Avot311

8:
And not to take Ĥallah death-dealing starvation comes. First let us describe the mitzvah which is the basis of this part of our mishnah.

9:
The Torah [Numbers 15:17-21] teaches:

According to this command, just as the Israelite farmer was required to tithe his produce, as we described in the previous shiur, so also was the the consumer or retailer required to set aside some of the produce as a levy. This levy was on the staple food, bread and the separated levy was called Ĥallah (a loaf).

10:
Actually, we should note that the exact wording of the command in the Torah leaves us in doubt as to how exactly this commandment was to be fulfilled. For example, just how much dough is to be set aside as Ĥallah "from the first yield of your baking"? Furthermore, how was this levy on the first yield of the baking to be given as a gift to God? As usual, the sages provided the answer to such questions through their exegesis.

11:
And, also as usual, the sages exercised their right of exegesis to limit the scope of the command. (We have noted this usage of the sages many times; the best example is, perhaps, what they did to the law concerning the "stubborn and rebellious son". See the whole of chapter 8 of tractate Sanhedrin, which begins in Sanhedrin 106.) According to the definition of this mitzvah as elucidated by the sages, the dough, in order to be subject to the law of Ĥallah, must consist of at least one omer of flour and not less. The levy was to be given from the dough, not the flour, and it was given to God by donating it to a priest. (See the previous shiur for why the priests were in need of such donatives.)

12:
The sages further ruled:

1. the obligation to take this levy rests upon the person to whom the dough belongs and not upon the person who kneads it.
2. This priest's portion was taken only from dough made from the flour of one of these five kinds of cereal: wheat, barley, spelt, oats, and rye. Dough made from the flour of rice, millet, or peas was excepted.
3. The dough must have been prepared for the baking of bread, but not for pastry or cakes of any kind.
4. If the separation of Ĥallah from the dough had been forgotten, it could be made after the bread was baked.

13:
The Biblical expression "[when] you eat of the bread of the land" clearly indicates that the law of Ĥallah applies only to Eretz-Israel (similar to the other levies on produce). However, in order that this institution should not be forgotten amonf Jews during the long centuries of exile, the Rabbis ordained that it should also be observed in the diaspora. But there is a problem here: everyone in this day and age is considered to be in a state of ritual impurity, including the priests (kohanim). (We discussed this in detail when we studied Tractate Yadayyim. chapter 1.) Thus, it can no longer be observed as a priestly offering; so the portion taken from the dough is thrown into the fire and the mitzvah can be fulfilled with the smallest of portions and need not be proportionate to the total amount of the dough. When the dough is thrown into the fire a benediction is recited under certain circumstances.

14:
Whether or not the baker must recite a benediction before casting a small portion of the dough into the fire depends on the amount of flour being kneaded. We noted above that the minimal amount of dough that requires the separation of Ĥallah is one omer. Modern scholars are divided in their opinions as to how this amount is to be calculated. It is generally accepted nowadays that from an amount of dough which weighs less than 2 kilos the Ĥallah portion should be disposed of without a benediction. It follows that in most cases it is only professional bakers that are required to recite the benediction.

To be continued.