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.
Abaye 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 Rava, said to Rav Ashi: If one measured
salt and came into contact with Sodomite salt not during mealtime, what is the halakha? 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

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Tosafos DH MAYIM ACHARONIM CHOVAH

‫ת וס פ ות ד " ה מ י ם א ח ר וני ם ח וב ה‬
Tosfos explains why we do not wash Mayim Acharonim.

‫ע כ ש י ו ל א נ ה ג ו ב מ י ם א ח ר וני ם ד א ין מ ל ח ס ד ו מ י ת מ צ וי ב ינינ ו‬

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

‫א י נמ י ל פ י ש א ין א נ ו ר גילים ל ט ב ל א צ ב ע ות ינ ו ב מ ל ח א ח ר א כיל ה‬

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

The Mishnah 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 Shulchan Aruch 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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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:

‫ ְוִהְתַקִדְּשֶׁתּם‬,‫ֵהיֶכם‬X‫ ֱא‬,‫מד ִכּי ֲא ִני ְיהָוה‬ 44 For I am the LORD your God; sanctify yourselves
‫ ִכּי ָקדוֹשׁ ָא ִני; ְול ֹא‬,‫ִוְה ִייֶתם ְקֹדִשׁים‬ therefore, and be ye holy; for I am holy; neither shall
‫ַהֶשּׁ ֶרץ‬-‫ ְבָּכל‬,‫שֵׁתיֶכם‬ ֹ ‫ַנְפ‬-‫ֶאת‬ ‫ְתַטְמּאוּ‬ ye defile yourselves with any manner of swarming
.‫ָהָא ֶרץ‬-‫ָהֹרֵמשׂ ַﬠל‬ thing that moveth upon the earth.

‫ ַהַמֲּﬠֶלה ֶאְתֶכם ֵמֶאֶרץ‬,‫מה ִכּי ֲא ִני ְיהָוה‬ 45 For I am the LORD that brought you up out of the land
‫ִהים; ִוְה ִייֶתם‬k‫ ֵלא‬,‫ ִלְה ֹית ָלֶכם‬,‫ִמְצַר ִים‬ of Egypt, to be your God; ye shall therefore be holy, for I
.‫ ִכּי ָקדוֹשׁ ָא ִני‬,‫ְקֹדִשׁים‬ am holy.
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.

`Ritva adds that the halachah of washing ‫ אחרו מים ים‬is incumbent upon the one who recites the
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.

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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.

The Aruch HaShulchan (ibid., #5) argues forcefully in favor of the requirement to wash ‫אחרו ים‬
‫ מים‬today. He claims that even Tosafos believes that this is an obligation, but that Tosafos merely
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 Hiyya bar Ashi 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.

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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 Rishonim, 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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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 MISHNAH BERURAH (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:

Chullin 105a:13-105b:5‫ה‬:‫קה ב‬-‫יג‬:‫חולין קה א‬

‫אמר רב אידי בר אבין אמר רב יצחק בר אשיין מים ראשונים מצוה ואחרונים חובה מיתיבי מים ראשונים ואחרונים‬
‫חובה אמצעיים רשות מצוה לגבי רשות חובה קרי לה גופא מים ראשונים ואחרונים חובה אמצעיים רשות ראשונים‬
‫נוטלין בין בכלי בין על גבי קרקע אחרונים אין נוטלין אלא בכלי ואמרי לה אין נוטלין על גבי קרקע מאי בינייהו איכא‬
‫בינייהו קינסא מים ראשונים נוטלין בין בחמין בין בצונן אחרונים אין נוטלין אלא בצונן מפני שחמין מפעפעין את‬
‫ אמר רב יצחק בר יוסף אמר רבי ינאי לא‬:‫ מים ראשונים נוטלין בין בחמין בין בצונן‬:‫הידים ואין מעבירין את הזוהמא‬
‫…שנו אלא שאין היד סולדת בהן אבל היד סולדת בהן אין נוטלין בהן‬

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§ 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 baraita: The first waters and the…

