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.