Pesachim 119 a, b

Close to the end of the masechet, we are also close to the end of the seder.  Today the rabbis discuss the treasures of Egypt, when and why we say blessings before what is blessed, and the afikomen as the last food eaten at the seder.

It is rumoured that the Egyptians removed all of the gold and silver of the country when they attempted to flee Egypt.  The Gemara tells us the path of those treasures from one generation to the next.  I had not heard this tale before, and it would be interesting to share this passage in our family seder in years to come.

An interesting tale describes what will happen in the world-to-come when G-d throws a banquet for the descendants of Isaac.  Abraham will be called to bless a cup of wine at the end of the meal.  He will refuse the honour, as Ishmael came from him.  He will present the cup to Isaac and ask him to say the blessing.  Isaac will refuse because Esau came from him.  Isaac will ask the same of Jacob, who will refuse because he married two sisters - and though that was legally allowed at the time, Jacob will know that it became prohibited.  Jacob will offer the cup to Moses, who will refuse to say the blessing because he did not merit entering Eretz Yisroel.  And Joshuah, to whom Moses offers the cup and blessing, will refuse the honour because he did not have any children.  Finally, David will accept the cup and opportunity to say the blessing from Joshua, as Tehilim/Psalms stated, "I will lift up the cup of salvation, and I will call upon the name of the Lord" (Psalms 116:13).

Each patriarch has a mark of imperfection.  Some of these 'marks' are not consistent with the flaws I would have chosen; for example, I think that Abraham sending his wife into the harem of a King to save himself was more heinous than fathering a less favoured child.   Interestingly, King David does not consider his dalliance with Batsheva to be similarly damaging.  This tale helps us to understand our rabbis conceptions of what is good and what is evil, what is acceptable and what is unacceptable.

At the end of today's daf we examine the afikomen and why it is eaten at the very end of the meal.  Again it is fun to find references to halachot still practiced today.  I had not imagined that the rabbis discussed that custom, to eat at least an olive-bulk of matzah at the end of the meal, in with such vigour.  Learning Pesachim has offered great insight into our current practices.