מקשרי אצבעותיו ולמעלה.
from the joints of his fingers and above, i.e., he does not place the kernels mixed with chaff in his palm but on his fingers, which is an unusual way to hold them.
Study Beitzah folio 14A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
מקשרי אצבעותיו ולמעלה.
from the joints of his fingers and above, i.e., he does not place the kernels mixed with chaff in his palm but on his fingers, which is an unusual way to hold them.
מחכו עלה במערבא: כיון דמשני — אפילו בכולה ידא נמי. אלא אמר רבי אלעזר: מנפח בידו אחת, ובכל כחו.
They laughed at this explanation in the West, Eretz Yisrael, saying: Since he alters his behavior from the usual method, doing so even with his entire hand should be permitted as well. Rather, the halakha is as Rav Elazar said: One may blow while holding the grain with one hand but not two, and he may even do so with all his strength, as this is not considered similar to a prohibited labor at all.
מתני׳ בית שמאי אומרים: תבלין נדוכין במדוך של עץ, והמלח בפך ובעץ הפרור. ובית הלל אומרים: תבלין נדוכין כדרכן במדוך של אבן, והמלח במדוך של עץ.
Mishnah: Beit Shammai say: Spices may be pounded on a Festival in a slightly unusual manner, with a wooden pestle, and salt may be pounded only with an earthenware flask or with a wooden pot ladle, in a manner very different from that of a weekday. And Beit Hillel say: Spices may be pounded in their usual manner, even with a stone pestle, and as for salt, although it must be pounded in an irregular manner, a slight modification such as pounding it with a wooden pestle is enough to render the act permitted.
גמ׳ דכולי עלמא מיהת מלח בעיא שנוי. מאי טעמא? רב הונא ורב חסדא, חד אמר: כל הקדרות כולן צריכות מלח, ואין כל הקדרות צריכות תבלין.
Talmud: In any event, everyone, both Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel, agrees that the pounding of salt requires a change; it may not be performed in the regular weekday manner. What is the reason for this? Rav Huna and Rav Ḥisda disputed this issue. One of them said: Everyone knows that all dishes require salt, and therefore one should prepare salt the day before the Festival. Since he failed to do so, this task may be performed on the Festival only in an unusual manner. But not all dishes require spices, and therefore it is possible that on the day prior to the Festival, one was not aware that he would require spices on the Festival.
Text data via Sefaria: William Davidson Edition - English and William Davidson Edition - Vocalized Aramaic, CC-BY-NC; edition provenance: Koren. Display terminology has been modernized for readability.