1) DOES THE "KETORES" REQUIRE SALTING?
OPINIONS: The Gemara quotes a Beraisa that states that unlike most other Korbanos, the Ketores does not require salting. The Gemara says that this is the opinion of Rebbi Yishmael, the son of Rebbi Yochanan ben Berokah. He maintains that just as a Minchah -- which is something that can become Tamei, is burned, and is offered on the outer Mizbe'ach -- must be salted, anything which can become Tamei, is burned, and is offered on the outer Mizbe'ach must be salted. This excludes (among other things) the Ketores, which is offered only on the inner Mizbe'ach.
Rebbi Yishmael's opinion is unlike that of the Rabanan in the Beraisa quoted earlier (20a). The Rabanan in the Beraisa there explicitly state that Ketores is included in the requirement of salting. However, this opinion is unclear. Do the Rabanan maintain that Ketores must have salt added to it like other Korbanos, or do they understand that the "Melach Sedomis" salt that is already part of the Ketores fulfills the obligation of salting the Ketores? If this is the case, there seems to be no practical difference between the opinion of Rebbi Yishmael and that of the Rabanan.
(a) TOSFOS in Kerisus (6a, DH Melach) quotes RABEINU MOSHE KOHEN who points out that Melach Sedomis is used in the Ketores only if one has no Yein Kafrisin (see Background to Kerisus 2:8). This is Tosfos' understanding of the Beraisa which lists the ingredients of the Ketores ("Pitum ha'Ketores"). Even when Melach Sedomis is used, it is used only to preserve the cloves until they are placed in the Ketores; the salt itself is not used in the Ketores.
Accordingly, the opinion that one does not need to salt Ketores understands that salt is never included as part of the Ketores. According to the opinion that Ketores needs salt, the salt must be added to the Ketores when the Ketores is going to be burned. This requirement of salting is unrelated to the Melach Sedomis used for the cloves.
(b) The SHITAH MEKUBETZES in Kerisus (6a, #25) understands that the Melach Sedomis mentioned in the Beraisa of Pitum ha'Ketores is included in the Ketores because of the obligation to include salt in the Ketores.
The MIKDASH DAVID (#13) has difficulty with this explanation. The Beraisa of Pitum ha'Ketores describes the manufacturing of the Ketores, not the offering of the Ketores. The obligation to salt Korbanos is an obligation to salt a finished Korban that is ready to be offered on the Mizbe'ach. How, then, can the inclusion of Melach Sedomis in the ingredients of the Ketores fulfill the obligation of salting?
The YAD BINYAMIN also has difficulty with this opinion. The Gemara later (21b) explicitly states that the Ketores is salted when it is brought to the top of the Mizbe'ach. Obviously, the Beraisa does not understand that the salting is fulfilled by the inclusion of Melach Sedomis as an ingredient in the Ketores. The Yad Binyamin leaves these questions unanswered and concludes that they "require great analysis."
(c) The Yad Binyamin quotes the SI'ACH HA'SADEH (volume 2) in the KUNTRES HA'LIKUTIM who quotes the opinion of the RAMBAN. The Ramban states that Melach Sedomis is one of the primary ingredients of the Ketores. The Si'ach ha'Sadeh notes that the reason why Melach Sedomis is not listed in the beginning of the Beraisa which lists the primary ingredients may be understood based on a statement of the RAMBAM (Hilchos Klei ha'Mikdash 2:2). The Rambam states that only ingredients for which a specific quantity is prescribed are included in the list of ingredients, and not something like Melach Sedomis, for which only a small amount is required.
Based on the questions mentioned above (end of (b)), the Yad Binyamin assumes that the Ramban would agree that the salting of the Ketores is not fulfilled by the small of amount of Melach Sedomis in the Ketores. The opinion that maintains that salting the Ketores is required would also maintain that it must be done when the Ketores is brought to the Mizbe'ach. (Y. MONTROSE)

