{"id":6937,"date":"2011-03-16T23:25:44","date_gmt":"2011-03-16T21:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=6937"},"modified":"2021-03-22T13:40:50","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T11:40:50","slug":"04-16-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/04-16-25\/","title":{"rendered":"25.\u00a0Shi\u2019ur Akhilat Pras<\/strong>?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We have now seen that in order to fulfill the mitzva of eating matza, as well as any other Torah commandment governing eating, one must eat at least a kezayit<\/strong>. One condition must now be added: it is only considered a single act of eating if it is completed within the amount of time it takes to eat half a loaf of bread, or a shi\u2019ur akhilat pras<\/strong>. If one eats half a kezayit<\/strong>, waits ten minutes, and then eats another half a kezayit<\/strong>, it is as if he has only eaten half a kezayit<\/strong>, and hence he has not fulfilled the mitzva (SA 475:6).<\/p>\n

In the past, people would bake loaves of bread that would feed one person for a day \u2013 half a loaf (a pras<\/strong>) at each of the two main meals.<\/p>\n

Our long exile has caused disagreement among poskim<\/strong> over the precise size of a pras<\/strong>: according to Rambam, it is the volume of three eggs, and according to Rashi, four eggs. Several leading A\u1e25aronim tried to estimate how long it takes to eat a pras<\/strong>, and many views have been offered: nine minutes (\u1e24atam<\/strong> Sofer<\/strong>), seven and a half minutes (Arukh<\/strong> La-ner<\/strong>), seven minutes, six minutes, five minutes, and four minutes (R. \u1e24ayim Naeh and Kaf<\/strong> Ha-\u1e25ayim<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

However, all this applies be-di\u2019avad<\/strong>, because le-khat\u1e25ila<\/strong> one should eat the matza continuously, and whoever does so certainly fulfills his obligation. In addition, there is no need to look at the clock while eating the matza, because any ordinary person who eats casually but without interruption will certainly finish eating a kezayit <\/strong>within the shi\u2019ur akhilat pras<\/strong>. Even a slow eater, if he does not stop to do other things, will assuredly finish eating a kezayit<\/strong> within a shi\u2019ur akhilat<\/strong> pras<\/strong>, because a pras<\/strong> is eight or nine times the size of a kezayit<\/strong>, and it is inconceivable that one who eats a kezayit<\/strong> without stopping will not finish in the time it takes to eat eight or nine times that amount.[22]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n[22]<\/a>. According to Rashi, a pras<\/strong> is the size of four eggs, and according to Tosafot<\/strong>, a kezayit<\/strong> is half an egg. Thus, a pras<\/strong> is eight kezeytim<\/strong>. According to Rambam, a pras<\/strong> is the size of three eggs, and each egg is a bit more than three kezeytim<\/strong>. Thus, a pras<\/strong> is just over nine kezeytim<\/strong>. (If we combine Rashi\u2019s pras <\/strong>with Rambam\u2019s kezayit<\/strong>, a pras <\/strong>would come out to be twelve kezeytim<\/strong>. If we combine Rambam\u2019s pras <\/strong>with the kezayit <\/strong>of Tosafot<\/strong>, a pras<\/strong> would be six kezeytim<\/strong>.)<\/p>\n

Although some individuals measured and discovered that they could not eat a kezayit<\/strong> of matza within a shi\u2019ur <\/strong>akhilat pras<\/strong>, they only reached this conclusion because they used conflicting measurements. They measured a kezayit<\/strong> according to the most stringent opinion possible \u2013 a \u1e24azon Ish shi\u2019ur <\/strong>calculated by weight \u2013 and on the other hand, they calculated a shi\u2019ur <\/strong>akhilat pras<\/strong> based on the smallest possible measure \u2013 Rambam\u2019s shi\u2019ur<\/strong> of three eggs, calculated by volume. These two measurements are contradictory: a \u1e24azon Ish kezayit<\/strong> by weight is c. 50 grams, while the three eggs\u2019 volume of matza is c. 54 grams. Since matza is difficult to chew, and a shi\u2019ur <\/strong>akhilat pras<\/strong> is calculated based on the time it takes to eat bread that is easy to chew and swallow, these individuals discovered that they could not finish that kezayit<\/strong> in time. If one wishes to eat two kezeytim<\/strong>, it works out to 100 grams of matza by weight, within the amount of time it normally takes to eat 54 grams of bread; this is impossible. Even according to the Sephardim who do not take the view of \u1e24azon Ish into consideration but who measure by weight, two kezeytim <\/strong>by weight work out to c. 58 grams of matza, in the time it takes to eat three eggs by volume, or c. 54 grams. This is impossible during the course of normal eating. Rather, in truth one must calculate the size of a kezayit<\/strong> and the shi\u2019ur akhilat pras <\/strong>using the same standard: if one is stringent regarding the size of a kezayit<\/strong> (and measures it by weight), he must allow himself more time to eat it by calculating the size of an egg based on weight as well, meaning that a shi\u2019ur akhilat pras<\/strong> would be 15 minutes or more.<\/p>\n

Therefore, anyone who eats casually, provided that he does not pause or excessively procrastinate in his eating, will certainly be able to finish the kezayit<\/strong> within a shi\u2019ur<\/strong> akhilat pras<\/strong>; thus, there is no need to glance at one\u2019s watch while eating.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, if one paused while eating and did not finish one third of a matza within four minutes, he should act stringently and eat another piece in that time. Logic dictates that since the determination of shi\u2019ur akhilat pras <\/strong>is based on the average person, and since there are so many measurements offered, we should calculate it based on the median of the opinions of the A\u1e25aronim (6-7 minutes). However, since the mitzva of eating matza is from the Torah, one should follow the strictest opinions. See Peninei Halakha:<\/strong> Berakhot <\/strong>10:7, 8.<\/p>\n

Additionally, according to Min\u1e25at \u1e24inukh<\/strong> and R<\/strong>esponsa Torat \u1e24esed <\/strong>O\u1e24 32, the shi\u2019ur <\/strong>akhilat pras<\/strong> is determined separately for every food, based on the ease or difficulty of eating it. Accordingly, the shi\u2019ur<\/strong> akhilat pras<\/strong> for matza would be longer than usual, since matza is difficult to chew and swallow. Nevertheless, most poskim<\/strong> who determined a shi\u2019ur <\/strong>akhilat pras<\/strong> understood that it is a fixed standard based on the eating of regular bread.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We have now seen that in order to fulfill the mitzva of eating matza, as well as any other Torah commandment governing eating, one must eat at least a kezayit. One condition must now be added: it is only considered a single act of eating if it is completed within the amount of time it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-16-seder-night"],"yoast_head":"\n25.\u00a0Shi\u2019ur Akhilat Pras? - Peninei Halakha<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/04-16-25\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"25.\u00a0Shi\u2019ur Akhilat Pras? - Peninei Halakha\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We have now seen that in order to fulfill the mitzva of eating matza, as well as any other Torah commandment governing eating, one must eat at least a kezayit. 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