Commentary for Kiddushin 49:20
כדרבי זירא דאמר רבי זירא כל הראוי לבילה אין בילה מעכבת בו ושאינו ראוי לבילה בילה מעכבת בו
- Granted that we do not require the water to enter, we insist that there shall be room for it to enter.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., though the water need not pass through the crevices between the teeth, yet it must be possible, whereas the bone rendered it impossible.');"><sup>33</sup></span> And it is in accordance with R'Zera, who said: Whatever is fit for [perfect] mixing, the mixing is not indispensable; whatever is not fit for [perfect] mixing, the mixing is indispensable.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In Men. ');"><sup>34</sup></span> [
Daf Shevui to Kiddushin
The Talmud answers that we do not require that the water actually enter the mouth and hit all the teeth and the tongue. But there cannot be anything preventing it from doing so, had the person opened his mouth.
This is compared with the case of mixing flour and oil for a grain offering. If the flour is fit to be mixed, then the mixture if valid even if it was not actually mixed. But if the flour is not fit to be mixed, then mixing becomes indispensable. In other words, you don’t actually have to mix the flour. You just have to be able to mix the flour. So too the tongue need not be immersed, it just needs to be able to be immersed.
This is compared with the case of mixing flour and oil for a grain offering. If the flour is fit to be mixed, then the mixture if valid even if it was not actually mixed. But if the flour is not fit to be mixed, then mixing becomes indispensable. In other words, you don’t actually have to mix the flour. You just have to be able to mix the flour. So too the tongue need not be immersed, it just needs to be able to be immersed.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy