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According to the Mishna on our daf, if two meal offerings became mixed together before the kometz – the fistful of flour – was taken to be sacrificed, then the offerings will remain valid as long as it is possible to take the kometz from each one separately. If the two offerings were so mixed together that a separate kometz could not be taken from each, then the offerings are invalid.
In the course of discussing this law, the Gemara quotes a baraita that discusses the baking of matza. According to the baraita, if the dough that was prepared for baking matza was mixed with ketzaḥ or sesame or other types of spice, the matza remains valid for fulfilling the mitzva of eating matza on the night of the Pesaḥ seder, since it is simply “flavored matza.”
The ketzaḥ spice referred to in the Gemara is Nigella Sativa of the Ranunculaceae family, which, English is variously in called fennel flower, nutmeg flower, Roman coriander, blackseed or black cumin. It is an annual plant that reaches a height up to 30 cm.
We explore the world of talmudic spices.