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Meaning in Mitzvot -
Lesson 24

Simanim 36 and 37 - Salting and Immersion of Utensils

21.09.2014
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Rav Ganzfried explains the process of salting meat in order to eliminate the blood.

The Torah forbids the eating of animal blood in strong and moving terms. (Vayikra 17:11-12) "Any person from the house of Israel or from the sojourners among them who eats any blood, I will set my face against the soul that eats blood, and I will cut him off from among its people. For the soul of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to atone for your souls; for it is blood, and atones for the soul."

The blood of an animal is viewed as the essence of its life - as in the English expression "life's blood." The blood exemplifies the beast's animation as well as its bestiality. Human beings too have animal energy and a bestial nature, as we too at some level are animals. However, the Torah constantly urges us to distinguish ourselves from the beasts and emphasize our uniquely human nature, which is an expression of our Divine image.

By pouring out the blood of the sacrifice on the base of the altar, we are, as it were, pouring out our bestiality. This is an atonement for our souls, which sin by occasionally yielding to their lower, bestial impulses. We then offer up the rest of the sacrifice, which is the more neutral materiality of the animal. We have the ability and responsibility to elevate and sanctify the material, but this can only be done by our Divine faculties - not by our bestial ones, which will only degrade us.

If on the contrary we EAT the blood, it is as if we are anxious to assimilate the bestial nature of the animal to our own natures. Indeed, drinking animal blood was a widespread pagan ritual for this very reason - the belief that drinking the blood, the essence of the bestiality, would bestow some of the animal's savage energy on the blood-thirsty celebrant. (See Rambam's "Guide to the Perplexed" III:46. This practice is also mentioned in Homer.)

For this reason we are extremely scrupulous about not eating blood. We do not limit ourselves to pouring out the "life-blood" which bleeds out naturally following slaughter, but we also thoroughly salt the meat in order to extract the blood which is normally absorbed in the meat. (Any blood which is left after thorough salting is considered the redness of the meat itself and is permitted.)

RINSING THE MEAT 

Rav Ganzfried explains that the meat needs rinsing BEFORE salting (seif 1) as well as AFTER salting (seif 12). This order is very important, and the meat can be ruined if it is salted before rinsing, as hinted in seif 14.

The halakhic reason for this is that while salt has the ability to extract the absorbed blood, it also has the property of pickling, which is considered a kind of cooking. First we rinse the meat to remove blood on the surface, and only afterwards do we salt the meat to remove the absorbed blood. If, the blood on the surface of the meat is not rinsed off, it could be pickled into the meat by the salt, thus rendering the meat forbidden.

The hidden meaning of this rule relates to the symbolism of blood as our animal natures. Every person has some shortcomings which are visible and obvious, the "blood on the surface," and other character flaws which are hidden, "absorbed" in his being. We strive to cleanse ourselves of all of these imperfections. The most obvious shortcomings are the easiest to eliminate, as they disappear with a mere thorough rinsing - corresponding to a superficial character assessment. Afterwards, it is appropriate to turn to a more thorough character improvement, a more stinging assessment, like pouring salt on the wound. The greatest tzaddikim were constantly exerting themselves to perfect their characters, and this process is the foundation of the "mussar" movement.

However, this order needs to be maintained. Sometimes a person seeks to correct deep hidden shortcomings without facing up to his obvious flaws. The great tzaddik Rav Aryeh Levine strove to rid himself of any desire to receive a reward for his good deeds, and this is the behavior we expect from such a saintly person. But a rude and obnoxious person who decides that from now on he is going to do good deeds without any thought of reward is "salting" before "rinsing." Instead of cleansing himself of his hidden flaws, his impudent acceptance of his revealed ones may lead to his bad qualities becoming ingrained.

We can explain the final rinsing in the same way. The first stage of ridding ourselves of our hidden flaws is to bring them out into the open. Once we have done this, we must be careful to actually rid ourselves of these traits.

THE HEART (Seif 18)

Rav Ganzfried explains that the heart can be salted only after it is torn. This is because the blood fully saturates this organ. Rav Amnon Bazak has related this to the role of the heart as the seat of our emotions. In order to purify our deepest feelings, it may be necessary to undergo a wrenching emotional experience. This reminds us of the famous epigram of the Chasidic Rebbe Rav Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, "There is nothing more complete than a broken heart."

