(א) ויש אוסרין לאכול אורז וכל מיני קטניות וכו' וחומרא יתירה היא זו גם ר"י כתב אותם שנהגו שלא לאכול אורז ומיני קטניות מבושל בפסח מנהג שטות הוא זולתי אם הם עושין להחמיר על עצמם ולא ידעתי למה עכ"ל.
רבינו ירוחם - תולדות אדם וחוה נתיב ה חלק ג
ואותם שנהגו שלא לאכול אורז ומיני קטנית מבושל בפסח מנהג שטות הוא זולתי אם הם עושין להחמיר על עצמן ולא ידעתי למה.
(14) Three regular instances you should celebrate for me, me being Hashem, in the year, or every year (15) The holiday of matzot, of unleavened flatbreads, you should observe —For seven days eat matzot, like I commanded you, on the time of the month of the springtime, for that is when you exited Egypt (lit. “Eat matzot, like I commanded you, on the time of the month of the new barley, which is approximately the beginning of the springtime, for that is when you exited Egypt) And you shouldn’t see my face, or show up before me, emptyhanded (16) And the harvest festival (harvest of wheat) the first fruits of your labors that you planted in the field; And the holiday of gathering the fruit,At the end of the year, in your gathering of your labor from the field.(17) Three times a year, all of your males should be seen in front of Hashem the master
(7) Throughout the seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten; no leavened bread shall be found with you, and no leaven shall be found in all your territory.
IE: Eat flatbread and make sure to have no way to make regular bread.
(2) And you shall slaughter a pesach to hashem, sheep and cattle, from the flock and the herd, In the place that Hashem will choose to dwell. (3) Don’t eat leavened bread with it ; Seven days you shall eat with it – the korban pesach – matzot/flatbread , that is the bread of...affliction, innui or impoverished, ani - For in haste, you did make your exit from the land of Egypt—For this reason, you will eat the matzot/flatbread, to remember the day you left Egypt, every day of your life, and the nights too
And when a ger will live among you and will make a Pesach to Hashem...And even a slave will eat of it – the korban pesach
(ה) אֵלּוּ דְבָרִים שֶׁאָדָם יוֹצֵא בָהֶן יְדֵי חוֹבָתוֹ בְּפֶסַח, בְּחִטִּים, בִּשְׂעוֹרִים, בְּכֻסְּמִין וּבְשִׁיפוֹן וּבְשִׁבֹּלֶת שׁוּעָל.
(5) These are the types of grain with which a person fulfills his obligation to eat matza on the first night of Passover: With wheat, with barley, with spelt [kusmin], with rye [shifon], and with oats [shibbolet shu’al].
Seven days you shall eat matzot – this is the dibbur hamatchil. I hear, any flatbread. That’s why it says don’t eat it (the korban pesach) with chametz, that is leavened bread, i.e., quality leavened bread. I only spoke of that which can be both flatbread, i.e., poor bread, and leavened bread, i.e., quality bread. And what are those potential grains that can become leavened? They are the five grains, and these are they: the wheat, barley, spelt, oats, and rye. It doesn’t include rice, and the millet, and the poppy, and the legumes, and the sesames, that can’t become leavened (which we’re defining as something you’d actually want to eat) vs matzah (poor flatbread, which you’d tolerate eating) rather become merely odiferous (which although it is risen, you’d prefer to avoid).
(א) חֲמִשָּׁה דְבָרִים חַיָּבִים בַּחַלָּה, הַחִטִּים וְהַשְּׂעוֹרִים וְהַכֻּסְּמִין וְשִׁבֹּלֶת שׁוּעָל וְשִׁיפוֹן. הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ חַיָּבִין בַּחַלָּה, וּמִצְטָרְפִין זֶה עִם זֶה, וַאֲסוּרִין בֶּחָדָשׁ מִלִּפְנֵי הַפֶּסַח, וּמִלִּקְצֹר מִלִּפְנֵי הָעֹמֶר. וְאִם הִשְׁרִישׁוּ קֹדֶם לָעֹמֶר, הָעֹמֶר מַתִּירָן. וְאִם לָאו, אֲסוּרִין עַד שֶׁיָּבֹא הָעֹמֶר הַבָּא:
(ב) הָאוֹכֵל מֵהֶם כַּזַּיִת מַצָּה בְּפֶסַח, יָצָא יְדֵי חוֹבָתוֹ. כַּזַּיִת חָמֵץ, חַיָּב בְּהִכָּרֵת. נִתְעָרֵב אֶחָד מֵהֶם בְּכָל הַמִּינִים, הֲרֵי זֶה עוֹבֵר בְּפֶסַח. הַנּוֹדֵר מִן הַפַּת וּמִן הַתְּבוּאָה, אָסוּר בָּהֶם, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, הַנּוֹדֵר מִן הַדָּגָן אֵינוֹ אָסוּר אֶלָּא מֵהֶן. וְחַיָּבִין בַּחַלָּה וּבַמַּעַשְׂרוֹת:
(1) Five species [of grains] are subject to [the law of] hallah: wheat, barley, spelt, oats and rye. These are subject to hallah, and [dough made from different types of these grains] are accounted together one with another [as one quantity]. And their “new” [harvest] is prohibited prior to Pesah, and [they are subject] to [the prohibition of] reaping prior to the Omer. If they took root prior to the Omer, the omer permits them. If not, they are prohibited until the next Omer has come.
(2) If one has eaten of [these five] on Pesah an olive-size piece of matzah, he has fulfilled his obligation. [If he ate on Pesah] an olive-size of piece of hametz [made of these grains], he is liable for karet. If one of these [grains, having become leavened,] became mixed with any other species, one must remove it on Pesah. If one has vowed [to abstain] from [consuming] bread and tevuah (produce), he is prohibited from consuming these [five species] the words of Rabbi Meir. The sages say: if one has vowed [to abstain] from [consuming] dagan, is prohibited only from [consuming] these [species] only. They are subject to hallah and tithes.
Come and listen: it was taught in a tannaitic source. Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri said: rice is a species of grain, i.e., it should be included our list of 5, now 6, grains. And if you leaven it, you will be chayav kareit, and you can you use it to fulfill your matzah obligation on Pesach.
(א) ... וַאֲפִלּוּ עָנִי שֶׁבְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יֹאכַל עַד שֶׁיָּסֵב. וְלֹא יִפְחֲתוּ לוֹ מֵאַרְבַּע כּוֹסוֹת שֶׁל יַיִן, וַאֲפִלּוּ מִן הַתַּמְחוּי:
...Even a poor Jew must recline with others in order to eat. And they, the community at large, or the persons in charge of the charity funds, have to give the poor what they need for a proper seder – meaning: wine, and obviously the meal – normal grain bread made from one of those 5 grains we just talked about – to go with it. Even if it has to come from the basic-needs fund, soup kitchens, tamchuy fund, the poor must be given wine and all the more so breadworthy grain.
The mishna needed to make the point that the poor should draw on tamchuy funds even for matzah and wine because there are poor people, such as rabbi yochanan ben nuri, who would behave as rabbi akiva had taught. Rabbi Akiva had taught that a person should eat humbly even on shabbat rather than ask for funds. That is, a poor person should experience the renewed dignity that a day of rest provides rather than sacrifice the benefits of rest for the mere sake of quality food. And the mishna points out, in contrast, that the way to celebrate having survived the winter and having new grain is by eating actual real grain.
אָמַר רַב אָשֵׁי: שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ דְּרַב הוּנָא, לֵית דְּחָיֵישׁ לְהָא דְּרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן נוּרִי.
Rav Ashi said: Learn incidentally another halakha from this statement of Rav Huna, that there is no one who is concerned about that statement of Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Nuri.
(א) אֵין אָסוּר מִשּׁוּם חָמֵץ בְּפֶסַח אֶלָּא חֲמֵשֶׁת מִינֵי דָּגָן בִּלְבַד. וְהֵם שְׁנֵי מִינֵי חִטִּים שֶׁהֵן הַחִטָּה וְהַכֻּסֶּמֶת. וּשְׁלֹשָׁה מִינֵי הַשְּׂעוֹרִים שֶׁהֵן הַשְּׂעוֹרָה וְשִׁבּלֶת שׁוּעָל וְהַשִּׁפּוֹן. אֲבָל קִטְנִיּוֹת כְּגוֹן אֹרֶז וְדֹחַן וּפוֹלִים וַעֲדָשִׁים וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן אֵין בָּהֶן מִשּׁוּם חָמֵץ אֶלָּא אֲפִלּוּ לָשׁ קֶמַח אֹרֶז וְכַיּוֹצֵא בּוֹ בְּרוֹתְחִין וְכִסָּהוּ בִּבְגָדִים עַד שֶׁנִּתְפַּח כְּמוֹ בָּצֵק שֶׁהֶחֱמִיץ הֲרֵי זֶה מֻתָּר בַּאֲכִילָה שֶׁאֵין זֶה חִמּוּץ אֶלָּא סֵרָחוֹן:
There is no issur chametz on pesach except for the five grains. And they are the two kinds of wheat, wheat and spelt, and the three kinds of barley, barley, oats, and rye.
But the “kitniot”, which are translated as legumes, among which rice is not included botanically, including rice, millet, beans, lentils, and similar things, they are not chametzically prohibited. Rather, even if you knead rice, and the like, in hot water, and covered with cloth, until it rose like a dough. This would be mutar on pesach because it’s not a risen product, it’s a stinky. A man does not fulfill his obligation for eating matzah unless it is made from one of the five grains, as it says, don’t eat chametz, eat matzah. Things that can leaven are the foods that can fulfill your obligation. But everything else, like rice, millet, or kitniot, you can’t use because they don’t rise.
... ונהגו כל העולם שלא לאכול זרעונים בפסח... ולא מסתבר לומר שיהיה המנהג תלוי באיסור כלל שאין בשום קטניות בעולם שום חימוץ אלא מפני שאין דרך לאכול קטניות במועד שהרי כתוב ושמחת בחגך ואין שמחה באכילת תבשיל קטנית ...ואין ספק שאם רצה לאכול זרעונים בפסח וכיוצא בו משאר מיני קטניות מותר ואין בזה חשש איסור כלל
...The “ universal custom “ -which I’m reading as his region - is not to eat…seeds/kernels on pesach...And it wouldn’t be reasonable to say that this minhag depends on some issur (chametz), because kitniot don’t become leavened. Rather it is because it’s not normal to eat them on a holiday – why? Because it says you should be happy in your festivals, and there is no happiness in the eating of kitniot dishes.
And there is no doubt that if you wanted to eat seeds on pesach and similar things and other types of kitniot, it would be mutar and there is no whisper of an issur at all.
Obviously zironim doesn’t include wheat and barley even though technically it is the seed of both that we eat.
וכתוב בספר המנהגות ונהגו כל העולם שלא לאכול זרעונים בפסח מפני שהן מחמיצין ועל כן נקראין חימצי
Quoting from from Rabeinu Asher ben Meshulam miLunil -
קונטרס ליקוטים מספר המנהגות,
עמ' .56
And the global minhag is to not eat seeds-kernels/ kitniot on pesach because they are capable of leavening and thusly they are called “chimtzi”
... על כן נהגו לומר כל דכפין ייתי ויכול כלומר מי שהוא רעב ואין לו מה יאכל יבא ויאכל עמנו. וכל דצריך ייתי ויפסח פירוש שאיפשר שיש לאדם פת אורז ופת דוחן ואינו רעב שהרי יש לו מה יאכל ואין לו מצות מצוה וצרכי הפסח כגון חרוסת ומרור ויין לד' כוסות לכך אומר וכל דצריך ייתי ויפסח יבא ויעשה סדר הפסח. ואחר כך מדבר על לבם ואומר להם לא תבושו אם אתם סמוכים על שולחן אחרים השתא הכא השנה הזאת אתם כאן לשנה הבאה תהיו לשלום בארץ ישראל. הא שתא הכא עבדי השנה הזאת אנחנו ואתם משועבדים לשנה הבאה יבא המשיח ונהיה אנחנו ואתם משוחררים
All who are struggling, read: poor, come and eat. That is to say, he that is hungry and has nothing to eat should come and eat with us. And all who need should come and do the Pesach thing. The explanation is that it could be that someone has rice bread or millet bread and isn’t actually hungry, he has food to eat! But he doesn’t have matzot that could fulfill the mitzvah or the other pesach needs, like charoset, maror, or wine enough for the four cups - that is why it says “anyone who needs, should sit and do the pesach thing, that is to say, one can only do the pesach thing with the proper stuff. And afterwards, the leader of the seder, can speak to them comfortingly, and say “don’t be embarrassed that you’re reliant on someone else’s table”.
