Daf Ditty: Eruvin 17: Salt

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We learned in the mishna that in a military camp one is exempt from ritual washing of the hands. said: They taught this exemption only with regard to first waters, i.e., hand-washing before eating. However, final waters, i.e., hand-washing after eating and before reciting Grace after Meals, is an obligation even in a military camp.

Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi said: For what reason did the Sages say that the final waters are an obligation? It is due to the fact that there is the presence of Sodomite salt, which blinds the eyes even in a small amount. Since Sodomite salt could remain on one’s hands, one must wash them after eating. This obligation is binding even in a camp because soldiers are also obligated to maintain their health.

Abaye said: And this type of dangerous salt is present in the proportion of a single grain [korta] in an entire kor of innocuous salt. Rav Aḥa, son of , said to : If one measured salt and came into contact with Sodomite salt not during mealtime, what is the ? Is there an obligation to wash his hands afterward? He said to him: It was unnecessary to say this, as he is certainly obligated to do so.

RASHI

2 Tosafos DH MAYIM CHOVAH

תופסות ה"ד םימ ורחא נ םי הבוח םי נ ורחא םימ ה"ד תופסות Tosfos explains why we do not wash Mayim Acharonim.

ישכע ו אל וגהנ םימב ורחא םינ ןיאד חלמ תימודס וצמ י ניניב ו יי יומתמד ל ןא י ראםמ וה א ויכ

Nowadays our custom is not to wash Mayim Acharonim, became Sodom salt is not found among us;

יא ימנ יפל ןיאש נא ו גר םילי לבטל יתועבצא נ ו חלמב רחא הליכא רחא חלמב ו נ יתועבצא לבטל םילי גר ו נא ןיאש יפל ימנ יא

Alternatively, it is because we do not normally dip our fingers in salt after eating.

The taught that those people who go out to war are exempt from washing their hands.1 Abaye adds that this exemption is limited to washing one’s hands before he eats, but washing one’s hands after eating before birkas hamazon is obligatory.

Teshuvas Pnei Mavin notes that our Gemara answers a question that is discussed by the Poskim. The halachah is that one may wash after a meal with any beverage, and this leads Poskim to question whether one may use saliva for this purpose.

Our Gemara would seem to prove that saliva may not be used for washing after a meal. If washing hands with saliva was effective, why didn’t they permit those people who went out to war to wash their hands after the meal with saliva? It must be that since saliva is not a liquid that promotes cleanliness or sanctity it is unfit for use for washing after a meal.

Minchas Elazar rejects this proof and asserts that our Gemara is, in fact, proof that one may wash his hands with saliva after a meal. The reason Abaye emphasized that one is not exempt from washing after a meal even if one is in the midst of a war is specifically due to the fact that one can fulfill the obligation with saliva. He then proceeds to cite a proof that washing one’s hands with saliva does not make one’s hands clean and thus may not be used for washing after a meal.

The Gemara Berachos (15a) rules that one who does not have water available to wash before davening should wipe his hands on a surface that will clean his hands, e.g. stones or pieces of wood. This ruling is codified in as well. Why does the Gemara present as examples of objects that clean one’s hands stones and pieces of wood when it could have used

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3 saliva as an example? It must be, he concludes, that saliva is not effective to clean one’s hands and thus may not be used for washing after a meal

Tosafos (see below) writes that in our days we no longer have the custom to wash our hands after the meal before we recite Birkas HaMazon, because we no longer have the salt of Sedom, which was capable of blinding a person.

Also, our custom is not to dip our fingers in salt after a meal.

Ritva disagrees, insisting that the words of the Gemara in Berachos (53b) indicate that the verse:

For I am the LORD your God; sanctify yourselves 44 דמ יִכּ יִנֲא ,הָוהְי ,םֶכיֵהֱא םֶתְּשִׁדַּקְתִהְו םֶתְּשִׁדַּקְתִהְו ,םֶכיֵהֱא ,הָוהְי יִנֲא יִכּ therefore, and be ye holy; for I am holy; neither shall םֶתיִיְהִו ,םיִשֹׁדְק יִכּ וֹדָק שׁ ָ א ִ נ י ; ְ ו ל ֹ א אֹלְו ye defile yourselves with any manner of swarming וּאְמַּטְת תֶא - ,םֶכיֵתֹשְׁפַנ לָכְבּ - ץֶרֶשַּׁה ץֶרֶשַּׁה .thing that moveth upon the earth שֵׂמֹרָה לַﬠ - .ץֶרָאָה

