Brachos 52- Wet cups and towels, washing before or after kiddush, Fire is polychromatic, Havdalah - a podcast by Eran Netkin

1. Kiddush hayom or the berachah on wine
The Gemara resolves a seeming contradiction in Beis Shammai.
In the Mishna on 51b, Beis Shammai holds that the beracha on kedushas hayom (sanctity of the
day) precedes the berachah on the wine because it is the sanctity of the day which is cause for
the wine to be brought to the meal.
Yet in a Beraisa on 52a, Beis Shammai holds that the berachah on the wine precedes the
berachah of Havdalah, which addresses the nature of the day.
The Gemara answers that according to Beis Shammai there is no contradiction.
When it comes to bringing in Shabbos, the more we advance it, the better, therefore the
berachah on the day comes first.
When it comes to ending the Shabbos day, the more we more we delay it, the better, therefore
the berachah of Havdalah comes after the berachah on the wine.
2. What a tamei liquid does to a utensil
A tamei liquid that touches the outside of the keli (utensil) renders the outside tamei but the
inside, rim, and handle is tahor. But if the tamei liquid touches the inside of the keli (utensil) then
the whole keli becomes tamei.
3. Why Beis Hillel holds it better to put wet napkin on a cushion
There is no requirement of washing the hands for chullin (non-consecrated food) from the Torah
since the hands are not considered a separate entity from the body and cannot contract tumah
from a rishon. It is only a Rabbinic law that they are treated separately and considered a sheni to
require someone to wash and remove the tumah before eating bread.
This explains why Beis Hillel holds that it is of greater concern that the liquid in a wet napkin will
lead to food becoming tamei when placed on a table, than the liquid in the wet napkin leading to
hands becoming tamei when placed on a cushion.
Siman - Newbie
The newbie to Yiddishkeit had finally gotten down the order of berachos for Kiddush and
Havdallah when he was introduced to the metaphysics of tamei liquids touching utensils and wet
napkins touching his hands.
Key Words – kedushas hayom, tamei liquids, wet napkins

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