Daf Yomi One Week at a Time: Pesachim

This week we will be finishing Tractate Eruvin. After an introduction to Tractate Pesachim we will learn the first two daf and understand the primary obligation to search for Chametz.

This week we will continue to learn the laws regarding searching one’s home for leavened bread.  How and when is this done? Who needs to check? What blessing is said? And what does a weasel have to do with any of this?

This week we are going to learn the laws of eating leavened bread on the 14th of Nisan, Erev Pesach. What time do we need to stop eating Chametz, and at what time to we burn the chametz? How did the nation know what time it was on the morning of the 14th? We will then enter the complicated world of Purity and Impurity (Tahara and Tumah)

This week will continue discussing the laws of purity and impurity and the difference between the Temple and outside the Temple, and impurity of a Sheretz vs. impurity from a dead body. With that we will conclude the first chapter in Masechet Pesachim. The second chapter begins with a discussion about the prohibition to eat and benefit from Chametz.

This week we will learn if involuntary benefit from a forbidden item is permitted or forbidden, how we are meant to destroy chametz before Pesach, and what we can do to utensils that were used for chametz to make them permissible to use on Pesach.

This week we will learn the consequence of eating Chametz on Pesach that was also Terumah and therefore forbidden to eat (if you aren’t a priest). We will also discuss what grains and what liquids are permissible to make Matzah for Pesach.

This week we will learn about different vegetables that can be used as Marror and if vinegar stops the leavening process or hastens it. We will be finishing the second chapter of Pesachim and begin the third chapter. In this chapter we will learn fundamental concepts that are not only relevant on Pesach but for general dietary laws as well.

This week we will learn about “deaf dough” and if you can separate Challah from your impure matzah dough. We will see how 3 people can make matzah at the same time without the fear that it will leaven. We will complete the third chapter this week and begin the fourth chapter that discusses customs and traditions of different communities on Erev Pesach.

This week we continue discussing different customs of different areas. We will learn what was created before the world, before Shabbat and after Shabbat. We will finish the fourth chapter and begin the fifth chapter which deals with the laws of sacrifices in the Temple.

We will learn about the 4 main procedures needed for a sacrifice and what intentions the priest needs to have while performing them. The Talmud will describe in great detail what it was like on the 14th of Nisan in the Temple.

This week we will learn about the 3 camps that existed in the desert and who needed to leave which camp, and how this correlates to Jerusalem. We will hear about events that will happen in the End of Days. We will then learn about the Festival offering that is brought on the 14th of Nissan and all its ramifications.

This week we start the 7th chapter of Pesachim and learn how the Pesach sacrifice was roasted. We will learn fundamental principles in dietary laws including mixing foods or liquids of varying temperatures. We will then discuss the leniency for bringing the Pesach sacrifice if the majority of the Jewish nation is impure, and all its ramifications.

This week we will learn what happens to the leftover meat of the Korban Pesach and about the prohibition of breaking its bones. What happened if the sacrifice was taken outside of Jerusalem and can 2 groups register for the same sacrifice? We will be completing the 7th chapter of Masechet Pesachim this week.

This week we are going to learn how different members of the household join in to the Korban Pesach, who can register whom, with or without their knowledge.  Can joining the korban pesach group be a prize for winning a race? Can you bring an unexpected guest to dinner? We will be completing the 8th chapter in Masechet Pesachim. The 9th chapter focuses on the laws of Pesach Shaini, Is it a separate holiday or just a second chance?

This week we will be completing the 9th chapter of Pesachim and discussing the differences between Pesach and Pesach Sheni, which is celebrated a month later for all those who were impure in Nisan and couldn’t bring the sacrifice on Pesach. We will learn the concept of Temura, designating an animal instead/in addition to another sacrifice. We will then begin the 10th and final chapter of Pesachim. We will spend the next 3 weeks learning the laws and customs of Seder night.

This week we will discuss aspect of sanctifying Shabbat (Kiddush) and the means in which we depart from Shabbat (Havdalah), the order of the blessings and till when these blessing can be made. We will also learn the format in which we make general blessings. We will learn about the importance and sanctity of wine and about reclining at the Pesach Seder.

This week we will learn about the 4 cups of wine that we drink on Seder Night. That will lead us into an interesting discussion about demons and witchcraft. We will also learn Sagely advice given from fathers to son and teachers to students. We will then begin our study of the order of Seder Night, starting with the first cup, Karpas, Maror and Matzah.

This week we will learn about the rest of the Seder night, including cups 2-4, the importance of asking questions, and the exact order of the story of the Exodus that needs to be told. We will also learn about the importance and origins of the Hallel. After finishing the Masechet together, I will give a brief introduction to Masechet Shekalim