For I am the LORD that brought you up out of the land 45 המ יִכּ יִנֲא ,הָוהְי הֶלֲﬠַמַּה םֶכְתֶא ץֶרֶאֵמ ץֶרֶאֵמ םֶכְתֶא הֶלֲﬠַמַּה of Egypt, to be your God; ye shall therefore be holy, for I ,םִיַרְצִמ תֹיְהִל ,םֶכָל ;םיִהאֵל םֶתיִיְהִו םֶתיִיְהִו ;םיִהאֵל ,םֶכָל תֹיְהִל ,םִיַרְצִמ .am holy ,םיִשֹׁדְק יִכּ שׁוֹדָק .יִנָא שׁוֹדָק יִכּ ,םיִשֹׁדְק Lev 11:45 is applied to this washing. “You are to sanctify yourselves” - this refers to washing before a meal. “And you should become holy” - this refers to washing after a meal.

is incumbent upon the one who recites the רחא ו מ י ם םי Ritva adds that the halachah of washing` bentching for everyone else.

The Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 181:10) cites Tosafos, and mentions that there are opinions that hold

that this final washing is not done in our days.

4 Magen Avraham (ibid., #10) notes that the Mekubalim write that a person should be careful to wash before bentching. Mishna Berura (ibid., #22) cites the Bei’ur HaGr”a and Maharshal, both of whom hold that it is an obligation to wash before bentching, even in our days.

רחא ו םי The Aruch HaShulchan (ibid., #5) argues forcefully in favor of the requirement to wash today. He claims that even Tosafos believes that this is an obligation, but that Tosafos merely םימ mentioned a rationalization why some people do not wash before bentching.

However, as the Zohar states (Pinchas, 246): “Anyone who is lenient in terms of this washing will have his livelihood treated lightly from the heavens.

Steinzaltz (OBM) writes:2

The last Mishna in the first chapter of Massekhet Eiruvin discusses some of the leniencies that are applied in a military camp. Aside from being exempt from some of the laws of Eiruvin, soldiers are also permitted to collect wood without worrying that it might belong to someone and they are not obligated to wash their hands before eating bread.

The Gemara wants to know what is new about permission to collect wood, as there was a long- standing tradition from the time of Joshua that soldiers could do so. The Gemara gives a number of answers, the first of which posits that Joshua only permitted the collection of Hizmei and Higei – thorn-bushes that no one really cares about. The Mishna permitted other wood to be collected, as well.

2 https://www.steinsaltz-center.org/home/doc.aspx?mCatID=68446

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The scientific name for Hizmei is Alhagi maurorum Medik. It is a thorny plant with smooth, non- serrated leaves. Ordinarily it grows to a height of 30 centimeters (1 foot), although it occasionally grows as high as one meter (3 feet). Higei can be identified with Ononis antiquorum L. of the Papolinaceae family. It, too, is a thorny plant that grows to about 75 centimeters (2.5 feet), which is found growing wild in fields and valleys.

Regarding hand-washing before meals, Abaye points out that the leniency applies only to washing before eating, but regarding Mayim Aharonim – washing after eating – there is no room to be lenient, and all are obligated.

Rav explains that it is dangerous to refrain from washing after the meal, as the salt – Melach Sedomit – could blind you if there is any left on your fingers.

?

6 Rav Mordechai Kornfeld writes:3

"MAYIM ACHARONIM"

The Mishnah (17a) states that soldiers going out to battle are exempt from "washing the hands." Abaye (17b) explains that this refers only to Mayim , the washing of hands before eating. Mayim Acharonim, however, is obligatory even for soldiers going out to battle. The Gemara explains that the reason for the strict obligation of Mayim Acharonim is that there might be some salt from the meal left on one's fingers, and if he wipes his eyes with his fingers he risks becoming blind from the corrosiveness of the Sedomis salt contained in table salt.

Common table salt nowadays does not contain Sedomis salt. Does the obligation to wash Mayim Acharonim still apply?

(ROSH in Berachos (8:6), the RITVA, and other Rishonim write that in addition to the danger of Sedomis salt, there is another reason to wash Mayim Acharonim.

Before one recites the blessings of Birkas ha'Mazon, he should wash his hands for the purpose of sanctity, as the Gemara states in Berachos (53b). Accordingly, even though we no longer have Sedomis salt at our meals, we should wash Mayim Acharonim in order sanctify ourselves before we recite Birkas ha'Mazon.

TOSFOS (DH Mayim Acharonim, and in Berachos 53b, DH v'Hiyisem), see above, however, says that it is no longer the practice to wash Mayim Acharonim, for two reasons. First, we do not

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7 use Sedomis salt at our meals. Second, it is not our practice to dip our fingers into salt and taste a little after eating a meal, as was the practice in the time of the Gemara. Washing Mayim Acharonim was an act which involved sanctity only when these two reasons applied, but not today.

