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Text Excerpt
בין הכוסות הללו אם רצה לשתות — ישתה, בין שלישי לרביעי — לא ישתה. ואי אמרת מסעד סעיד, אמאי ישתה? הא קא אכיל למצה אכילה גסה. אלא שמע מינה: מגרר גריר.
During the Passover seder, between these cups that one is obligated to drink, e.g., between the first two of the 4 cups of wine, if one wants to drink he may drink. However, between the third and 4th cups, which are consumed after the meal, one may not drink. And if you say that wine satisfies a person, why may one drink extra cups? He will later eat matza when he is already satiated, which will constitute an excessive eating. Rather, learn from this that wine whets the appetite.
רב ששת הוה יתיב בתעניתא כל מעלי יומא דפסחא. נימא קא סבר רב ששת: סמוך למנחה גדולה תנן — ומשום פסחא הוא, דילמא מימשך ואתי לאימנועי מלמעבד פיסחא הוא,
The Talmud relates that Rav Sheshet would fast the entire eve of Passover. The Talmud asks: should we say that Rav Sheshet maintains that this practice was necessary because of two factors? First, when the Mishnah states that one may not eat adjacent to minḥa time, we learned this ruling with regard to the period of time adjacent to the greater minḥa, and the reason for the prohibition is due to the Paschal lamb, lest one be drawn after one’s meal and come to refrain from performing the sacrifice of the Paschal lamb.
וסבר לה כי הא דאמר רבי אושעיא אמר רבי אלעזר: מכשיר היה בן בתירא בפסח ששחטו שחרית בארבעה עשר לשמו, ומצפרא זמן פסחא הוא, דכולי יומא חזי לפסחא,
And second, Rav Sheshet maintains in accordance with that statement that R' Oshaya said that R' Elazar said: Ben Beteira would deem valid a Paschal lamb that was slaughtered in the morning on the 14th of Nisan for its own purpose, as from the morning it is already the time during which a Paschal lamb may be sacrificed, as the whole day is fit for the Paschal lamb.