The Difference between taste absorption of Korbanos and Pesach

Adapted from a shiur by Rav Yosef Greenwald on Parshas Tzav

(כל אשר יגע בבשרו יקדש (ויקרא ו:כ

Based  on this pasuk, a piece of a korban chatas that touches a korban shelamim causes the shelamim to absorb the chatas taste, and it is all treated like a chatas:

• Eaten only by male Kohanim in the Beis HaMikdash
• Eaten for one day only

Chazal derive from here that hot forbidden food absorbed in a mixture forbids the whole mixture (if not batel b’shishim). Is this rule, known as ta’am k’ikar, deoraisa?

• Many rishonim and Shulchan Aruch (Y.D. 98) – Yes
• Rashi (Chullin 97b) – No, it is derabanan except for Kodashim. Mideoraisa, it is batel b’rov (in a majority).
• Rashi (and Ra’avad) – If ta’am kikar were deoraisa, then if less than a kezayis of treif meat dissolves into soup and is not batel b’shishim, one is chayav for eating a kezayis of soup (without kezayis of treif).
  • Reason: The whole soup is assur.
• Most rishonim – Treif taste is not batel because it has chashivus. Therefore, one is chayav only for eating a kezayis of treif.

There are certain chumras unique to chametz on Pesach beyond the regular rules.

• Chametz is assur b’mashehu (forbidden in any amount, even 1:60) if it is mixed on Pesach with non-chametz.
• Yavesh B’yavesh (mixture of two dry items) – Even if it got mixed before Pesach, it is assur b’mashehu.
• Two pots – Usually do not transfer taste, but on Pesach we’re machmir. Therefore, we must kasher the stove grates on which we put pots.
• Nosen taam lfgam (the taste detracts from the ikar) normally permits food cooked in a kli more than 24 hours after use for treif. But on Pesach it’s a machlokes:
  • Rema (O.C. 447) — Assur.
  • Shulchan Aruch – Mutar.
  • If someone cooked a Pesach meal in a clean (not ben yomo) chametz pot on Pesach, Sefardim permit the food, and Ashkenazim forbid it. 

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