21b----------------------------------------21b

2) WHERE THE SALT WAS PLACED
QUESTION: The Beraisa states that salt was "placed" in three places in the Beis ha'Mikdash: in the Lishkas ha'Melach, on the ramp of the Mizbe'ach, and on the top of the Mizbe'ach. They would salt the skins of Kodshim in the Lishkas ha'Melach, the limbs of the Korbanos on the ramp of the Mizbe'ach, and the Kometz, Levonah, and Ketores on the top of the Mizbe'ach.
TOSFOS (DH b'Lishkas) asks that the Mishnah in Midos (5:3) states that they would put salt on the Korban in the Lishkas ha'Melach, and salt the skins of Kodshim in the Lishkas ha'Parveh. The Mishnah there clearly contradicts the Beraisa here which says that the salting of the skins of Kodshim was done in the Lishkas ha'Melach?
ANSWERS:
(a) TOSFOS answers that the Beraisa does not mean that they would salt the skins of Kodshim in the Lishkas ha'Melach. Rather, it means that they would take salt from the Lishkas ha'Melach in order to salt the skins of Kodshim. The actual salting would be done in the Lishkas ha'Parveh. When the Mishnah in Midos says that they would put salt on the Korban in the Lishkas ha'Melach, it means merely that the salt for this purpose was stored in the Lishkas ha'Melach.
Tosfos concludes, however, that this explanation is difficult. If the salting was done in the Lishkas ha'Parveh, then this would be a fourth location in which salt was placed, and the Beraisa mentions that there were only three locations in which salt was placed.
The TZON KODASHIM explains that Tosfos' question applies only to his explanation, that the Beraisa means that they would take salt from the Lishkas ha'Melach in order to salt the skins of Kodshim. According to the straightforward understanding of the Beraisa, the three places mentioned were places where an act of salting was done. The Mishnah in Midos includes places where salt was stored, and therefore it includes the Lishkas ha'Parveh. However, according to Tosfos' explanation (that salt was merely stored in the Lishkas ha'Melach), the Beraisa certainly should list the Lishkas ha'Parveh, where an act of salting actually took place.
The LECHEM MISHNEH (Hilchos Isurei Mizbe'ach 5:13) understands that the RAMBAM agrees with the explanation of Tosfos. He answers the question on this explanation by saying that the Beraisa mentions only places where the salt was stored, and not where the salting was performed. Accordingly, it mentions only three places. In each of these places (including the ramp and the top of the Mizbe'ach), there were piles of salt used for the salting. While the actual salting (and not just the storage of the salt) was also done on the ramp and top of the Mizbe'ach, the Lishkas ha'Melach was used only for storage. Since no salt was stored in the Lishkas ha'Parveh, the Lishkas ha'Parveh is not listed.
(b) The SHITAH MEKUBETZES (#11) quotes others who give the opposite explanation of that of Tosfos. They understand that the salt was stored in the Lishkas ha'Parveh, but the skins indeed were salted in the Lishkas ha'Melach.
The Shitah Mekubetzes asks a similar question to that of Tosfos on this explanation. If the salt was stored in the Lishkas ha'Parveh, then why is it listed as one of the places in the Beis ha'Mikdash which contained salt?
The YAD BINYAMIN elaborates on this question. According to Tosfos, when the Beraisa says that salt was "placed," it may mean that salt was stored in three places. (This is essentially the answer of the Lechem Mishneh, although the Yad Binyamin does not quote the Lechem Mishneh.) However, according to the explanation of the Shitah Mekubetzes, "placed" refers to where the act of salting was done. Accordingly, the Lishkas ha'Parveh should also be mentioned, since without the storage the salting could not take place.
Based on the Lechem Mishneh's answer, it seems that the difference of opinion between Tosfos and the Shitah Mekubetzes is based on how to understand the word "placed." Tosfos understands that "placed" refers to where the salt was stored, while the Shitah Mekubetzes understands that it refers to where the salting was performed, as implied by the continuation of the Beraisa. (Y. MONTROSE)

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