TOSFOS in Berachos (ibid.) and the ROSH (ibid.) add that even if we rule that it is not necessary to wash our hands for Birkas ha'Mazon since we do not use Sedomis salt at our meals and we do not consider our hands to be soiled, one who minds leaving his hands slightly soiled from the meal is obligated to wash Mayim Acharonim for Birkas ha'Mazon. For him, it indeed is a practice of sanctity to wash after the meal.

SHULCHAN ARUCH (OC 181:1) (see above) states that "Mayim Acharonim is obligatory." The (181:1) records the reasoning of the Rosh (a) and the other Rishonim who say that washing is necessary in order to sanctify and purify our hands for the recitation of Birkas ha'Mazon. The Mishnah Berurah adds (in the name of the Rambam) that even if the only reason to wash Mayim Acharonim is to prevent blindness from Sedomis salt, and we no longer use Sedomis salt, we should still wash Mayim Acharonim because there might be other salt that has the same characteristics of Sedomis salt.

However, at the end of the laws of Mayim Acharonim, the Shulchan Aruch (181:10) cites the opinion of Tosfos (b) who says that the obligation of Mayim Acharonim no longer applies. He adds that one who is bothered by even a little soil on his hands and always washes them is obligated to wash Mayim Acharonim before he recites Birkas ha'Mazon, as Tosfos in Berachos rules (c).

The Mishnah Berurah there (181:22) cites the VILNA GA'ON, MAGEN AVRAHAM, MAHARSHAL, and BIRKEI YOSEF, who all maintain that Mayim Acharonim is still obligatory (even if one's hands are not dirty), like the first opinion (a).

In practice, some follow the first opinion as cited by the Shulchan Aruch (in 181:1), while others follow the opinion of Tosfos as cited by the Shulchan Aruch (in 181:10).

Those who maintain that Mayim Acharonim is obligatory should wash each hand in its entirety with at least a Revi'is of water (BI'UR HALACHAH 181:4, DH Ad Perek; see also TESHUVOS V'HANHAGOS 1:173).

Elsewhere in shas:

ילוח ן הק :א י ג - הק ב : ה Chullin 105a:13-105b:5

רמא בר ידיא רב יבא ן רמא בר קחצי רב ישא י ן םימ ושאר נ םי הוצמ ורחאו נ םי הבוח יביתימ םימ ושאר נ םי ורחאו נ םי םי נ ורחאו םי נ ושאר םימ יביתימ הבוח םי נ ורחאו הוצמ םי נ ושאר הבוח יעצמא םי תושר הוצמ יבגל תושר הבוח ירק הל ג אפו םימ ושאר נ םי ורחאו נ םי הבוח יעצמא םי תושר ושאר נ םי םי נ ושאר תושר םי יעצמא הבוח םי נ ורחאו םי נ ושאר םימ אפו ג הל ירק הבוח תושר יבגל הוצמ תושר םי ןילטונ ןיב ילכב ןיב לע יבג עקרק םינורחא ןיא ןילטונ אלא ילכב ירמאו הל ןיא ןילטונ לע יבג עקרק יאמ והייניב אכיא אכיא יב נ י והי יק אסנ םימ נושאר םי נ ילטו ן יב ן ימחב ן יב ן וצב נ ן ורחא נ םי יא ן נ ילטו ן אלא וצב נ ן נפמ י ימחש ן יעפעפמ ן תא תא ן יעפעפמ ן ימחש י נפמ ן נ וצב אלא ן ילטו נ ן יא םי נ ורחא ן נ וצב ן יב ן ימחב ן יב ן ילטו נ םי נושאר םימ אסנ יק והי י נ יב םידיה יאו ן יריבעמ ן תא זה :אמהו םימ נושאר םי נ ילטו ן יב ן ימחב ן יב ן וצב נ ן : רמא בר קחצי רב י ףסו רמא יבר י יאנ אל אל יאנ י יבר רמא ףסו י רב קחצי בר רמא : ן נ וצב ן יב ן ימחב ן יב ן ילטו נ םי נושאר םימ :אמהו זה תא ן יריבעמ ן יאו םידיה … נש ו אלא יאש ן דיה תדלוס ןהב לבא דיה תדלוס הב ן א י ן נ ו לט י ן הב ןה טונ ןיא ןה

8 § Having mentioned the manner of washing hands during a meal, the Gemara discusses another matter concerning washing hands. Rav Idi bar Avin says that Rav Yitzḥak bar Ashyan says: The first waters, i.e., washing of the hands before eating bread, are a mitzva by rabbinic law, but the final waters, washing of the hands upon conclusion of the meal and before reciting Grace after Meals, are an obligation, a more stringent requirement. The Gemara raises an objection to this ruling from a : The first waters and the…

