Keritot 3:3-4
משנה כריתות ג:ג-ד
Seder: Kodashim | Tractate: Keritot | Chapter: 3
📖 Mishna
Mishna 3:3
משנה ג:ג
Hebrew:
וְכַמָּה יִשְׁהֶה הָאוֹכְלָן. כְּאִלּוּ אֲכָלָן קְלָיוֹת, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, עַד שֶׁיִּשְׁהֶה מִתְּחִלָּה וְעַד סוֹף כְּדֵי אֲכִילַת פְּרָס. אָכַל אֳכָלִין טְמֵאִין, וְשָׁתָה מַשְׁקִין טְמֵאִין, שָׁתָה רְבִיעִית יַיִן וְנִכְנַס לַמִּקְדָּשׁ, וְשָׁהָה כְּדֵי אֲכִילַת פְּרָס. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, אִם הִפְסִיק בָּהּ אוֹ שֶׁנָּתַן לְתוֹכוֹ מַיִם כָּל שֶׁהוּא, פָּטוּר:
English:
How much time can one expend while eating an olive-bulk of forbidden food and still be liable for violating the prohibition? The duration is calculated as though he were eating toasted grain, which one eats one kernel at a time. If he eats the olive-bulk of forbidden food within the amount of time it would take to eat an olive-bulk of toasted grain, he is liable. This is the statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say: Unless the amount of time he expends from beginning to end is more than the time it takes to eat a half-loaf (peras) of bread, he is liable. Likewise, one who ate a quarter-loaf of ritually impure foods or drank a quarter-log of ritually impure liquids within the amount of time it takes to eat a half-loaf of bread is rendered unfit to partake of teruma, the portion of the produce designated for priests, until he becomes pure. Similarly, if one drank a quarter-log of wine and entered the Temple, and he remained there for the time it takes to eat a half-loaf of bread, he is liable. Rabbi Elazar says: If he interrupted his drinking of the quarter-log of wine or if he placed any amount of water into the wine, he is exempt.
Claude on the Mishna:
This mishna addresses a critical question: If someone eats forbidden food slowly, over time, how do we determine if it counts as one act of eating?
The debate about timing:
| Opinion | Time Standard | Logic |
|---|---|---|
| Rabbi Meir | Time to eat an olive-bulk of toasted grain | Measures against the SAME amount being eaten |
| Sages (halacha) | Time to eat a half-loaf (peras) | More generous standard - the body’s normal eating pace |
Why does timing matter? If someone spreads eating over too long a period, the individual portions don’t combine. Eating half a kezayit now and half an hour later wouldn’t create liability.
The principle of “kedei achilat peras”: This is one of the most fundamental time-measures in halacha. A “peras” is half a loaf (approximately 3-4 eggs’ worth of bread). The time it takes an average person to eat this amount becomes the standard for combining eating:
Applications in this mishna:
- Eating impure food - disqualifies from eating teruma if eaten within this time
- Drinking impure liquid - same consequence
- Wine before Temple service - a kohen who drinks a revi’it of wine and enters the Temple is liable if he remains for kedei achilat peras
Rabbi Elazar’s leniency regarding wine: If the kohen interrupted his drinking OR diluted the wine with water, he is exempt. The interruption or dilution breaks the unity of the “drinking” and prevents full intoxication.
Key Terms:
- קְלָיוֹת (kelayot) = Toasted grain - eaten slowly, kernel by kernel
- פְּרָס (peras) = Half-loaf - approximately 3-4 eggs’ volume
- כְּדֵי אֲכִילַת פְּרָס (kedei achilat peras) = Time to eat a half-loaf
- רְבִיעִית (revi’it) = Quarter-log - approximately 86ml of liquid
- תְּרוּמָה (teruma) = Priestly portion of produce
Mishna 3:4
משנה ג:ד
Hebrew:
יֵשׁ אוֹכֵל אֲכִילָה אַחַת וְחַיָּב עָלֶיהָ אַרְבַּע חַטָּאוֹת וְאָשָׁם אֶחָד. טָמֵא שֶׁאָכַל אֶת הַחֵלֶב, וְהָיָה נוֹתָר, מִן מֻקְדָּשִׁים, וּבְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים. רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר, אִם הָיְתָה שַׁבָּת וְהוֹצִיאוֹ בְפִיו, חַיָּב. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, אֵינוֹ מִן הַשֵּׁם:
English:
There is a case where one can perform a single act of eating an olive-bulk of food and be liable to bring four sin offerings and one guilt offering for it. How so? This halakha applies to one who is ritually impure who ate forbidden fat, and it was left over from a consecrated offering after the time allotted for its consumption (notar), on Yom Kippur. He is liable to bring sin offerings for eating forbidden fat and notar, for eating the meat of an offering while impure, and for eating on Yom Kippur. He is also liable to bring a guilt offering for misuse of consecrated property. Rabbi Meir says: If it was Shabbat and he carried it out from a private domain to a public domain while eating it, he would be liable to bring an additional sin offering for performing prohibited labor on Shabbat. The Rabbis said to him: That liability is not from the same type of prohibition, as it is not due to the act of eating, and therefore, it should not be counted.
Claude on the Mishna:
This mishna presents an extreme case: How many separate liabilities can result from ONE bite of food?
The scenario: An impure person eats forbidden fat (chelev) that was also notar (leftover sacrificial meat past its permitted time), from a consecrated offering, on Yom Kippur.
The breakdown - FOUR sin offerings + ONE guilt offering:
| # | Sin/Violation | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelev | Eating forbidden fat |
| 2 | Notar | Eating leftover sacrificial meat |
| 3 | Tamei eating kodshim | Impure person eating holy food |
| 4 | Eating on Yom Kippur | Breaking the fast |
| 5 (asham) | Me’ilah | Deriving benefit from consecrated property |
The guilt offering (asham me’ilot) is for misappropriating Temple property - he consumed something that belonged to the altar.
Rabbi Meir’s addition: If this happened on Shabbat AND he carried the food from private to public domain while eating, add a FIFTH sin offering for carrying on Shabbat!
The Sages’ response: “Eino min hashem” - “It’s not from the same category.” The first four sins are all violations of EATING. Carrying is a different type of act entirely. The mishna is counting how many eating-violations can occur simultaneously, not how many violations period.
The pedagogical purpose: This extreme hypothetical teaches us that each distinct prohibition requires its own atonement, even when violated in a single moment. There is no “discount” for combining sins - each violation of a karet-level prohibition requires separate atonement.
Key Terms:
- חַטָּאת (chatat) = Sin offering - for unintentional karet violations
- אָשָׁם (asham) = Guilt offering - here, for me’ilah (misuse of sacred property)
- נוֹתָר (notar) = Leftover - sacrificial meat beyond its permitted time
- מֻקְדָּשִׁים (mukdashim) = Consecrated offerings
- אֵינוֹ מִן הַשֵּׁם (eino min hashem) = “Not of the same category”