24 Mar Salting

In Vayikra 2:13, the Torah commands us that on all Korbanos must be salted. We learn from the gemara in Menachos 21a that the salting must be done, even on Shabbos. Why do we need a posuk stating that we are allowed to salt the korban on Shabbos when there is no issur De’Oraysa to salt on Shabbos? Perhaps, salting the animal is as if he is tanning the animal. This is not the case, since there is no tanning when it comes to food and it would therefore only be considered an issur De’Rabbonon. The skins would not be salted since each Korban required the animal to be skinned. We can provide a number of answers to the above question. The first answer is based on the Ran in Avoda Zora that says that salting on Shabbos would be forbidden since it is considered cooling, as we say “Meiliach Harei Hu keRoteach -” salting is like heating. The Shar Hamelech in Hilchos Chametz 24 argues with this position based on the gemara in Pesachim 41a that says if a person cooks in the hot springs of Tiberius he is not oveir on bishul min HaTorah. Salting would therefore be the same. The Ran would have to say that the bishul of salting is only MiDeRabbanan. The Tzofnas Paneach vol 2: 100 says that the Ran does hold that salting is a De’Oraysa. He differentiates between Chamei Tverya, which one can undo, whereas salting one cannot undo. The second tirutz could be that when a person salts meat he is oveir on Borrer, since he picks out the blood from the meat. Therefore, we need a posuk to teach us that salting is prohibited on Shabbos. The Maharsham vol 7: 51 argues with this position and says that the salting is not considered Borrer since the blood does not separate right away. The separation takes place after a little while and therefore it is only considered a grama, which is not min HaTorah. The third tirutz is that a person is oveir burning on Shabbos since the Korban would be burned and the salt that was added would be adding to the burning. This would render it the issur De’Oraysa of Mavir. The posuk therefore teaches us that this is permitted on Shabbos. The Sfas Emes in Menachos says that this is all in accordance with the shita in the Ran in Meseches Beya that if you are marbeh the shiur (increase the amount) you are oveir min HaTorah. According to those Rishonim who are of the opinion that marbeh beshiurim is only MideRabbanan, this would not be a good answer. The fourth tirutz is based on the Rashba in Menachos that says since some of the Korbanos were a Korban Mussaf, which was an Olah, it was totally burned. Since the korban is totally sacrificed, it is not considered food thereby causing salting of the skins to come under the issur of tanning. The fifth tirutz is based on Reb Akiva Eiger that the posuk is teaching us that if one does not have salt, he would be able to carry it to the Bais Hamikdosh even via Reshus Horabim. There are a number of other tirutzim, but we will leave it at these five answers. May we be zocheh to be mekayem Shabbos properly in the Bais Hamikdash.