כרב תו ומ ב ח: - גי 46b:8-13

יַמ םִ םיִנוֹשׁאִר ןָכיֵהֵמ ?ןיִליִחְתַמ רַמֲא :הּיֵל ןִמ .לוֹדָגַּה בֵשֵׁי לוֹדָגּ יְו רוֹמְשִׁ ויָדָי דַﬠ ןיִלְטוֹנֶּשׁ ָלּוּכּ ?ן מֲא רַ ֵ ל :הּי אְ ל לַ תְּ רַ רַ תְּ לַ אְ ל :הּי ֵ ל רַ מֲא ?ן יַמ וּתיְ אָכַּתּ .הּיֵמַּק יַמ םִ ֲחַא נוֹר םיִ הֵ מ כיֵ ןָ תַ מ חְ ליִ ?ןיִ מֲא רַ :הּיֵ ל ןִ מ קַּ ה טָ .ןָ גְ ו לוֹדָ תָ י ביֵ יְ ו דָ ויָ הוֹזְ מ תוֹמָ דַﬠ טוֹנֶּשׁ לְ ןיִ ןיִ לְ טוֹנֶּשׁ דַﬠ תוֹמָ הוֹזְ מ ויָ דָ יְ ו ביֵ תָ י לוֹדָ גְ ו .ןָ טָ קַּ ה ןִ מ :הּיֵ ל רַ מֲא ?ןיִ ליִ חְ תַ מ ןָ כיֵ הֵ מ םיִ נוֹר לּוּכּ ?ןָ מֲא רַ ֵ ל :הּי אָ ל סְ מ לַּ קְ יִ כַּ תּ אָ קִּ מ מַּ הּיֵ דַ ﬠ נְ דּ מיִ טְ יֵ יַּ מ אָ גְ ל בַּ .הּיֵ מֲא רַ בַ ר :תֶשֵׁשׁ נֲא אָ תַ מ נְ יִ אָת ,אָנְﬠַדָי :אָיְנַתְדּ :אָיְנַתְדּ … דַציֵכּ רֶדֵס ?הָבִּסֲה — ןַמְזִבּ ןֵהֶשׁ יֵתְּשׁ תוֹטִּמ — לוֹדָגּ בֵסֵמ ,שׁאֹרָבּ יִנֵשְׁו וֹל הָטַּמְל וּנֶּמיֵה הָטַּמְל וֹל יִנֵשְׁו ,שׁאֹרָבּ בֵסֵמ לוֹדָגּ

Rav asked the about the Persian practice with regard to the first waters. When washing hands before the meal, from where do they begin? The Exilarch said to him: They begin from the greatest. Rav Sheshet asked: If that is so, should the greatest person present sit and keep his hands clean and wait until everyone has washed so that they may all be served? The Exilarch said to him: They bring him his table [takka] immediately, as the custom was that each person ate at his own private table…

הטוס ד ד:ב -זSotah 4b:4-7

שרד בר וע ארי נמז י ן רמא הל הימשמ יברד ימא ו נמז י ן רמא הל הימשמ יברד יסא לכ לכואה םחל אלב תליטנ םידי םידי תליטנ אלב םחל לכואה לכ יסא יברד הימשמ הל רמא ן י נמז ו ימא יברד הימשמ הל רמא ן י נמז ארי וע בר שרד וליאכ אב לע השא ז ו הנ רמאנש ילשמ( ו , )וכ יכ דעב השא ז ו הנ דע רככ םחל רמא אבר יאה דעב השא ז ו הנ דע רככ םחל םחל רככ דע הנ ו ז השא דעב יאה אבר רמא םחל רככ דע הנ ו ז השא דעב יכ )וכ , ו ילשמ( רמאנש הנ ו ז השא לע אב וליאכ דעב רככ םחל דע השא ז ו הנ יעבימ היל אלא רמא אבר לכ אבה ע ל השא הנוז ףוסל שקבמ רככ םחל ר"א אקירז רמא א"ר א"ר רמא אקירז ר"א םחל רככ שקבמ ףוסל הנוז השא ל לכ לזלזמה תליטנב םידי רקענ ןמ םלועה מא ר בר יח אי רב ישא רמא בר םימ נושאר םי ךירצ היבגיש ידי ו הלעמל םימ םימ הלעמל ו ידי היבגיש ךירצ םי נושאר םימ בר רמא ישא רב אי יח בר ר םינורחא ךירצ ליפשיש ידי ו הטמל אינת ימנ יכה לטונה ידי ו ךירצ היבגיש ידי ו הלעמל אמש ואצי םימה ץוח קרפל ו ורזחי וזיו רלץחםמ וצ אשהעל ד הבי יצ ד לוה כ ינ יתהמ ויי יששךר יוח … ו ואמטי תא םידיה תא ואמטי

The Gemara continues its discussion of washing hands. says that Rabbi Elazar says: Anyone who treats the ritual of washing hands with contempt is uprooted from the world. Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi says that Rav says: With regard to the first water, i.e., the water used when washing one’s hands before a meal, one must raise his hands upward after washing. With regard to the last water, i.e., the water used when washing one’s hands at the conclusion of the meal before reciting Grace after Meals, one must lower his hands downward.

