Pesachim 120 a, b

In this last daf of Pesachim, we begin at the end of the seder.  The rabbis tell us that we must end our meal with the afikomen.  However, we can only eat while we are still hungry; we are not permitted to gorge ourselves with food.  Somehow that detail has been lost over the years.

We are told that we are to consider the mitzvot to eat matza and bitter herbs Torah law.  In the Torah, we are obliged to eat of the Paschal lamb and not these other items, which are rabbinic in origin.  However, since the Temple has been destroyed and we cannot fulfill the mitzvah of eating of the korban, the rabbis tell us that we are commanded to eat matzah and maror at this time.  It is so important to do these mitzvot that we are told that an uncircumsized man and a person who is ritually impure are also obliged to eat matza and maror.  In the Torah, the Paschal lamb is specifically forbidden to those people.

What would be a broader reason to include these 'outsiders' in these particular mitzvot?  I'm guessing that as today, Pesach has been a defining annual pilgrimage for Jews - but to our homes, our families, where we then appreciate that we were freed from Egypt.  Even one who is not circumcised; one who is impure are encouraged to be part of our larger Jewish family at Pesach.

We are commanded to eat matza for 6 days. The rabbis understand this in context; it suggests that we should eat matza for at least 6 days but to avoid bread or foods that rise for 7 days.

If one or two people fall asleep at the table, it is considered an interruption and we are allowed to continue eating on awakening.  However, if the entire group falls asleep, different rules apply.  The meal must end.  I wonder how frequently people fell asleep at the table. It is easy to imagine that many guests (and hosts) would eventually fall asleep.  Then the rabbis distinguish between dozing and sleeping.  When we are dozing, we are "asleep but not alseep; awake but not awake,"  A story is told of Abaye watching Rabba sleep.  When asking his master whether or not he was asleep, Rabba replied, "I'm dozing".  Dozing allows us to eat of the Paschal lamb, unlike sleeping.

The daf ends with a conversation about what must be done before midnight.  Hands can become ritually impure if they come into contact with the paschal lamb or other items after midnight.  They can become piggul if the meat is prepared without the proper intention and they can become notar if they touch leftover sacrificial meat.  Thus a number of foods must be eaten before midnight.

Pesachim's focus on the seder rituals in its last dapim was intriguing and very satisfying. When I began my learning, I hoped to find threads connecting my experience with that of my ancestors. I have found that an much more.  And although I can become frustrated with the sometimes antiquated understandings of our Sages, I so appreciate their struggles to find meaning through the text.