Erev Pessah forgetfulness

By LEVI COOPER

Pessah on a Sunday is a rare occurrence and includes unique halachot that depart from the usual pre-Pessah routine, since erev Pessah falls on a Shabbat. The last time we had such a constellation was in 2001 and we can expect it again in 2008.

Yet the phenomenon can be even more infrequent. Thirteen years passed without a Sunday Pessah between 1981 and 1994, and after 2008 it will not happen again until 2021, when erev Pessah will once again fall on Shabbat.

According to our current calendar, up to 20 years can pass without an erev Pessah falling on Shabbat. Between the years 1954 and 1974, Pessah never fell on a Sunday, and and it will not happen again between the years 2025 and 2045, assuming we continue to operate under the same fixed calendar.

In days of old, when the new month was set by witnesses spotting the new moon — not by a fixed calendar — there was no telling how many years could pass without a Sunday Pessah.

Rabbinic literature recounts an episode that transpired in a year when erev Pessah occurred on Shabbat (T. Pessahim 4:13-14; B. Pessahim 66a; Y. Pessahim 33a).

The Sons of Beteira served in the office of the nasi during the Second Temple period. When erev Pessah once fell on Shabbat, they could not remember whether the korban pessah — which is sacrificed on the 14th of Nisan and eaten on the 15th at the Seder — was to override the Shabbat prohibitions against slaughtering animals and offering them as sacrifices.

Perhaps with a tone of despair, they asked: "Is there no one who knows whether the korban pessah takes precedence over Shabbat or not?"

The response came: "There is one person, who has come to Israel from Babylon, and Hillel the Babylonian is his name. He attended the two greats of the previous generation, Shemaya and Avtalyon. And he knows whether the korban pessah trumps Shabbat or not."

The Sons of Beteira promptly sent for Hillel, and with some urgency queried him: "Does the korban pessah override Shabbat or not?"

Without directly answering the question, and perhaps with a smug grin on his face, Hillel responded ambiguously: "Is there only one korban pessah a year that overrides Shabbat? Are there not more than 200 such sacrifices a year that override Shabbat?"

We can decipher Hillel’s cryptic response — sacrifices are offered as part of the Shabbat Temple ritual, and there is no reason that the korban pessah should be any different from these sacrifices. In plain words: The korban pessah overrides Shabbat.

The Sons of Beteira, perhaps irked by Hillel’s tone, were unsatisfied: "What is your source?"

Adding to his logical argument, Hillel added two verifications based on hermeneutical principles. The first proof cites the method known as gezeira shava — when the same word is used in two different biblical verses, certain laws associated with one context may be transferred to the other. Thus, in our case, the word mo’ado appears both in the context of the korban pessah (Numbers 9:2) and in the context of the korban tamid (Numbers 28:2). Just as a korban tamid can be offered on Shabbat, so too can the korban pessah.

The second corroboration cited by Hillel makes reference to the method of kal vahomer — since the korban tamid overrides Shabbat even though the punishment for not bringing this sacrifice is not the serious karet, surely the korban pessah that carries this serious penalty for those who neglect to offer it should override Shabbat.

According to the Babylonian version, Hillel was appointed nasi without delay and took the place of the Sons of Beteira. In this new role, he immediately began to publicly teach the laws of Pessah.

The Jerusalem version, as we mentioned, is less charmed with Hillel’s prowess. His answers are essentially rejected with counter- hermeneutical arguments. Even though Hillel continues to press his opinions, the Beit Midrash is unconvinced. Finally, Hillel declares that this was the ruling that he received from his teachers, the former leaders Shemaya and Avtalyon. At this point, the Beit Midrash concedes his greatness and grants him the title of nasi.

Once Hillel takes office, he begins to scold those he was teaching, perhaps glancing particularly in the direction of the Sons of Beteira: "What caused you to need a Babylonian to come up to Eretz Yisrael to serve as nasi over you? Your laziness! In that you did not sufficiently attend the two giants, Shemaya and Avtalyon."

In the wake of this reproach, Hillel was asked the following question: If one forgot to bring the slaughtering knife before Shabbat, what should he do so that he may still slaughter his korban pessah on Shabbat as required?

With all eyes turned to him, Hillel responded, perhaps nervously stammering: "That law… I heard… but… I forgot."

The Babylonian version merely hints at a correlation between Hillel’s haughty rebuke and his sudden onset of forgetfulness. The Jerusalem version unsympathetically makes this connection outright.

Quickly covering his tracks, Hillel says: "Rely on Israel, for if they are not prophets, they are surely the children of prophets."

Indeed, the next day, on Shabbat, the 14th of Nisan, whoever had a sheep for a korban pessah shoved the knife into its wool and whoever had a goat, wedged the knife between its horns.

As soon as Hillel saw this, he recalled the halacha, and declared: "Indeed, thus I received from Shemaya and Avtalyon."

The sporadic incidence of erev Pessah falling on Shabbat and the different practices this entails means that many of us may not remember the distinct issues that are raised by a Sunday Pessah: When do the firstborns fast? When should we dispose of the hametz? What should we eat on Shabbat?

If we forget a few of the intricate laws, we know that at least we are in esteemed company. May we have an enjoyable and meaningful Pessah.