Sukkah, Daf Yod Gimmel, Part 2
Introduction
In yesterday’s section R. Hisda made a statement about the sukkah in the name of Ravina bar Shila. As happens often in the Talmud, a different unrelated statement by the same sage is now brought.
ואמר רב חסדא אמר רבינא בר שילא: הני מרריתא דאגמא אדם יוצא בהן ידי חובתו בפסח.
R. Hisda [further] stated in the name of Ravina b. Shila: These "bitter herbs of the marsh" one can fulfill one’s obligation with them on Pesah.
There are various plants one can use on Pesah to fulfill one’s obligation to eat bitter herbs. One of them is actually a plant called "marror." R. Hisda says that one can use the type of marror known as "marror of the marsh" as his marror for Pesah.
מיתיביה: אזוב, ולא אזוב יון, ולא אזוב כוחלי, ולא אזוב מדברי, ולא אזוב רומי, ולא אזוב שיש לו שם לווי!
It was objected: Hyssop but not Greek hyssop, or blue-hyssop, or wild hyssop, or Roman hyssop or any kind of hyssop which has an accompanying name?
The Talmud raises an objection. There are certain rituals that require the use of hyssop. For instance the waters of purification ritual (red heifer ashes mixed with water) requires hyssop. The hyssop used for this ritual must be plain hyssop. If the hyssop is known by any accompanying name, it cannot be used. By extension, the same would be true of marror. Only plain "marror" could be used. Not any marror known also by an accompanying name.
אמר אביי: כל שנשתנה שמו קודם מתן תורה, ובאתה תורה והקפידה עליה – בידוע שיש לו שם לווי. והני לא נשתנה שמייהו קודם מתן תורה כלל.
Abaye said: Whatever had different names prior to the giving of the Torah, and yet the Torah made specific mention of the general name [the intention is to exclude such of the species which] have special names.
But these did not have different names before the giving of the Torah at all.
Abbaye answers that when it comes to anything that had several names before the giving of the Torah such as hyssop, when the Torah specifies plain hyssop, only plain hyssop may be used. I don’t really know how Abbaye knows that hyssop had several different names before the Torah was given. In any case, according to Abbaye marror was only known as marror before the Torah was given. Therefore, when the Torah said "marror" it didn’t necessarily mean to exclude various types of marror that have an accompanying name.
רבא אמר: הני מרריתא סתמא שמייהו, והאי דקרי להו מרריתא דאגמא – משום דמשתכח באגמא.
Rava answered: Their ordinary name is really marror", but they are called marror of the marsh , because they are found in marshes.
Rava offers a different answer to the difficulty. "Marror of the marsh" is really just plain old "marror" and that’s its "full" name. It is not called "marror of the marsh" because it is a different species. It is called as such simply because it is found in the marshes.