משנה: וְאֵילּוּ יְרָקוֹת שֶׁאָדָם יוֹצֵא בָהֶן יְדֵי חוֹבָתוֹ בַפֶּסַח בַּחֲזֶרֶת וּבָעוּלְשִׁין וּבַתַּמְכָה וּבַחַרְחֲבִינָה וּבַמָּרוֹר. יוֹצְאִין בָּהֶן בֵּין לַחִין בֵּין כְּמוּשִׁין. אֲבָל לֹא כְבוּשִׁים וְלֹא שְׁלוּקִין וְלֹא מְבוּשָּׁלִין. וּמִצְטָרְפִין בִּכַזַּיִת. וְיוֹצְאִין בַּקֶּלַח שֶׁלָּהֶן ובַדְּמַאי וּבְמַעֲשֵׂר רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁנִּיטְּלָה תְרוּמָתוֹ וּבְמַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי וְהֶקְדֵּשׁ שֶׁנִּפְדּוּ: MISHNAH: And with the following vegetables246For the bitter herbs accompanying the mazzah or the Passover sacrifice. The names of the plants are described in the Halakhah; for a comparison with the somewhat different explanations of the Babli (39a) and their Medieval interpretations cf. the author’s The Scholar’s Haggadah, Northvale 1995, p.333. a person can fulfill his obligation on Passover: With Romaine lettuce, with endives, with gingidium. harhabina and bitter herb. One fulfills his obligation with both fresh and wilted, but not marinated or cooked in water or cooked in broth; and they may be combined for the volume of an olive. One fulfills his obligation with their stalk, and with demay177Grain of which it is not known whether tithe was removed. Since one is permitted to feed demay to the poor and passing travellers, it is profane food by biblical standards., and with First Tithe whose heave was removed178This is totally profane in the hand of the Levite., and with Second Tithe or sancta which were redeemed179Once redeemed all sanctity is transferred to the redemption money; the produce reverts to profane status..
הלכה: בַּחֲזֶרֶת. חַסִּין. בָּעוּלְשִׁין. טְרוֹקְסִימוֹן. וּבַתַּמְכָה. גִּנְגִּידִין. בַּחַרְחֲבִינָה. רִבִּי יוֹסֵה בֵּירִבִּי בּוּן אָמַר. יסי חלי. וּבַמָּרוֹר. יָרָק מָר וּפָנָיו מַכְסִיפִין וְיֵשׁ לוֹ שְׂרָף. הָתִיבוּן. הֲרֵי חֲזֶרֶת מָתוֹק. הֲרֵי אֵינוֹ קָרוּי חֲזֶרֶת אֶלָּא מָתוֹק. רִבִּי חִיָיה בְשֵׁם רִבִּי הוֹשַׁעְיָה. כָּל עַצְמָן אֵין הַדָּבָר תָּלוּי אֶלָּא בַחֲזֶרֶת. מַה חֲזֶרֶת תְּחִילָּתָהּ מָתוֹק וְסוֹפָהּ מָר. כָּךְ עָשׂוּ הַמִּצְרִיִים לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְמִצְרַיִם. בַּתְּחִילָּה בְּמֵיטַב הָאָרֶץ הוֹשֵׁב אֶת אָבִיךָ וְאֶת אַחֶיךָ. וְאַחַר כָּךְ וַיְמָרֲרוּ אֶת חַיֵּיהֶם בַּעֲבוֹדָה קָשָׁה בְּחוֹמֶר וּבִלְבֵינִים. HALAKHAH: “With hazeret”, lettuce247Arabic خسّ.. “With ˋulšin”, τρώξιμον248Greek τρώξιμος, -ον, “edible”; τά τρώξιμα “vegetables eaten raw”, in rabbinic sources traditionally used for endives.. “And with tamka”, γιγγίδιον249A plant of the family of carrots. “With harhabina”. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, 250This is the reading of the Rome ms. Of the Yerushalmi Zeraˋim for the explanation of Kilaim 1:2 חזרת גלין which Maimonides in his Mishnah Commentary explains as “wild growing lettuce” (Kilaim Chapter 1, Notes 37,51,52.)יסי חלי. “And with maror”. A bitter vegetable turning grey and containing sap. They objected, is not lettuce sweet? Is it not called “lettuce” only if it be sweet? Rebbi Ḥiyya in the name of Rebbi Hoshaya: (Itself it depends only on change) [Itself it is only called “change”]251A play on words from the Hebrew root חזר “to return” which in Rabbinic Hebrew is used in the combination חזר בו “he changed his mind”. The text of G [in brackets] is preferable.
The same homily but without the play on words is in the Babli 39a.. (As) hazeret is sweet at the beginning and bitter at the end, so did the Egyptians behave towards our forefathers in Egypt. At the start, in the best part of the land settle your father and your brothers252Gen. 47:6., and after that they embittered their lives with hard labor, with mortar and bricks253Ex. 1:6..