§ Having quoted an allusion from the verse: “For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a loaf of bread” (Proverbs 6:26), the Gemara offers another interpretation of that verse. interpreted a verse homiletically; there were times he said this interpretation in the name of Rabbi Ami and there were times he said it in the name of Rabbi Asi: Concerning anyone who eats bread without washing his hands, it is as if he engaged in sexual intercourse with a prostitute…

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RAMBAM

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Rav Asher Meir writes:4

MAYIM ACHARONIM - WASHING HANDS AFTER A MEAL

There are two main passages that discuss mayim acharonim:

The taught [in a beraita]: [Anointing the hands with] oil is indispensable for the berakha, so says Rebbe Zilai; Rebbe Zivai says it is not indispensable. Rav Acha says, good oil is indispensable [for someone who always uses it - ].

Rebbe Zuhamai says: Just as a [Kohen who is] tamei (mezuham) is unfit for avoda, so are hands that are soiled (mezuhamot) unfit for a berakha.

Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: I don't know not from Zilai and not from Zivai and not from Zuhamai. But I know the beraita that Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: "And you shall sanctify yourselves" (Lev 20:7) - this refers to mayim rishonim; "and you shall be holy" - this refers to mayim acharonim; "for holy" - this is oil; "am I, the Lord your God" - this refers to the berakha. (Berakhot 53b)

The second passage is from Chullin:

Rav Idi bar Avin said in the name of Rav Yitzchak bar Ashyan: Mayim rishonim are a mitzva (commandment); acharonim - a chova (obligation).

Rishonim can be washed either into a vessel or onto the ground; acharonim - only into a vessel; others say - they shouldn't be washed over the ground. The difference between [these wordings] is [to wash over] wood chips.

Mayim rishonim can be either hot or cold, acharonim - cold only, because hot water penetrates the hands and doesn't wash away the soil...

Rav Yehuda the son of Rebbe Chiya said: why did they call mayim acharonim an obligation? Because of Sodomite salt, which blinds the eyes.

Abaye said: I used to say that mayim acharonim are not rinsed onto the ground because of the soil, until my master said to me: because a ruach ra'ah indwells in them. (Chullin 105a- b)

REASONS FOR MAYIM ACHARONIM

4 https://www.etzion.org.il/en/simanim-181-182-mayim-acharonim

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Three distinct reasons seem to be given for mayim acharonim, while yet a fourth reason seems to be hinted at. Let us list and then reconcile these reasons.

1. Rebbe Zuhamai says that "hands that are soiled (mezuhamot) are unfit for a berakha."

2. bar Yitzchak says that the source is from the verse "And you shall be holy."

3. Rav Yehuda the son of Rebbe Chiya says that there is an obligation because of the Sodomite salt.

4. Abaye says that we shouldn't wash onto the floor because there is a ruach ra'ah in the water. Where does this ruach come from? Doesn't it imply that there is a ruach ra'ah on the hands themselves - just as the ruach ra'ah on the water that we use to wash in the morning stems from the ruach ra'ah on the hands Orach Chayim 4:2

Let us make order among these considerations.

1, 2. The first two reasons remind us of the two rationales mentioned for washing in the morning: because of dirt or because of sanctification. (See MB 4:1.) It seems that just as there is a dispute among the Rishonim about which of these two reasons obligates washing in the morning, there is a dispute among the (and perhaps even ) about which of these reasons obligates mayim acharonim. Or perhaps both reasons are operative: Rebbe Zuhamai points out that it is improper to bench with dirty hands, and proves from a beraita that even if the hands are clean, washing is necessary in order to bench with kedusha. (Alternatively, the requirement for kedusha may be the reason why washing with dirty hands is inappropriate, in which case the two reasons are one.)

3. Rav Yehuda the son of Rebbe Chiya does not give the reason for washing mayim acharonim, but rather the reason it is called a "chova." The Rishonim explain that the reasons above make it a mitzva, whereas the consideration of Sodomite salt elevate it to a chova, what the Rashba calls "the obligation to protect the body."

4. The BH (d.h. "ela") unambiguously implies that there is NO ruach ra'ah on the hands before mayim acharonim.

Ironically, it seems to be the washing itself that creates the ruach ra'ah! This can be likened to the ruach ra'ah after cutting one's nails (SA OC 4:18-19). There is no ruach ra'ah on the

12 fingernails when they are part of the body, but detaching them creates a vacuum of kedusha as they lose their status as part of the body, which is the abode of the soul.

