Siman - Pesachim Daf 53
- Simanim for mountains, valleys, streams and plains
It was taught in a Baraisa that Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says, סימן להרים מילין – a hallmark of mountains are gallnut trees, סימן לעמקים דקלים – a siman of valleys are date palms, סימן לנחלים קנים – a siman of streams are reeds, סימן לשפילה שקמה – and a hallmark of a plain is the sycamore tree. The Gemara explains the purpose of these simanim. The first two involve the mitzvah of bikkurim, that cannot be brought from date palms that are in the mountains, nor from grain crops that are in the valleys. Rashi explains that only date palms in the valleys yield the superior grade of that fruit for that mitzvah, and that pools of standing water that often accumulate on valley floors can cause crops of wheat and barley to whither and rot, making them inferior for the mitzvah. The reed siman for streams is to identify the נחל איתן, the raging stream which is the prescribed site for the eglah arufah procedure. And the siman of the sycamore for the plain, is for buying and selling. If one contracts to buy a plain without describing it, the land must have sycamore trees growing on it. The Gemara concludes that we can say the significance of all these simanim are for מקח וממכר.
- אסור לומר "בשר זה לפסח הוא"
Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: אסור לו לאדם שיאמר בשר זה לפסח הוא – It is forbidden for a person to say, “This meat is for pesach ,” מפני שנראה כמקדיש בהמתו ואוכל קדשים בחוץ – because it appears as one who is makdish an animal as a korban and eats kodshim outside of Yerushalayim. Rashi explains that is referring even to the flesh of an animal that was already slaughtered. In this case the person would be giving the impression that he is being makdish the value of the meat for the purpose of purchasing a pesach. Rav Pappa said that Rav’s ruling applies exclusively to meat, אבל חיטי לא – however in the case of wheat it does not apply, דמינטר לפסחא קאמר – because he only means to say that the wheat shall be guarded for the chag of Pesach. Rashi explains that it does not appear that he is being makdish the value of the wheat in order to purchase a pesach.
- Mesiras nefesh learned from frogs
The Gemara brought an incident where Todos Ish Romi, who Rashi describes as a prominent Jew in Rome, instituted that the Jews should eat גדיים מקולסין בלילי פסחים – kids roasted with their entrails alongside of them, as a commemoration of the korban Pesach, and the Rabbanon said that they would have excommunicated him if it were not that he was a prominent person. The Gemara seeks to understand whether the Rabbanon meant that he was a גברא רבא - a great man, or בעל אגרופין – a powerful and violent man, and brings a proof that he was the former. It was taught in a Baraisa that Todos Ish Romi expounded, what did Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah see, שמסרו עצמן על קדושת השם לכבשן האש – that caused them to sanctify Hashem’s name by being put in the fiery furnace? The learned a kal v’chomer from the frogs. Whereas frogs, which are not commanded in the mitzvah of kiddush Hashem, it is written about them, ועלו ובאו בביתך... ובתנורך ובמשארתיך – and they shall ascend into your palace…and into your ovens and into your kneading bowls, and when are kneading bowls found next to the oven? I would say at the time that the oven is hot, אנו שמצווין על קדשת השם על אחת כמה וכמה – then we, who are commanded in the mitzvah of kiddush Hashem, all the more we should be willing to give up our lives.
