Pesahim 3:4
What precautions are necessary to prevent dough from becoming chametz?
专讘谉 讙诪诇讬讗诇 讗讜诪专: 砖诇砖 谞砖讬诐 诇砖讜转 讻讗讞转 讜讗讜驻讜转 讘转谞讜专 讗讞讚 讝讜 讗讞专 讝讜. 讜讞讻诪讬诐 讗讜诪专讬诐: 砖诇砖 谞砖讬诐 注讜住拽讜转 讘讘爪拽, 讗讞转 诇砖讛 讜讗讞转 注讜专讻转 讜讗讞转 讗讜驻讛. 专讘讬 注拽讬讘讗 讗讜诪专: 诇讗 讻诇 讛谞砖讬诐 讜诇讗 讻诇 讛注爪讬诐 讜诇讗 讻诇 讛转谞讜专讬诐 砖讜讬谉. 讝讛 讛讻诇诇: 转驻讞, 转诇讟讜砖 讘爪讜谞谉.
Rabban Gamliel says that three women may knead [dough for matzah] together, then bake it in one oven, one after another. But the sages say that three women may work together on dough, one kneading while another forms loaves and one bakes them. Rabbi Akiva says, not all women, nor all woods, nor all ovens are equally [efficient]. This is a general practice: if the dough starts to rise, douse it in cold water [to slow it down].
Comments
The Torah warns 鈥測ou should guard the matzot鈥� (Exod. ), which leads to unusual precautions at every stage of the preparation of matzah. Our Mishnah gives a window into the daily lives of women working collectively in preparing for this festival. Rabban Gamliel seems most lenient, allowing them to work together through the entire process, whereas the sages prescribe a more efficient assembly-line production, lest the dough turn to chametz while waiting to be baked. Rabbi Akiva reminds us that even efficient models like that of the sages may be slowed by differential efficiency among the workers and their equipment. The 鈥渃ooling鈥� method described here indicates experience with such inefficiencies and the attempt to salvage the dough from becoming worthless as chametz. Later halakhah (See Shulhan Arukh O.H. 459:2 in comments of Mishnah Brurah) establishes a fixed limit of eighteen minutes from when the flour is first moistened until when it must be put in the oven.
Questions
- How do you imagine the sages forming their opinions鈥攆rom logic or direct observation?
- Can you defend Rabban Gamliel鈥檚 position? Why did the later law codify the time limit according to the clock?
- The race to produce matzah is meant to simulate the haste of the Exodus. Should we find new ways to simulate this experience even today when we buy our matzah? Would it be better to make our own?