Similarly, food eaten in the proper spirit of sanctity is elevated as it is made part of the body. But what is left over on the hands has lost its potential for this elevation to holiness. Such a lost or frustrated potential is one way of understanding the concept of "ruach ra'ah" and tuma. Until the hands are washed, there is still the chance that the food sticking to them will be eaten, but washing the hands concludes the meal and sentences the rinsed-off remainders to a grim fate.

According to this explanation, the ruach ra'ah could still be considered a rationale for washing, since benching without washing would also relegate the soil on the hands to remainders and imbue them with a ruach ra'ah. While the hands do not have a ruach ra'ah prior to washing, they would acquire one if we went ahead and benched without washing.

NAFKA MINA

There are various consequences of these distinctions.

(i) If one person is making the blessing for the others, then reasons 1 and 2, which relate to birkhat ha-mazon, apply only to him. The others have an obligation to wash because of the salt, but this could wait until after grace (Raavad, Rosh).

(ii) Washing because of cleanliness could possibly be waived for someone whose hands are clean, e.g. if the meal was eaten with flatware. But "kedusha," if it is a separate consideration, would still obligate washing. (Again, this corresponds to the dispute regarding washing in the morning. According to the Rosh, who says that the reason is because of cleanliness, one whose hands are certainly clean does not need to wash. (Example: he was up all night and is sure he did not touch any dirty place. Or he wore gloves - see Yabia Omer IV:2.) But according to the Rashba, washing is still obligatory.

(iii) Since mayim acharonim are called a "chova," it is obligatory even in a military camp, when we are exempt from the "mere" mitzva of mayim rishonim (Eiruvin 17b).

Tosafot, however, conflate reasons 1, 2 and 3. They write that the original reason for mayim acharonim is Sodomite salt alone. Since no one wants this salt on his hands, it is considered soil, and therefore kedusha requires washing it off. They conclude that nowadays when such salt is not common, ALL of these reasons lapse and therefore no washing is necessary. Normal dirt prevents making a berakha only if people are normally careful about this; Tosafot liken this to oil, which is indispensable only for someone accustomed to it, according to Rashi's explanation of Rav Acha. But for someone not accustomed to wash before benching, such normal dirt is not considered "zuhama" at all. (All this explained in MB s.k. 22.) It follows that someone who IS sensitive to such dirt MUST wash mayim acharonim even nowadays - as the SA rules in se'if 10.

13 BLESSING ON MAYIM ACHARONIM

Mayim rishonim require a blessing, "al netilat yadayim." What about mayim acharonim?

There is a responsum of the , ruling that a berakha IS required on mayim acharonim. The berakha is "al rechitzat yadayim," since there is no requirement to wash from a vessel, which according to some opinions is the meaning of the word "netila." This is also the view of the Rama (author of the Yad Rama).

Conversely, according to the opinion of the Tosafot, the entire basis for mayim acharonim is to protect ourselves from the Sodomite salt. According to this approach, even when such salt IS common, no berakha is necessary, since we do not make a blessing on halakhic obligations that are only intended to protect our well being.

The Raavad has an intermediate view. As we mentioned above in (i), according to the Raavad there is a requirement to wash BEFORE benching only for the person who actually says the blessing. In addition, he views this obligation as being based on the "zuhama," which as we explained in (ii) relates only to one whose hands are actually dirty. Therefore, if someone has soiled hands and is reciting the benching himself, he needs to wash mayim acharonim with a berakha, before benching; otherwise, no berakha is required on the washing.

The custom today is explained in Orach Chayim 7.

14 Rabbi Jay Gelman writes:5

Our Daf states: "Four obligations were nullified in a [military] camp”. The Torah goes to great lengths to ensure that the Jewish army fulfills the biblical mandate that "your camp shall be holy" (Deut 23:15).

The laws of ba'al tashchit, the wanton destruction of property, are recorded specifically in regard to a war situation (how much more was human life to be valued); sanitation standards had to be enforced; and it was the Torah's fear of rape that led to the law of a captured woman (see Deut 21:10-15).

At the same time, the rabbis exempted soldiers from certain laws, specifically those regarding meal preparation. The soldier was permitted to eat demai, food on which it was doubtful whether tithes had been taken, something normally only allowed for the poor. They also could dispense with the construction of an eiruv on , allowing them to carry from one area in the camp to another. The requirement to ritually wash one's hands before eating a meal was dispensed with. Yet, the notes that this exemption does not apply to mayim achronim, the washing of one's hands that was to be done after a meal. Some mitzvoth have no mazel; and for reasons that are not fully clear, this requirement to wash after every meal is virtually ignored today.

