Pesachim 116A

אף כאן בפרוסה. דבר אחר: מה דרכו של עני הוא מסיק ואשתו אופה, אף כאן נמי ⁠— הוא מסיק ואשתו אופה.

so too, here he should use a piece of matza. Alternatively: Just as the manner of a poor person is that he heats the oven and his wife bakes quickly, before the small amount of wood they have is used up, so too here; when baking matza, he heats the oven and his wife bakes quickly so the dough doesn’t rise. This is why matza is called the poor man’s bread.

אף על פי שאין חרוסת מצוה. ואי לא מצוה, משום מאי מייתי לה? אמר רבי אמי: משום קפא. אמר רב אסי: קפא דחסא ⁠— חמא. קפא דחמא ⁠— כרתי. [קפא דכרתי ⁠— חמימי.] קפא דכולהו ⁠— חמימי. אדהכי והכי, נימא הכי: ״קפא קפא, דכירנא לך ולשב בנתיך ולתמני כלתך״.

The Mishnah states that they bring the ḥaroset to the leader of the seder, although eating ḥaroset is not a mitzva. The Talmud asks: And if it is not a mitzva, for what reason does one bring it to the seder? R' Ami said: It is brought due to the poison in the bitter herbs, which is neutralized by the ḥaroset. In this regard, Rav Asi said: The remedy for one who ate the poison in lettuce is to eat a radish. The remedy for the poison in a radish is leeks. The remedy for the poison in leeks is hot water. A remedy for the poison in all vegetables is hot water. The Talmud comments: In the meantime, while one is waiting for someone to bring him the remedy, let him say the following incantation: Poison, poison, I remember you, and your 7 daughters, and your 8 daughters-in-law.

רבי אלעזר ברבי צדוק אומר מצוה וכו׳. מאי מצוה? רבי לוי אומר: זכר לתפוח. ורבי יוחנן אומר: זכר לטיט. אמר אביי: הלכך צריך לקהוייה וצריך לסמוכיה. לקהוייה ⁠— זכר לתפוח, וצריך לסמוכיה ⁠— זכר לטיט.

The Mishnah states: R' Elazar, son of R' Tzadok, says that eating ḥaroset is a mitzva. The Talmud asks: What is the nature of this mitzva? The Talmud answers: R' Levi says: It is in remembrance of the apple, as apple is one of the ingredients in ḥaroset. The verse states: “Who is this who comes up from the wilderness, reclining upon her beloved? Under the apple tree I awakened you” (Song of Songs 8:5), which is an allusion to the Jewish people leaving Egypt. And R' Yoḥanan says: The ḥaroset is in remembrance of the mortar used by the Jews for their slave labor in Egypt. Abaye said: Therefore, to fulfill both opinions, one must prepare it tart and one must prepare it thick. One must prepare it tart in remembrance of the apple, and one must prepare it thick in remembrance of the mortar.