Siman - Beitzah Daf 14
- The difference between crushing salt and other spices
In the next Mishnah, Beis Shammai say that crushing spices on Yom Tov requires a שינוי זוטא – a minor change, while crushing salt requires a greater שינוי. Beis Hillel hold that crushing spices does not require any שינוי, and crushing salt requires a minor שינוי. The Gemara notes that both Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel agree that crushing salt requires more of a שינוי than crushing spices and asks for the reason. Rav Huna and Rav Chisda offered different explanations. One said: כל הקדרות כולן צריכות מלח ואין כל הקדרות צריכות תבלין – All cooked dishes need salt, but not all cooked dishes require spices. Meaning, that even if a person did not know which dish he would cook before Yom Tov, he certainly knew that he would need salt. He therefore should have crushed salt before Yom Tov. The other one said: כל התבלין מפיגין טעמן ומלח אינה מפיגה טעמה – All spices begin losing their flavor after being crushed, but salt does not begin to lose its flavor after being crushed. The nafka minah between the two explanations is when he knew before Yom Tov that he was going to cook a dish that required spices, or in a situation that he decided to cook a dish on Yom Tov with מוריקא – saffron, which does not lose any flavor after being crushed.
- בורר
The next Mishnah states: הבורר קטניות ביום טוב – If a person wants to separate a mixture of kitniyos and פסולת, such as earth and straw, on Yom Tov, Beis Shammai say: בורר אוכל ואוכל – He must separate the food from the פסולת and eat it. He may not separate the פסולת from the food because Beis Shammai prohibit בורר on Yom Tov as well, even when it is for food preparation. Beis Hillel say: בורר כדרכו – He separates in the usual manner by taking the פסולת from the food. According to Beis Hillel, בורר is permitted on Yom Tov because it is a melachah that may be performed in preparation for food. It was taught in a Baraisa, Rabban Gamliel said that Beis Hillel was referring to a case כשהאוכל מרובה על הפסולת – only when the food is more than the פסולת, but if the פסולת is more than the food, everybody agrees that he must take the food and leave the פסולת, since this requires less effort. The Gemara asks how it would be permitted to take the food from the פסולת when there is more פסולת, given that the earth and straw are muktzeh and the entire mixture should thus be deemed muktzeh. The Gemara answers that this above ruling is in a situation דנפיש בטרחא וזוטר בשיעורא – when taking out the פסולת requires more effort than taking out the food but the amount of פסולת is smaller than the amount of food.
- Machlokes regarding what one may send as a present to a friend on Yom Tov
The next Mishnah states: Beis Shammai say: אין משלחין ביום טוב אלא מנות – We may not send presents on Yom Tov with the exception of readied portions. Rashi explains that only food ready to be eaten, and not commonly left over until the next day, such as sliced portions of meat and fish, may be sent to friends. But Beis Hillel say that we may send animals, beasts and fowl, whether alive or shechted, as well as wines, oils, fine flours and kitniyos, but not grain. Since grinding the grain could have been done before Yom Tov, without detracting from its taste, it is prohibited to be done. Rebbe Shimon permits grain to be sent. Rashi explains that it is possible to grind the grain on Yom Tov by first cooking it and then grinding it in a small mortar.
