It is not easy to guard against fermentation of wheat or
other grains. Even washing can be a problem, as is outlined in this page.
Rabbah said: A conscientious man
should not wash [corn]. Why particularly a conscientious man: even any other
man too, for surely it was taught: One may not wash barley on Passover? He says
thus: He should not wash even wheat, which is hard.
And yet, wheat has to be washed in order to make the fine
flour needed. In fact, the argument is made, specifically because of the command
to “guard” the grain must be washed:
Raba said: It is obligatory to wash
[the grain], for it is said, And ye shall guard the unleavened bread.
Now, if not that it requires washing, for what purpose is the guarding?
Since grain can only ferment if there is moisture on it,
there would be no guarding without washing! Or maybe it can be applied to other
stages?
If guarding for the kneading, the
guarding of kneading is not “guarding”, for R. Huna said: The doughs of a
heathen, a man may fill his stomach with them, providing that he eats as much
as an olive of unleavened bread at the end (of the first night of Passover).
[Thus] only at the end, but not at the beginning: what is the reason? Because
he had not afforded it any guarding.
So, “guarding” is saving for the end? Or others:
Then let him guard it from the
baking and onwards?
Hence this surely proves that we require
guarding from the beginning. . . .Yet even so, Raba did not retract. For he
said to those who handled sheaves, Handle them for the purpose of the precept.
This proves that he holds [that] we require guarding ab initio, from
beginning to end.
Thus the custom some have of a special “shemurah (guarded)
matzah” – a matzah used specifically to fulfill this commandment –
guarded, or watched, from harvest to baking that no water or moisture touches
it until moments before baking. Not very palatable, but useful for its purpose.
No comments:
Post a Comment