What is a manageable amount of dough? TB Pesakhim 48

 The author Sholem Aleichem penned the popular Yiddish expression, “Es iz schwer tzu sein a yid-it’s hard to be a Jew.” People still debate whether that’s true today. At least in the United States and Israel, being Jewish has becomes easier and easier as the years go by. We don’t have to worry about baking our own matza. Procuring matzot is so much easier today than it was in the past. Not only does every supermarket carry Kosher for Passover matza, many of us take advantage of the supermarket’ s deal of spending a couple hundred dollars-worth of groceries (too easy to do during the weeks leading up to Passover) and they give us a free 5 pound package of matza!

If one has to bake his own matza, today’s daf TB Pesakhim 48 discusses what is a manageable amount of dough a person should use to make matza? If the quantity of the dough is so large to manipulate the rabbis were afraid that it could inadvertently become hametz. A kav equals 1.2 Liters or 2 2/9 US dry pints.

“The Gemara asks: How much dough may be kneaded at once on Passover without concern that the dough will become leavened in the process? Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Beroka, says: With regard to wheat, one may use the amount of flour that comes from two kav of grain; and with regard to barley, one may use the amount of flour that comes from three kav. Rabbi Natan says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer: The matters are reversed. One may knead the flour produced from three kav of wheat or two kav of barley without concern that it will become leavened.

“Rav Pappa said: Learn from this that the extent to which low-quality wheat is worse than high-quality wheat is greater than the extent to which low-quality barley is worse than high-quality barley, i.e., the discrepancy between the different levels of quality is more significant with regard to wheat, as there, in the case of wheat, they differ by one-third; and here, in the case of barley, they differ by only one-fourth.” (Sefaria.org translation)

How does Rav Pappa know the difference between high-quality and low-quality wheat and barley? The answer can be summed up in one word, experience. He earned his livelihood as a brewer of beer.

It was hard to be a Jew because at one time a person had to give up many of his favorite foods and desserts during the week of Passover because they were hamatzdic. Today more and more kosher for Passover items are on the supermarket’s shelves. I haven’t been in Israel during Passover since the spring of 1995. The newest Kosher for Passover item and self that year was Kosher for Passover ice cream sandwiches! Oh yes, it’s much easier being a Jew today than ever before.