Beth Shammai say: Spices may be pounded (on yom tov) with a wooden pestle, [but not with a stone one. With this wooden pestle, however, they may be pounded in the normal manner, without any variation; for their flavor dissipates if pounded the day before.], and salt (may be crushed) with [an earthen] jug or with a wooden pot ladle. [For (the crushing of) salt requires a variation (shinui), in that it should have been crushed the day before, its flavor not going lost.] And Beth Hillel say: Spices may be pounded in the normal manner, with a stone pestle, and salt, with a wooden one. [The halachah is that one who wishes to crush salt on yom tov turns the pestle on its side and crushes it with a shinui, and spices may be pounded in the normal manner without a shinui.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
במדוך של עץ – but not in one (i.e., a pestle) made of stone. But however, with a wooden pestle, they are crushed in their manner and there is no need for a change, since they lose their taste if they are crushed from the day before.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
Introduction
This mishnah deals with grinding spices on Yom Tov. Everyone agrees that they can be ground. The debate is over whether they can be done in the normal way or they must be done differently somehow.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
והמלח בפך – [a cruse] of earthenware he crushes it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
Bet Shammai says: spices may be crushed with a wooden pestle and salt in a small cruse or with a wooden ladle. According to Bet Shammai when one crushes spices on Yom Tov they have to be crushed differently. Normally spices are crushed with a stone pestle on Yom Tov they need to use a wooden pestle. When crushing salt he shouldn’t use a pestle at all, rather he should use a small earthenware cruse and a wooden soup ladle.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Beitzah
או בעץ פרור – it is the spoon that one stirs the pot with, for the salt requires a change, for he had to crush it from the day before so that it doesn’t lose its taste. And the Halakha is that one who comes to crush salt on the Festival Day, turns the mortar on its side and crushes in a changed manner. But the spices are crushed in the regular manner and they do not require a change.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Beitzah
But Bet Hillel says: spices may be crushed in the usual way with a stone pestle and salt with a wooden pestle. Bet Hillel holds that since it is permitted to crush spices and grind salt on Yom Tov, it is also permissible to crush them in a normal fashion spices with a stone pestle and salt with a wooden pestle.