כל דצריך ייתי ויפסח . שאם אין לו, ראוי ליטול אפילו מן הצדקה
That if he doesn’t have – that is - the proper foods, such as wheat i.e., matzah, and charoset, maror, and wine. It is appropriate to take even from the otherwise set-aside tzedakah funds – which are intended for basic sustenance, like modern soup kitchens - in order to fulfill the mitzvah of the night of pesach i.e., eat real grains and drink wine.
...
ועל הקטניות כגון פויי"ש ופול"יו רי"ש ועדשים וכיוצא בהם רבותינו נוהגים בהם איסור שלא לאוכל' בפסח כלל. ...מיהו ...לא נהגו בו איסור מחמת חימוץ עצמו דלא טעו בדבר שהתינוקות של בית רבן שלמדו ההלכה יודעין דאיכא בהדיא בפסחים דאין בא לידי חימוץ כ"א מה' המינין, ולכך נראה לקיים המנהג ולאסור כל קטני' בפסח, ולא מחמת חימוץ עצמו כי טעות הוא לומר כן אלא מטעם גזירה היא דכיון דקטנית מעשה קדרה הוא ודגן נמי מעשה קדרה הוא כדייסא אי הוי שרינן קטנית אולי אתי לאיחלופי ולהתיר דייסא, כיון דאידי ואידי מעשה קדרה הוא, וגם מידי דמידגן הוא כמו חמשת המינים, כדאית' בפר' השוכר את הפועלי' דקרי לקטני' מידי דמידגן וגם יש מקומות שרגילים לעשות מהם פת כמו מחמשת המינים ולכך אתי לאיחלופי לאותן שאינן בני תורה...
ואפילו מחרדל משום דהוי מידי דמידגן
ועל הדבש נראה דאסור בפסח. ל"ש בעיניה ולא שנא שלא בעיניה ול"ש ע"י משקה שקורין מיאצ"ה לפי שרגילין לערב בו קמח או סולת, ומיהו אותו דבש שמוציאין מן הכוורת שיודעין שאין בו תערובת היה נראה להתיר, ומכל מקום נכון לאסור דלמא אתי לאחלופי
Regarding kitniot, such as Foysh (if you look in the source, he defines it as a white bean), fooley, beans, and ris, rice, and lentils and such, many have the custom to not eat them, or rather to treat it as forbidden to eat them, on pesach...However...The reason for the custom is not because of the issur of chamtz itself - for they do not err in a halachic matter that schoolchildren know that is explicit in the gemara! That only the 5 grains can reach the state of becoming leavened! Therefore, it seems appropriate to uphold the minhag and not eat kitniot on pesach, not because of chametz itself, because that would be a mistake to say that, rather the reason is because of an additional rule, a gezeira. Since kitniot make a grain food cooked in a pot, ie., a kitniot porridge and 5 grains also make a porridge, such as wheat porridge, daysa, also known as farina. And it behaves like a flour of one of the 5 grains. As we saw in Talmud in Bava Metzia, perek hasocher et hapoalim, the seventh chapter, that refers to kitniot as behaving like a flour. And also there are places that normally make a bread from them – kitniot – like a 5 grain bread. And therefore those who are not bnai torah will come to switch them out.
And even from the mustard you should refrain because it is made like a grain (a produce that is piled up in a heap, like grain heaps)
[And about honey – it appears to be forbidden on Pesach. Regardless of whether it’s visibly present (normal squeeze bottle honey) or a mere ingredient. And it doesn’t matter if it comes in the form of this drink called Meache. However, the honey that is removed directly from the hive, that we know has no mixture in it, I might think to permit, nevertheless, it is Correct to forbid it as you might come to replace it, meaning eat (or drink) honey with chametz.]
or
[And regarding honey, it appears that it should be forbidden on pesach, because it would detract from the generally festive nature of the holiday. Obviously, it doesn’t matter how it’s used, as a dressing or an ingredient, because you could have used a dusting of sugar in either case. And don’t think that you’re going to drink meade as your nice drink on this chag. Uh-uh. Wine, bucko. And, besides which, people like to mix in different grinds of flour, and, you know, that does make it nicer and it would make it chametz, but come on, yayin. And I know you’re thinking, wait if chametz is the issue, what if I take right out of the hive, can’t be any issues there. Nope, banned. Don’t want to create a norm of people eating honey at all. Give an inch, they’ll take a mile. Get some sugar – it’s a holiday! Sleep some more! It’s a holiday!]