Berakhot 46b:8-13‫יג‬-‫ח‬:‫ברכות מו ב‬

‫ ְלַאְלַתּר‬:‫ ֵיֵשׁב ָגּדוֹל ְו ִיְשׁמוֹר ָיָדיו ַﬠד ֶשׁנּוְֹטִלין כּוָּלּן? ֲאַמר ֵליהּ‬.‫ ִמן ַהָגּדוֹל‬:‫ַמ ִים ִראשׁוֹ ִנים ֵמֵהיָכן ַמְתִחיִלין? ֲאַמר ֵליהּ‬
‫שׁנּוְֹטִלין‬ ֶ ‫ ְוָגדוֹל ָיֵתיב ְוָיָדיו ְמזוָֹהמוֹת ַﬠד‬.‫ ִמן ַהָקָּטן‬:‫ ַמ ִים ַאֲחרוֹ ִנים ֵמֵהיָכן ַמְתִחיִלין? ֲאַמר ֵליהּ‬.‫ַמ ְייתוּ ַתָּכּא ַקֵמּיהּ‬
:‫ ְדַּת ְנָיא‬,‫ ֲאָנא ַמְת ִניָתא ָיַדְﬠָנא‬:‫שׁת‬
ֶ ‫שׁ‬
ֵ ‫ ֲאַמר ַרב‬.‫ ָלא ְמַסְלִּקי ַתָּכּא ִמַקֵּמּיהּ ַﬠד ְדּ ִניְמֵטי ַמָיּא ְלַגֵבּיהּ‬:‫כּוָּלּן? ֲאַמר ֵליהּ‬
‫ ְוֵשׁ ִני לוֹ ְלַמָטּה ֵהיֶמנּוּ‬,‫שֵׁהן ְשֵׁתּי ִמטּוֹת — ָגּדוֹל ֵמֵסב ָבּר ֹאשׁ‬ ֶ ‫…ֵכּיַצד ֵסֶדר ֲהִסָבּה? — ִבְּזַמן‬

Rav Sheshet asked the Exilarch 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…

Sotah 4b:4-7‫ז‬-‫ד‬:‫סוטה ד ב‬
‫דרש רב עוירא זמנין אמר לה משמיה דרבי אמי וזמנין אמר לה משמיה דרבי אסי כל האוכל לחם בלא נטילת ידים‬
‫ כו( כי בעד אשה זונה עד ככר לחם אמר רבא האי בעד אשה זונה עד ככר לחם‬,‫כאילו בא על אשה זונה שנאמר )משלי ו‬
‫בעד ככר לחם עד אשה זונה מיבעי ליה אלא אמר רבא כל הבא על אשה זונה לסוף מבקש ככר לחם א"ר זריקא אמר ר"א‬
‫כל המזלזל בנטילת ידים נעקר מן העולם אמר רב חייא בר אשי אמר רב מים ראשונים צריך שיגביה ידיו למעלה מים‬
‫אחרונים צריך שישפיל ידיו למטה תניא נמי הכי הנוטל ידיו צריך שיגביה ידיו למעלה שמא יצאו המים חוץ לפרק ויחזרו‬
‫… ויטמאו את הידים‬

The Gemara continues its discussion of washing hands. Rabbi Zerika 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. Rav Avira
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 Rabbis 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 - Rashi].

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. Rav Nachman 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 Amoraim (and perhaps even Tannaim) 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 Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak 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

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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, Tosafot 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.

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BLESSING ON MAYIM ACHARONIM

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

There is a responsum of the Geonim, 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 Shabbat, 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
Talmud 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).