"Rav Hiyya bar Ashi said: Why did they say that mayim achronim is obligatory? Because there is salt of Sedom that blinds the eyes" (17b).

;And the two angels came to Sodom at even 1 א וּאֹבָיַּו יֵנְשׁ םיִכָאְלַמַּה ,הָמֹדְס ,בֶרֶﬠָבּ ,טוֹלְו בֵשֹׁי רַﬠַשְׁבּ - and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot saw ְס ;םֹד אְרַיַּו - טוֹל םָקָיַּו ,םָתאָרְקִל יַּו ִ וּחַתְּשׁ םִיַפַּא .הָצְרָא םִיַפַּא וּחַתְּשׁ them, and rose up to meet them; and he fell down on his face to the earth;

and he said: 'Behold now, my lords, turn 2 ב רֶמאֹיַּו הֶנִּה אָנּ - ,יַנֹדֲא וּרוּס אָנ לֶא - תיֵבּ םֶכְדְּבַﬠ וּניִלְו וּניִלְו םֶכְדְּבַﬠ תיֵבּ ,aside, I pray you, into your servant's house וּצֲחַרְו ,םֶכיֵלְגַר ,םֶתְּמַכְּשִׁהְו םֶתְּכַלֲהַו ;םֶכְכְּרַדְל וּרְמאֹיַּו ,אֹלּ ,אֹלּ וּרְמאֹיַּו ;םֶכְכְּרַדְל םֶתְּכַלֲהַו ,םֶתְּמַכְּשִׁהְו ,םֶכיֵלְגַר וּצֲחַרְו and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye יִכּ בוֹחְרָב .ןיִלָנ בוֹחְרָב יִכּ shall rise up early, and go on your way.' And they said: 'Nay; but we will abide in the broad place all night.

5 https://www.torahinmotion.org/discussions-and-blogs/eiruvin-17a-pesach-and-salt-sedom

15 Gen 19:1-2

"The two angels came to Sedom in the evening...and he [Lot] made for them a feast, and he baked matzah and they ate" (Gen 19:1, 3). It is not by chance that matzah makes its appearance in Sedom, the city known for its cruelty to strangers. Our Sages noted that it must have been Pesach, quite an anachronistic idea considering that it would be 400 years until the Exodus. But Lot understood- and our rabbis surely understood-the true meaning of Pesach. While Lot had many moral failings, he also exhibited many wonderful qualities including that of hachnasat orchim, welcoming strangers. It is not by chance that we begin our seder by inviting all those who are hungry to come and eat.

Developing our concern for others was the primary goal of our sojourn in Egypt. We witnessed how the most advanced civilization of the ancient world was a morally decadent one. There was and is little correlation between scientific progress and moral development. G-d wanted us to see that firsthand as we were to become a special nation, one that focused first and foremost on moral development, and only afterwards on technological progress.

Over and over again, the Torah admonishes us to be kind to the stranger, as we were strangers in the land of Egypt. The matzah is our reminder of this crucial lesson. It is lechem oni, the bread of the poor-whom we must never forget. Sedom was the economic center of Israel, and its financial opportunities were what attracted Lot to move there. But even more than Egypt, they were known for their fear of and cruelty to the stranger. They did not understand the message of the matzah, and it is most fitting that Lot served matzah to his unknown guests. The story of Pesach is not limited to time or place, and its message of freedom and dignity for all continues to resonate.

Our rabbis teach that the reward for a fast day is charity; by depriving ourselves of food, it is much easier to feel the pain of others. When we are satiated, it is very easy to forget the needs of others. After we finish a meal, we must wash away any residue of Sedom, and ensure that the less fortunate are not forgotten.

The message of Sedom is crucial for the Jewish soldiers. Readying for battle against strangers, where cruelty is so often the norm, the soldier must cleanse himself of any trace of Sedom. Lot's wife looked back to Sedom, wondering what good she was leaving behind. Her legacy is that of a pillar of salt, and we must ensure that none of that salt rubs off on us.

16 Hassidic Masters and Mayim Acharonim

Sotah 4b (see above)

Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi says that Rav says: With regard to the first water, i.e., the water used when washing one’s hands before a meal, one must raise his hands upward after washing. With regard to the last water, i.e., the water used when washing one’s hands at the conclusion of the meal before reciting Grace after Meals, one must lower his hands downward.

Even though the beraisa explains the reason for raising the hadns upward (to avoid the possibility of water dripping back down onto the hands) yet Rav does not explan why.

