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Text Excerpt
מתני׳ ערב פסחים סמוך למנחה לא יאכל אדם עד שתחשך. אפילו עני שבישראל לא יאכל עד שיסב, ולא יפחתו לו מארבע כוסות של יין ואפילו מן התמחוי.
Mishnah: On the eve of Passover, adjacent to minḥa time, a person may not eat until dark, so that he will be able to eat matza that night with a hearty appetite. Even the poorest of Jews should not eat the meal on Passover night until he reclines on his left side, as free and wealthy people recline when they eat. And the distributors of charity should not give a poor person less than 4 cups of wine for the Festival meal of Passover night. And this halakha applies even if the poor person is one of the poorest members of society and receives his food from the charity plate.
גמ׳ מאי איריא ערבי פסחים? אפילו ערבי שבתות וימים טובים נמי. דתניא: לא יאכל אדם בערבי שבתות וימים טובים מן המנחה ולמעלה כדי שיכנס לשבת כשהוא תאוה, דברי רבי יהודה. רבי יוסי אומר: אוכל והולך עד שתחשך.
Talmud: The Talmud expresses surprise at the Mishnah’s statement that one may not eat on Passover eve from the time that is adjacent to minḥa. Why discuss this halakha particularly with regard to the eves of Passover? Even on the eves of Shabbat and other Festivals it is also prohibited to eat in the late afternoon, as it was taught in a baraita: A person should not eat on the eves of Shabbat and Festivals from minḥa time onward, so that he will enter Shabbat when he has a desire to eat and he will enjoy the Shabbat meal; this is the statement of R' Yehuda. R' Yosei says: One may continue eating until dark.
אמר רב הונא: לא צריכא אלא לרבי יוסי, דאמר: אוכל והולך עד שתחשך — הני מילי בערבי שבתות וימים טובים, אבל בערב הפסח, משום חיובא דמצה מודה.
Rav Huna said: The Mishnah was necessary only according to the opinion of R' Yosei, who said that one may continue eating until dark. According to his opinion, the Mishnah is necessary to emphasize that this applies only on the eves of Shabbat and Festivals. But on the eve of Passover, due to the obligation to eat matza, R' Yosei concedes that one must refrain from eating in the afternoon, so that he will eat matza with a good appetite.