Daf Yomi - Rosh Hashana 13 - MATZAH FROM THE PEDDLERS

Rav Kahana was asked by his contemporaries regarding the korban omer that the Jews brought when they entered Eretz Yisroel. They inquired of him as to where did the barley come from for this korban. It could not have been grown by a non-Jew for the Torah states that it should be from “your harvest.” The Gemora proves that the korban omer was brought that year from the verses in Yehoshua which state that the Jews ate from the new grain only on the day after Pesach began. It is evident that they originally did not eat because the korban was not brought and it was only on the second day of Pesach, which is the day the korban omer is brought that they began to eat from the new grain.

Tosfos wonders as to how they ate matzah on the first night of Pesach that year. The new grain only became permitted on the second day of Pesach. Tosfos answers that the gentile merchants sold them grain which did not have this prohibition.

The Mekor Chaim brings a proof from this Tosfos to the opinions that hold that one can fulfill the mitzva of eating matzah even if the grain was not watched from the time of the harvesting since here the gentiles did the harvesting and afterwards sold the grain to the Jews. It is ruled in halacha that in extraordinary situations, one can buy flour from the market place and use it to bake matzah with.