1)

(a)The definition of ...

1. ... a Minchas Ma'afeh-Tanur is - a Minchah that is brought pre-baked in an oven.

2. ... a Minchah al ha'Machavas is - one that is brought pre-cooked in a flat pan.

(b)The Torah explicitly writes that - these two Menachos may not be baked as Chametz.

(c)And we then learn from the Pasuk in Tzav ...

1. ..."Zos Toras ha'Minchah ... Matzos Te'achel" - that this prohibition extends to all Menachos (though in the form of an Asei).

2. ... "Lo Se'afeh Chametz" that - it is Me'akev.

(d)Rebbi Meir and Rebbi Yehudah argue in a Mishnah in Pesachim over the definition of Chametz and Si'ur. Si'ur, according to ...

1. ... Rebbi Meir is where Hichsifu Panav (the surface of the dough has turned pale), and Chametz - where grasshoppers' antenna appear in the dough.

2. ... Rebbi Yehudah, is where grasshoppers' antenna appear in the dough, and Chametz - where those antenna criss-cross.

(e)Rav Chisda therefore queries the Limud from "Lo Se'afeh Chametz" - since we need it to teach us that the Menachos may not be real Chametz, only Si'ur (and not Le'akev).

2)

(a)Rav Chisda cannot be referring to the Si'ur of ...

1. ... Rebbi Meir according to Rebbi Yehudah - because Rebbi Yehudah considers that proper Matzah (automatically negating the question).

2. ... Rebbi Yehudah according to Rebbi Meir - because Rebbi Meir considers that proper Chametz (automatically negating the D'rashah).

3. ... Rebbi Meir according to Rebbi Meir - because from the fact that one receives Malkos for eating it on Pesach, he must consider it Chametz [see Tosfos D.H. 'Ela de'Rebbi Meir']).

(b)So he can only be referring to the Si'ur of Rebbi Yehudah according to Rebbi Yehudah, which is Chametz Nukshah (but not real Chametz).

(c)Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak also queries the Limud from "Lo Se'afeh Chametz". He suggests that we need it to teach us "Lo Se'afeh Chametz" 'Ela Chalut' - which means scalded in boiling water.

(d)Initially, we answer that - regarding those Menachos that the Torah wants Chalut, it has already written "Revuchah", whereas the Menachos by which it does not, it obviously does not want it to be Chalut.

3)

(a)Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak nevertheless suggests that we learn from "Lo'Se'afeh Chametz" (even with regard to those Menachos where the Torah does not write "Revuchah") that - even though preparing them as Chalut is not obligatory, it is voluntary.

(b)Ravina finally suggests that we learn from "Lo'Se'afeh Chametz" - a La'av for baking any Minchah as Chametz (and not just an Asei, as we learned until now).

(c)We learn from the Pasuk in Vayikra (in connection with the Minchah al ha'Machavas) "Matzah Sih'yeh" that - baking the Menachos as Chametz is Me'akev.

4)

(a)Rebbi P'reida suggested to Rebbi Ami that we learn from the Pasuk in Bo (in connection with the Matzos) "u'Shemartem es ha'Matzos" - the Din (stated in the Mishnah later in the Perek) that all Menachos must be kneaded with warm water and guarded against becoming Chamutz (by working the dough without a break).

(b)When Rebbi Ami replied be'Gufah K'siv, "Matzah Sih'yeh", he meant that - we do not need to learn this from a Pasuk by Matztah - because the Pasuk "Matzah Sih'yeh" (written in connection with Menachos themselves) implies that one should make the Minchah Kasher, whilst at the same time guarding it against become Chametz.

(c)And he reconciled this with the D'rashah that we just made from the same words (that baking the Menachos as Chametz is Me'akev) by explaining that - we would have known that had the Torah written "Matzah Hi". The fact that the Torah writes "Sih'yeh" leaves room for a second D'rashah.

5)

(a)The Rabbanan informed Rebbi P'reida that Rebbi Ezra, the grandson of Rebbi Avtulas was waiting outside. The latter, they told him, was the tenth generation after Rebbi Elazar ben Azaryah, who was in turn, the tenth generation after Ezra ha'Sofer.

(b)Rebbi P'reida responded that - if he was a Talmid-Chacham, that was fine, and certainly if he had Yichus too, but if all he had was Yichus, let a fire consume him.

(c)When the Rabbanan assured him that Rebbi Ezra was indeed a Talmid-Chacham too, Rebbi P'reida ...

1. ... responded by inviting him to enter, and when he saw how upset he was about his remarks ...

2. ... he appeased him - by opening the conversation with words of Agadah, which lighten the atmosphere and make a person happy.

(d)Based on the Pasuk "Amrah la'Hashem Adoni Atah, Tovasi Bal Alecha" ...

1. ... K'lal Yisrael asked of Hash-m - to reward them for spreading His Name in the world.

2. ... Hash-m replied that - He owed them nothing ...

3. ... adding "li'Kedoshim asher ba'Aretz Heimah, va'Adirei Kol Cheftzi Bam", meaning that - He had indeed rewarded the Avos for being the first to do so, and that He desired them (referring to them as 'the mighty ones').

6)

(a)The word that gave Rebbi Ezra his cue to begin Darshening was - "Adirei".

(b)Based on the common root word, he then Darshened the Pesukim...

1. ... "Adir ba'Marom Hash-m" (Tehilim), "va'Adirei Kol Chefti Bam" (Ibid.), "Tzalalu ka'Oferes be'Mayim Adirim" (Beshalach); "mi'Kolos Mayim Rabim Adirim" (Tehilim) - 'Let the Mighty One (Hash-m) come and avenge the mighty ones (Yisrael), from the hand of the mighty ones (the Egyptians), in the mighty waters (of the Yam-Suf).

