractate Shabbat, chapter eighteen (Mishnah 1 – “You may clear away – on the Sabbath-even four or five piles”).
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
And they fulfill [the obligation] with demai, with first tithe whose terumah has been separated, and with second tithe or sanctified property which have been redeemed; We have encountered this list on several occasions already (Shabbat 18:1; Eruvin 3:2; Sanhedrin 8:2; Makkot 3:2). It is basically a list of foods which can be eaten, at least according to toraitic law. The opposite is in section four those foods are prohibited and hence one cannot use them to fulfill the obligation to eat matzah.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
והכהנים בחלה ובתרומה – for you might have thought that we require Matzah/unleavened bread that is worth and appropriate for all people, but Hallah and priest’s due are not appropriate for foreigners (i.e., non-Kohanim), it comes to teach us [that this is not the case].
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
And priests [can fulfill their obligation] with hallah and terumah. Hallah (which a person must separate when he makes dough) and terumah are given to the priest, who may use them to make his matzah. A non-priest cannot eat them and hence cannot use them for matzah.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
חלות תודה ורקיקי נזיר אין יוצאין בהן – even though they are fully Matzah, as it is written (Exodus 12:17): “You shall observe the [Feast of] Unleavened Bread”, [we require] Matzah that is preserved for the purpose of [consuming] Matzah, excluding those which are not preserved for the purpose of [consuming] Matzah, but for the purpose of a sacrifice.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
But not with untithed produce, nor with first tithe whose terumah has not been separated, nor with second tithe or sanctified property which have not been redeemed. The opposite list of that in section two.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Pesachim
למכור בשוק יוצאין בהם – for everything can be sold in the market, for he says, if they are sold, they are sold, and if not, I will myself with eat it as the Matzah [in fulfillment] of the Mitzvah.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim
Loaves of the thanksgiving offering and the wafers of a nazirite: If he made them for himself, they cannot fulfill [their obligation] with them; If he made them to sell in the market, they can fulfill [their obligation] with them. These loaves and wafers are not chametz and hence might potentially be usable for matzah. The mishnah rules that if he made them for his own personal use then they are already sanctified and one cannot use them for matzah. In other words, although they physically fulfill the requirements of matzah, since they were sanctified for another use they cannot count also as matzah on Pesah. However, if he is a merchant and made them to sell to those who need to bring sacrifices, then they have not yet become sanctified and they may be used as obligatory matzah on Pesah.
