Pesachim 42a, b

The first section of daf 42a concludes Perek II, which focused upon when we should not derive benefit from chametz, on ingredients fit for matzah, and on ingredients fit for bitter herbs.  Perek II ends with reminders about ensuring that no foods will be allowed to rise: bakers and women making matzah must take care with the water they use to rinse their hands.  Women must cool their hands while kneading dough for matzah by immersing them in cool water.  Interestingly, we are told about women preparing matzah in today's daf when earlier we were informed that 'sons' were making matzah.  Was this a task done by women and men? or were there other differences that might designate whether a woman or a man would make the matzah?

Perek III begins with a new mishna.  It names items not to be used on Pesach, including kutah (a mouldy dip), Median beer (with barley), Egyptian zitom (beer with barley), Edomite vinegar (due to barley), dyer's broth, well-worked dough, and kolan, a glue used in bookmaking.  Rabbi Eliezer reminds us that this applies to women's cosmetics that contain leaven as well.  The principle is defined: any item that comes fro a type of grain that becomes leavened must not be seen or found on Pesach.  The punishment of karet, however, does not apply..

The Gemara offers some reasons beyond Torah law behind the prohibitions on some foods.  Kutah will block our hearts (whey), cause blindness (salt), and weaken our bodies (mould).  Bread from coarse flour will increase our waste, new beer will lower our stature, and raw vegetables will take one five-hundredth of our vision if eaten regularly.  However, bread from fine flour will decrease our waste, fatty meat (ie. from birds or lambs not yet with babies) will straighten our stature, and aged wine (3 or more years) will improve our vision.  

A general principle is stated: any food that will heal one ailment will cause problems in another part of the body and vice versa. The exceptions to this rule are moist ginger, long peppers, bread of refined flour, fatty meat and aged wine.  All of these foods are healthy for all parts of the body.  The rabbis quote Ezekiel 26:2 and Genesis 2:5 as proof texts.  In both, we are told that as one part of the whole achieves power or success, another part will fall.

The Gemara continues to explain in more detail some of these permitted and forbidden substances.  One particularly interesting explanations concerns Egyptian zitom, which is a mixture of soaked, roasted and ground salt, safflower and barley (or wheat). It is used to regulate the digestive system - something that might be useful over Pesach.  

Another interesting note regards kolan, glue.  The rabbis argue that kolan might not be glue, though -- it may be a depilatory paste used by wealthy women to remove unwanted hair.  The kolan is then shared with poorer women.  It is hard to imagine actually making use of someone else's used depilatory paste.  Would it not be a paste already filled with hair?  The imperative to remove hair continues to cause women to do things we might not otherwise do (spend lots of money to rip out our hair, for example, or make use of someone else's used depilatory paste).

This will be discussed further in tomorrow's daf.  Today's learning was another opportunity to peek into the daily lives of our ancestors through this amazingly detailed text.