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Pesachim 119

119b

QUESTION: The Mishnah says, "Ein Maftirin Achar ha'Pesach Afikoman." The Gemara records several opinions how to understand the Mishnah. Rav says that it means that one may not go to a different Chaburah and eat any other food there, lest he forget and eats the Korban Pesach there (eating the Korban Pesach in a different place is an Isur d'Oraisa). He may eat, though, in the place of his own Chaburah. Shmuel and Rebbi Yochanan argue and say that it means that one is not allowed to eat after the Korban Pesach even in one's place. The Amora'im discuss whether this Halachah applies to eating after *Matzah* nowadays as well.

What is the reasoning behind the prohibition of eating after the Korban Pesach? According to Rav, it is clearly a Gezeirah to prevent one from transgressing the Isur d'Oraisa of eating the Pesach in two places. What, though, is the reasoning according to Shmuel, who prohibits eating after the Korban Pesach even in the *same* place? Furthermore, what is the reason for the prohibition of eating after the *Matzah* ("Afikoman") nowadays?

ANSWERS:

(a) The RASHBAM (DH Kegon) explains that the reason for not eating after the Pesach or Matzah is in order that the taste of the Pesach or Matzah remain in one's mouth, as the Gemara itself implies. (That is, the Gemara says that we might have thought that the Halachah does not apply to the meat of the Korban Pesach, since it is so fatty and its taste remains in one's mouth even when he eats other things after it, and therefore we need to be told that the Halachah *does* apply nonetheless; from here we see that the reason for not eating afterwards is so that the taste will remain in one's mouth.) The RAMBAM (Hilchos Chametz u'Matzah 8:9) also cites this reason.

Why, though, is it so important that the taste remain in one's mouth? By making sure that the taste of the Pesach or Matzah lingers on in one's mouth, one shows his love for the Mitzvah, as if he wants it to stay with him longer.

(b) The RASHBAM mentions another reason for not eating after the Pesach, and that is in order to see to it that the Korban Pesach is eaten while one is satiated, "Al ha'Sova." The meat of the Pesach must be the food that fills a person. How does this conform with our Gemara which mentions that the reason is because of the *taste* of the Pesach?

TOSFOS (120a, DH Maftirin) explains that when the Gemara says that the taste of the Pesach or Matzah must remain in one's mouth, it is discussing the opinion which says that one may not eat after the Pesach nor after the Matzah nowadays. The other opinion, which says that this prohibition applies only to Pesach, cannot learn that the reason is because of taste, because if so, that should be *more* of a reason not to eat after the Matzah and *less* of a reason not to eat after the Pesach, for the taste of the Pesach is strong and lingers even when one eats something else afterwards. It must be that this opinion has a different reasoning for the prohibition and holds that the reason is because the Pesach must be eaten "Al ha'Sova," which is a way of honoring food which is Kodesh. Matzah, nowadays, is only commemorative of the Korban Pesach, and it is not actually Kodesh, and therefore this opinion holds that there is no prohibition to eat after the Matzah.

RABEINU MANO'ACH (commenting on the Rambam, loc. cit.) gives a different way to resolve why the Gemara gives the reason of taste, if the reason is because the Pesach must be eaten "Al ha'Sova." He says that the Gemara here really means that one may not eat after the Pesach because of the reason of "Al ha'Sova." However, that reason only explains why it may not be eaten at the *beginning* of the meal, but it does not explain why it must be the very last thing which one eats. Therefore, it is necessary to have the additional reason that the taste must remain in one's mouth. However, if that was the only reason for not eating after the Pesach, we might have thought that since the point of having the taste linger on is so that the person enjoy the Pesach more, it shoud be even better if he eats it at the very beginning of the meal, when he has a strong appetite for it. Therefore, we need the reasoning of eating Pesach "Al ha'Sova" to teach that it may not be eaten at the very beginning of the meal.

(c) The RAN explains that according to Shmuel and Rebbi Yochanan, the reason for leaving the taste of the Pesach in one's mouth has nothing to do with showing love for the Mitzvah. Rather, they agree with Rav that the prohibition to eat after the Pesach is a Gezeirah to prevent one from inadvertently eating the Pesach in two different locations. The concern is that if he eats something after the Pesach, he will lose the taste of the Pesach and forget whether or not he ate it. He will mistakenly think that he still needs to eat it, and he will go to another location and eat the Pesach there, thereby transgressing the Isur d'Oraisa of eating the Korban Pesach in two places.

The opinion which holds that the prohibition does not apply to Matzah maintains that since Matzah is only commemorative of the Korban Pesach, the Rabanan were not so strict as to prohibit eating after Matzah, since there is no Isur to eat Matzah in another place.

(d) The BA'AL HA'ME'OR explains that the reason for not eating after the Pesach or Matzah is to leave the taste in one's mouth, so that one does not forget to say *Hallel*. We learned (86a) that after eating the Korban Pesach, the people would go to a different, less crowded place to say Hallel. There is a fear that if they leave the places of their Chaburos in order to go somewhere else to say Hallel, they will forget to say Hallel and just go straight home. Therefore, they must keep the taste of the Pesach in their mouths to remind them to say Hallel.

The Mishnah says that one may not conclude, after eating the Korban Pesach, with "Afikoman." RASHI (86a) and the RASHBAM here explain that the word "Afikoman" means "Afiku Man" -- "take out the utensils [and eat elsewhere]." This is consistent with Rav's understanding of the Mishnah, for Rav maintains that the prohibition of eating after the Pesach "Afikoman" is because of a Gezeirah not to eat in a different location (see previous Insight). According to Shmuel and Rebbi Yochanan, who maintain that the prohibition is to eat after the Pesach even in one's place, the term "Afikoman" means "bring out more food."

REBBI AKIVA EIGER (on the Mishnayos) cites the TISHBI (Rav Eliyahu Bachur) who argues with Rashi and the Rashbam and says that the word "Afikoman" is a common Greek word which means "dessert," and there is no need to explain it to be an Aramaic word. Others add that the word "Maftirin" is also based on the Greek "Fateirah," for meal (although it is conjugated in the Mishnah like a Hebrew word).

In truth, we often find that Chazal take a word from a different language, such as Aramaic or Greek, and give it Hebrew roots (see Shabbos 77b). If it is a word from a foreign language, why did they try to find it a source in the Hebrew language?

(a) The TIFERES YISRAEL explains that Chazal wanted to "Judaify" (make Jewish) the words they took from foreign languages. They only used the foreign words when they saw that there was a way of reading it based on Hebrew (or Aramaic) roots.

(b) The SHELAH (cited by MARGALIOS HA'YAM, Sanhedrin 4b) says that all languages originated from Hebrew (at the time of the Tower of Bavel, the core foreign languages branched off from Hebrew according to the Midrash). Occasionally, Chazal used a word from a foreign language which they recognized as originally being from the Hebrew language, and they showed its roots and its relationship to the Hebrew language. (See also Hagadas ZECHER YEHOSEF on the answer to the wise son, at length.)