THE LIVER (Seif 20)

The liver is so full of blood that even salting is not enough to get rid of it. The liver is prepared only through roasting, which is even more thorough in eliminating absorbed blood.

In the symbolism of the ancient world the liver is connected with the tendency to anger. We explained in chapter 29 the special negative connotations of this trait, which is identified with a kind of idolatry within us. We explained there that most personality traits are good in the proper measure, and so are relatively easy to incorporate into our personalities in a balanced way. But anger is much more problematic - it is much more difficult to rid anger of its pervasive negative influence. We can see a  hint of this in the difficulty of ridding the liver of its blood.

SIMAN 37 - IMMERSION OF EATING UTENSILS

Rav Ganzfried discusses the rule that metal and glass eating utensils which previously belonged to a non-Jew require immersion before they are fit for our use. These utensils are considered to have a kind of "tuma" or ritual impurity which is removed by immersion.

The idea of a "utensil" ("kli") is a pervasive one in halakha and in Jewish thought. It refers to any object or idea created by man to give definition and context to our world. Food and other items of use are made useful and available through the construction of artificial utensils; an idea or concept may be considered a "utensil" which "contains" and defines an abstraction which was previously vague and undefined. Just as nature abhors a vacuum, halakha abhors an object or idea which lacks a defining context.

In the case of food, the importance of enhancing the usefulness and definition of food through the use of utensils is so great that the utensils are considered in some sense a very part of the food (see Shabbat 93b). It follows that utensils which have a certain defilement due to their coming from a non-Jewish environment are unfit for use with food.

 

The origin of the requirement to immerse vessels is in the commandment of the High Priest Elazar to the soldiers who had made a strike against the Midyanites. Referring to the spoil of this battle, Elazar directs that "Any vessel which is used in the fire, should be passed through the fire, and then be purified; it must be purged with water [fit for the purification] of an unclean person; but anything not used in fire need only be washed with water" (Bamidbar 31:23). We see that the "culinary" cleansing (purging with fire or rinsing with water to eliminate the taste of forbidden foods - see siman 116) is discussed together with the SPIRITUAL cleansing (immersion to rend the vessel ritually pure).

 

METAL OR GLASS (Seif 1)

 

Rav Ganzfried explains that this requirement is limited to utensils of metal or glass. In all areas of tuma, metal and glass utensils have the greatest susceptibility to ritual defilement. Wooden utensils need to have a high degree of design and perfection to be susceptible, whereas rock items, and other 'natural' utensils, cannot become "tamei" at all.

 

It is precisely when an object is specially created for human use that it is susceptible to ritual impurity. As we explained in siman 2, the concept of tuma is related to a potential for holiness and positive activity which is left unfulfilled. This concept is relevant only to the world of humanity, not to the world of nature. Nature per se is morally and religiously neutral - it has no aspirations and no way of being frustrated in its aspirations. The concept of tuma is just not relevant to rocks and trees or even structures, which are all static. (This is discussed also in chapter 134, on the succa.) The mishna even says, "The more beloved, the more susceptible to tuma." (Yadayim 4:6.)

 

Metal and glass, which are very pure and can be melted and wrought exactly as we like, exemplify the idea of human creativity; utensils made of these items exhibit human artifice to a high degree. It is understandable then that these materials have a higher susceptibility to tuma, and in the case of non-Jewish utensils ONLY these materials are problematic.

 

WHAT'S WRONG WITH NON-JEWS?

 

The fact that utensils made by non-Jews acquire a kind of defilement is not because non-Jews lack a Divine image. The exact opposite is true - as we have just explained, tuma is dependent on a potential for holiness, and "the more beloved, the more susceptible to tuma!" Non-Jews are also human beings, created in God's image, and all mankind has one father and one mother.

 

However, it IS true that when we look at non-Jewish religions, we sense a certain disappointment. Even Christianity and Islam, which preach belief in one God and believe in the revelation on Mount Sinai, seem to us to fail to absorb the true impact and importance of this momentous revelation, and go on to relegate God's mass revelation to relative unimportance emphasizing instead later, more private and far more vague revelations. Our sages have explained to us through the aggada that HaShem too is profoundly disappointed with His non-Jewish children (see the beginning of tractate Avoda Zara). 

 

The defining element of "tuma" - an unfulfilled potential for holiness - is definitely discernible in these world views, and it is natural that we seek a more complete and holy context for the special holy Jewish food which we eat.

 

 

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