Sholom
Tosfos says it was hard and painful because in minchas Afuyah it was pieces and it stuck out and his finger had to level it off
My question how was the kometz full inside? there must of been some air pockets if it's hard pieces so it's like if the kometss is posul if it has a salt in it
Yazo68@aol.com, Lakewood nj
Shalom,
Thank you for the interesting question. It is helpful to note a distinction stated explicitly in the writings of the Brisker Rav, as recorded in the Kisvei ha'Griz on Menachos. He explains that there are two separate elements in Kemitzah. One is that there must be no Chatzitzah between the Kohen's hand and the Minchah. The second is a positive requirement that the Kemitzah be performed by the entire right hand of the Kohen, meaning that the full participation of the hand is what defines the act of Kemitzah.
A practical difference between these two elements is that the second is not governed by the usual laws of Chatzitzah found elsewhere in Halachah, such as questions of measure or significance. It is not a matter of how much intervenes, but whether the act can still be described as a Kemitzah done by the entire hand. Even a minimal interruption that prevents the hand from performing the act in its proper form would invalidate the Kemitzah, not because of Chatzitzah in the classic sense, but because it is no longer an act of Kemitzah at all.
With this in mind, your question can be understood well. In a Minchah Afuyah, which consists of firm pieces, there are inevitably spaces between the pieces, and one might wonder whether this detracts from the idea that the entire hand is performing the Kemitzah.
However, even according to the second element described by the Griz, this does not appear to be a problem. The requirement is not that every part of the Minchah be in direct contact with the skin of the hand. Even with fine Soles, many particles are held only through other particles and do not touch the hand directly. In the case of larger pieces, the act of holding necessarily includes spaces between them. When the Kohen closes his fingers around the pieces of a Minchah Afuyah, the air pockets are part of the natural way the pieces are held. They do not interfere with the grasp, but are inherent to that form of holding, and thus the hand is still fully engaged in the act.
Accordingly, this manner of grasping is precisely the proper Kemitzah for such a Minchah. This explains why Tosfos speaks only of the difficulty and discomfort involved in leveling the protruding pieces, and not of any invalidation of the Kemitzah.
I hope this helps!
Kol Tuv,
Aharon Steiner