בֵּין כְּמוּשִׁין. אִית תַּנָּיֵי תַנֵּי. אֲבָל לֹא כְמוּשִׁין. אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא. מָאן דְּאָמַר. כְּמוּשִׁין. בְּקֶלַח. מָאן דְּאָמַר. אֲבָל לֹא כְמוּשִׁין. בָּעָלִין. “And wilted”. There are Tannaim who state, “but not wilted”. Rav Ḥisda said, he who said “and wilted”, about a stalk. He who said, “but not wilted”, about leaves254Babli 39b..
רִבִּי חִיָיה בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. זַיִת כָּבוּשׁ אוֹמֵר עָלָיו. בּוּרֵא פְרִי הָעֵץ. רִבִּי בִּנְיָמִין בַּר יֶפֶת בְּשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. יָרָק שָׁלוּק אוֹמֵר עָלָיו. שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיֶה בִדְבָרוֹ. אָמַר רִבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר רַב יִצְחָק. מַתְנִיתָא מְסַיְיעָה לְרִבִּי בִּנְיָמִין בַּר יֶפֶת. אֲבָל לֹא כְבוּשִׁין וְלֹא שְׁלוּקִין וְלֹא מְבוּשָּׁלִין. אִם בְּעֵיינָן הֵם יֵצֵא בָהֶם יְדֵי חוֹבָתוֹ בַפֶּסַח. אָמַר רִבִּי זְעוּרָה. מָאן יְדַע מִשְׁמַע מִן רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן יְאוּת. רִבִּי חִיָיה בַּר בָּא אוֹ רִבִּי בִנְיָמִין. לֹא רִבִּי חִיָיה בַּר בָּא. וְעוֹד מִן הָדָא. מִן מַה דַאֲנָן חַמְיִין רַבָּנִין עָלִין לַבְרִיָיתָה וְנָסְבִין תּוּרְמוּסִין וּמְבָרְכִין עֲלֵיהוֹן. בּוֹרֵא פְרִי הָאֲדָמָה. וְתוּרְמוּסִין לֹא שְׁלוּקִין הֵן. אִין תֵּימַר. שַׁנִיָיא הִיא. שֶׁאָמְרָה תוֹרָה מְרוֹרִים. תּוּרְמוּסִין כֵּיוָן שֶׁשְּׁלָקָן בָּטְלָה מָרָתָן. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵה בֵּירִבִּי בּוּן. ולֹא פְלִיגִין. זַיִת עַל יְדֵי שֶׁדַּרְכּוֹ לֵיאָכֵל חַי. אֲפִילוּ כָבוּשׁ בְּעֵינוֹ הוּא. יָרָק כֵּיוָן שֶׁשְּׁלָקוֹ נִשְׁתַּנָּה. 255This paragraph is copied from Berakhot 6:1 (Notes 34–41 ,ב). Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba in the name of Rebbi Yohanan: One says “Creator of the fruit of the tree” on marinated olives256The required benediction before the consumption of raw fruits growing on a tree. He seems to hold that marinating does not change the nature of the fruit; then it is difficult to understand why marinated bitter herbs cannot be used on Passover.. Rebbi Benjamin bar Jephet in the name of Rebbi Yohanan: One says “By Whose word everything was created” on water-cooked vegetables257The benediction for anything that cannot be classified as agricultural produce. He is supported by the Mishnah here which seems to indicate that once processed, vegetables are no longer counted as agricultural produce.. Rebbi Samuel bar Rav Isaac said: a Mishnah supports Rebbi Benjamin bar Yephet: “but not marinated or cooked in water or cooked in broth”; if they were recognizable in their state one could fulfill his duty with them on Passover. Rebbi Zeˋira said, who understands well what Rebbi Yohanan said, Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba or Rebbi Benjamin? Not Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba? And in addition from the fact that we see great rabbis going to a mourner’s meal, eat lupines258Greek θέρμος, ὁ. Raw lupines are cattle feed, too bitter for human consumption. They become edible only after long cooking. This statement seems to supprt R. Ḥiyya bar Abba. and recite on them “Creator of the fruit of the earth;” Are not lupines certainly cooked? If you wish, you may say there is a difference, since the Torah said bitter herbs, and cooked lupines have lost their bitterness. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, they have no disagreement. Since olives usually are eaten fresh, they are recognizable in their state even if they are marinated. Vegetables are changed once they are cooked259One must assume that roots of lupine keep their shape and general appearance in cooking. The rule that vegetables which are inedible unless cooked require the blessing “Creator of the fruit of the earth” is the opinion of Rav Ḥisda in the Babli Berakhot38b..