Yet his words are derived from deep wisdom. For the sanctity of the hands when raised upwards are where they should be placed as is written:

,And Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people 22 בכ יַּו ִ אָשּׂ ןֹרֲהַא תֶא - וָדָי לֶא - and blessed them; and he came down from offering ָה ,םָﬠ יַו רָבְ ;םֵכְ רֵיַּו ,דֶ תֹשֲׂﬠֵמ תֹשֲׂﬠֵמ ,דֶ רֵיַּו ;םֵכְ רָבְ יַו ,םָﬠ the sin-offering, and the burnt-offering, and the תאָטַּחַה הָלֹעָהְו -- ַהְו .םיִמָלְשּׁ peace-offerings. Lev 9:22

17 Therefore the ritual is called “Netilas Yadayim” as is stated:

In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the 9 ט לָכְבּ - םָתָרָצ אל )וֹל( ,רָצ ,רָצ )וֹל( אל םָתָרָצ angel of His presence saved them; in His love and מוּ לַ אְ ַ ָפּ ָנ וי שׁוֹה ﬠיִ םָ -- וֹתָבֲהַאְבּ וֹתָבֲהַאְבּ ,in His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them בוּ חְ מֶ לְ ,וֹתָ אוּה אְ ג לָ ;םָ םֵלְטַּנְיַו םֵלְטַּנְיַו .and carried them all the days of old ,םֵאְשַּׂנְיַו לָכּ - יֵמְי .םָלוֹע יֵמְי Isa 63:9

For the hands are worthy of being raised, therefore it is appropriate for mayim rishonim to raise the hands.

The Nesivos Sholom then contrasts:

However mayim acharonim one must lower one’s hands because of melech sedomis in order to remove it, therefore one lowers one’s hands.

You must understand (mystically) that mayim rishonim comes from the right side (of the sefirotic tree) therefore one should raise one’s hands as stated:

The right hand of the LORD is exalted; the right 16 זט ןיִמְי ,הָוהְי ;הָמֵמוֹר ןיִמְי ןיִמְי .hand of the LORD doeth valiantly הְי ,הָו הָשֹׂע .לִיָח הָשֹׂע ,הָו

Psalm 118:16

And mayim acharonim from (the worry of) melech sedomis form the left side therefore the need to lower one’s hands.

18 In this dazzling Torah he contrasts right vs left, upper vs lower, before vs after and the two sides of the tree of life, the foreground (right) and the darker side (left).

Speaking of salt, Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg writes:6

All the heave-offerings of the holy things, which the 19 טי לֹכּ תֹמוּרְתּ ,םיִשָׁדֳקַּה רֶשֲׁא רָי וּמיִ וּמיִ רָי רֶשֲׁא ,םיִשָׁדֳקַּה תֹמוּרְתּ לֹכּ ,children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee יֵנְב - לֵאָרְשִׂי הָוהיַל -- יִתַּתָנ ְל יֶנָבְלוּ יֶנָבְלוּ ְל יִתַּתָנ ;and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, as a due for ever יֶתֹנְבִלְו ,ְתִּא קָחְל - לוֹע ָ ם : תיִרְבּ חַלֶמ it is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD unto לוֹע םָ אוִ ה פִ ל נְ ֵ י והְ י ,הָ ְ ל לוּ זְ רַ ֲﬠְ תִּ א .ָתּ ְֲר ְל ְל,ָוְייֵנ ִלאִהם וֹ thee and to thy seed with thee.'

Num 18:19

RASHI

לכ תמורת :םישדקה חמ י התב לש השרפ ז ו All the gifts of the holy [offerings]: Because this הללכ הלחתב ו הללכ וסב ף ו טרפ עצמאב : passage is so cherished, it is generalized at the

beginning, generalized at the end, and detailed in the middle. — [Sifrei Korach 43] רב תי חלמ וע :םל תרכ תירב םע ןרהא רבדב An eternal covenant of salt: He enacted a covenant אירבה יקתמו םי אירבמו תא :םירחא with Aaron, with an object that is wholesome and

lasting, and keeps other foodstuffs wholesome. — [Sifrei Korach 43] רב תי :חלמ רבכ תי רכה התו חלמל יאש נ ו covenant of salt: Like a covenant made with salt, that

רסמ י ח על ו םל : .it should never spoil

A later Hassidic commentator, Rabbi Israel Joshua Tronk of Kutno, adds to Rashi’s observation: “Just as salt causes an item which is pickled to decrease in size, yet at the same time ensures that it will not be spoiled for a lengthy period of time, the same is true when one brings different offerings. The person may lose something belonging to him, but giving these offerings helps ensure that he will keep that which is his.”

It may seem counter-intuitive, but Tronk says we retain our possessions by diminishing them. It’s like that old song:

“….it’s just like a magic penny, hold it tight and you won’t have any. Lend it, spend it and you’ll have so many, they’ll roll all over the floor.”

6 https://bethambaltimore.org/religiouslife/sermons/brit-melach-an-ode-to-salt/

19

The sacrificial impulse:

20