-‫ ֹיֵשׁב ְבַּשַׁﬠר‬,‫ ְולוֹט‬,‫ ָבֶּﬠֶרב‬,‫א ַוָיֹּבאוּ ְשֵׁני ַהַמְּלָאִכים ְסֹדָמה‬ 1 And the two angels came to Sodom at even;
.‫ ַו ִיְּשַׁתּחוּ ַאַפּ ִים ָא ְרָצה‬,‫לוֹט ַוָיָּקם ִלְקָראָתם‬-‫ְסֹדם; ַוַיּ ְרא‬ and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot saw
them, and rose up to meet them; and he fell
down on his face to the earth;

‫ֵבּית ַﬠְבְדֶּכם ְוִלינוּ‬-‫ סוּרוּ ָנא ֶאל‬,‫ֲאֹדַני‬-‫ב ַויּ ֹאֶמר ִהֶנּה ָנּא‬ 2 and he said: 'Behold now, my lords, turn
,‫ ַוֲהַלְכֶתּם ְלַד ְרְכֶּכם; ַויּ ֹאְמרוּ לּ ֹא‬,‫ ְוִהְשַׁכְּמֶתּם‬,‫ְוַרֲחצוּ ַרְגֵליֶכם‬ aside, I pray you, into your servant's house,
.‫ִכּי ָב ְרחוֹב ָנִלין‬ and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye
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:

-‫ָיָדו ֶאל‬-‫שּׂא ַאֲהֹרן ֶאת‬ ָ ‫ כב ַו ִיּ‬22 And Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people,
‫שׂת‬ֹ ‫ ֵמֲﬠ‬,‫ ַו ְיָב ְרֵכם; ַוֵיּ ֶרד‬,‫ ָהָﬠם‬and blessed them; and he came down from offering
.‫ ְוַהְשָּׁלִמים‬--‫ַהַחָטּאת ְוָהֹעָלה‬ the sin-offering, and the burnt-offering, and the
peace-offerings.
Lev 9:22

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

,‫ָצ ָרָתם לא )לוֹ( ָצר‬-‫ט ְבָּכל‬
‫ְבַּאֲהָבתוֹ‬--‫וַּמְלַא~ ָפָּניו הוִֹשׁיָﬠם‬
‫ הוּא ְגָאָלם; ַו ְיַנְטֵּלם‬,‫וְּבֶחְמָלתוֹ‬
.‫ ְיֵמי עוָֹלם‬-‫ ָכּל‬,‫ַו ְיַנְשֵּׂאם‬
9 In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the
angel of His presence saved them; in His love and
in His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them,
and carried them all the days of old.
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:

‫ְיִמין‬ ;‫ רוֵֹמָמה‬,‫ טז ְיִמין ְיהָוה‬16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted; the right
.‫שׂה ָח ִיל‬
ָ ‫ ֹע‬,‫ְיהָוה‬ hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.

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

‫ ֲאֶשׁר ָי ִרימוּ‬,‫יט ֹכּל ְתּרוֹּמת ַהֳקָּדִשׁים‬ 19 All the heave-offerings of the holy things, which the
š‫ וְּלָבֶני‬š‫ָנַתִתּי ְל‬--‫ ִיְשׂ ָרֵאל ַליהָוה‬-‫ְבֵני‬ children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee,
‫ ְבּ ִרית ֶמַלח‬:‫עוָֹלם‬-‫ ְלָחק‬,š‫ ִאְתּ‬š‫ְוִלְבֹנֶתי‬ and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, as a due for ever;
.œ‫ ִאָתּ‬š‫ וְּלַז ְרֲﬠ‬š‫ ְל‬,‫עוָֹלם ִהוא ִלְפֵני ְיהָוה‬ it is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD unto
thee and to thy seed with thee.'

Num 18:19

RASHI

All the gifts of the holy [offerings]: Because this ‫ מחיבתה של פרשה זו‬:‫כל תרומת הקדשים‬
passage is so cherished, it is generalized at the :‫כללה בתחלה וכללה בסוף ופרט באמצע‬
beginning, generalized at the end, and detailed in the
middle. — [Sifrei Korach 43]
An eternal covenant of salt: He enacted a covenant ‫ כרת ברית עם אהרן בדבר‬:‫ברית מלח עולם‬
with Aaron, with an object that is wholesome and :‫הבריא ומתקיים ומבריא את אחרים‬
lasting, and keeps other foodstuffs wholesome. —
[Sifrei Korach 43]
covenant of salt: Like a covenant made with salt, that ‫ כברית הכרותה למלח שאינו‬:‫ברית מלח‬
it should never spoil. :‫מסריח לעולם‬

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