יום א Date: 13 Nissan, 5774 (4/13/14) – Beitzah#14 {Tani}

Spice it Up

Mishna [14a]: Spices and salts are different in regards to how they may be crushed on YomTov. Beis Shammai: spices may be crushed with a wooden pestle while salts must be done using an earthenware flask or a wooden mixing spoon. Beis Hillel: spices may be crushed using a usual stone pestle while salt is done with a wooden pestle.
Why the difference? Gemarah: All cooked dishes need salt (therefore the crushing should have been done before the holiday). However, not all cooked dishes need spices and/or spices lose their flavor once crushed but salt does not.

T’s lesson#1: We should always make sure to have the proper preparations done in advance of YomTov so as to never have the problem of even considering breaking one of the laws. We should be so exact in our performance that we have everything done in advance.

T’s lesson#2: Just as salt never loses its flavor, so too we should never lose our love for the taste of how good mitzvos. Even though we do many mitzvos daily, they should always be fresh to us. And just as salt endures for time, so too will the Jews will always remain, as G-d has promised us.