2. ... "Vayishlach be'Yad Nasan ha'Navi Va'yikra Sh'mo Yedidyah" (Shmuel); "Mah li'Yedidi be'Veisi" (Yirmiyah); "Mah Yedidus Mishkenosecha" (Tehilim), "Ashirah Na li'Yedidi" (Yeshayah); "le'Binyamin Amar, Yedid Hash-m" (ve'Zos ha'B'rachah); "Nasati es Yedidus Nafshi be'Chaf Oyvehah" (Yirmiyah) - Let the beloved one (Shlomoh) the son of the beloved one (Avraham) come and build the beloved (house - the Beis Hamikdash), for the Beloved One (Hash-m), in the portion of the beloved one (Binyamin), to atone for the beloved ones (Yisrael).

7)

(a)Rebbi Ezra also Darshened, based on the Pesukim ...

1. ... "Va'teireh oso ki Tov Hu" (Sh'mos), "Ki Lekach Tov Nasati Lachem" (Mishlei), "Tov Hash-m la'Kol" (Tehilim) and "Heitivah Hash-m la'Tovim" (ibid.) that - the good one (Moshe) will come and receive the good thing (Torah) from the Good One (Hash-m) on behalf of the good ones (Yisrael).

2. ... "ki Zeh Moshe ha'Ish" (Ki Sisa), "ve'Zos ha'Torah" (Devarim), "Zeh Keili Ve'anveihu" (Beshalach) and "Am Zu Kanisa" (ibid.) that - this one will come and receive the Torah (which is called 'Zos') from Hash-m (who is called 'Zeh') on behalf of Yisrael (who are referred to as "Am Zu").

(b)When, after the Churban Beis Hamikdash, Hash-m found Avraham in the ruins of the Beis-Hamikdash and asked him "Mah li'Yedidi be'Veisi", the latter replied that - he came to enquire about his children (K'lal Yisrael) .

(c)And when Hash-m told him ...

1. ... that his children had sinned and been exiled, he asked - whether they had not sinned be'Shogeg?

2. ... that they sinned be'Meizid, he asked - whether it was not the minority who had sinned?

3. ... that most of them were guilty, he asked - why Hash-m had not saved them on account of the B'ris Milah?

4. ... that they had nullified the B'ris Milah, he asked - why Hash-m had not waited a little longer, to give them a chance to do Teshuvah?

8)

(a)And when Hash-m explained to him that the more his children sinned, the happier they became - he placed his hands on his head, cried out and wept, and asked whether that meant that all was lost.

(b)In reply to Avraham's query, Hash-m said "Zayis Ra'anan Yafeh P'ri To'ar, Kara Hash-m Shimcha". He compared Yisrael to an olive-tree - which only bears fruit after a long time, and when it does, it bears a lot. Alternatively - the fruit of an olive-tree, unlike that of other trees, does not ripen bit by bit, only all in one go.

(c)So too with Yisrael - ultimately all will end well.

9)

(a)Rebbi Chanina bar Papa interpreted the Pasuk "le'Kol Hamulah Gedolah Hitzis Eish alehah, ve'Ra'u Dalyosav" with reference to the Churban Beis-Hamikdash. He explained ...

1. ... "ve'Ra'u Dalyosav" to mean that - their glory was destroyed.

2. ... "le'Kol Hamulah Gedolah Hitzis Eish alehah" to mean that - because of the voice of their words, He set fire to the Beis-Hamikdash'.

(b)This in turn, is based on his own interpretation of the Pasuk in Sh'lach-Lecha "Ki Chazak Hu Mimenu", by which the Meraglim meant that - Hash-m Himself (Kevayachol) was unable to remove his vessels (to take the Cana'anim) out of Cana'an, because they were stronger than Him [Kevayachol]).

(c)Rav Acha bar Chin'na objected to this explanation, based on Rebbi Chanina bar Pana's interpretation of the word "Hamulah" - which ought rather to have read "Milah" (or "Mulah).

10)

(a)Rav Acha bar Chin'na therefore, interpreted Hash-m's response - with reference to Avraham, informing him that his Tefilos had borne fruit.

(b)Hash-m told Avraham that his Tefilos in the Beis-Hamikdash had achieved that each of the four Galuyos would operate independently, rather than strike them with the ferocity of all four combined, as He had originally intended. Alternatively, Hash-m told him that - instead of each Galus extending as long as all four, He had divided the initial time period into four, with each of the four Malchuyos receiving its independent time slot.

(c)Rebbi Yehoshua ben Levi explains the analogy of Yisrael to an olive-tree by way of the leaves inasmuch as - Yisrael will exist forever, just like the leaves of an olive-tree remain on the tree the whole year round.

(d)Whereas Rebbi Yochanan explains it by way of the oil - in that they only do Teshuvah through suffering, just like the olives only produce oil when they are beaten.

11)

(a)Rav Chisda explains Chaseirah and Yeseirah in our Mishnah, when the yeast is thick or thin (as we explained there). The problem with this is that - seeing as at the time of measuring there is an Isaron, what difference does it make what the mixture would have been like if the dough would have been flour?

(b)Rabah and Rav Yosef answer that - we do indeed measure the Isaron as if it was flour, and not dough.

(c)It would be possible to obtain the necessary yeast according to both Rebbi Meir and Rebbi Yehudah, without any problem - by taking some of the flour after it has been measured, and turning it into yeast by placing it either in a hot location or together with another yeast, before returning it to the remainder of the flour and kneading them together.

(d)They do not do that however - because Chazal decreed that whoever sees them returning the yeast without measuring it, will think that one is permitted to add an external yeast, over and above the Isaron.