No longer slaves, but royalty on Passover TB Pesakhim 41

Massekhet Pesakhim won’t begin discussing the korban Pesakh (קרבן פסח), the Paschal Lamb sacrifice, in earnest until chapter 5. Today’s daf TB Pesakhim 41 treats us to a taste of what is to come. The Torah explicitly says that the korban Pesakh must be roasted. “Do not eat any of it raw, or cooked in any way with water, but roasted (כִּ֣י אִם־צְלִי־אֵ֔שׁ)…“ (Exodus 12:9) The Gemara adduces several halakhot based on this commandment.

“You said that this can be derived by means of an a fortiori inference: And just as water, which does not temper the taste of the food boiled in it, is prohibited for boiling the Paschal lamb, with regard to other liquids, which do temper the taste of the food boiled in them, is it not all the more so that it is prohibited to boil the Paschal lamb in them?

“Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi provides a different derivation and says: From the phrase “In water,” I have derived nothing other than the prohibition against boiling the Paschal lamb in water. From where do I learn that it is likewise prohibited to boil it in other liquids? The verse states: “Nor boiled in any way,” which means: In any case, i.e., boiling the Paschal lamb in any type of liquid is prohibited.

“The Gemara asks: What is the practical difference between these two derivations? The Gemara answers: The practical difference between them is with regard to meat that is roasted in a pot without the addition of any liquid, but is cooked in its own juices. According to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, it is prohibited to prepare the Paschal lamb in this manner, as this is considered boiling, whereas the Rabbis maintain that an action is classified as boiling only if one adds liquid to the meat.” (Sefaria.org translation) We are forbidden to cook the korban Pesakh in fruit juices and as a pot roast. (Rambam, Hilkhot Korbanot, chapter 5 halakha 7)

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik taught that the purpose of the Seder is to teach us how to be free. “(The leader of the Seder) tells the wondrous story of slaves who in one night turned into princes, into a kingdom of priests. Basically he does not relate a story. Rather, he teaches them how to act as free people and how to utilize their freedom. He informs them of laws entailed by the acquisition of freedom.” (The Seder night: an exalted evening, page 46-7) we are no longer slaves. On Passover each Jew is royalty; consequently the korban Pesakh must be roasted.

Sefer HaChinukh, mitzvah 7 gives us the reason why the korban Pesakh must be roasted. “That which we have written about its slaughtering (Sefer HaChinukh 5) is from the roots of this commandment - to remember the miracle of the exodus from Egypt. And that which we have been commanded to specifically eat it roasted is because such is the way of the children of kings and ministers, to eat roasted meat - as it is a good and tasty food. And the rest of the people only eat the little meat that they [are able to acquire] boiled, in order to fill their stomachs. And it is certainly fitting for us - that eat the Pesach sacrifice [to remember] that we went out into freedom to be a nation of priests and a holy nation - to behave in a manner of freedom and lordship in its eating. [This is] besides (Guide for the Perplexed 3:46) that the eating of roast indicates the haste [with] which they left Egypt and could not delay, that it should cook in a pot.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Only in the 20^th century in America could the average person afford to eat a whole portion of meat. Before hand when people made a meat meal, they more often than not made a meat stew like cholent, with lots of vegetables and a little bit of a meat to give the stew a meat taste. Only royalty could afford a steak or even a hamburger per person. At least on Passover night when our ancestors roasted the korban Pesakh, they considered themselves kings and queens and ate like them as well. Even though we do not offer up the korban Pesakh today and if our ancestors became royalty on Passover, aren’t we their descendants royalty too!