There was a Chassuna taking place in the evening. A few cooks were preparing the food for the dinner. The trays of chicken were on the counter, when the worst happened.
A large jug of milk fell over on to the chicken and on the floor.
They carefully collected all the milk from the floor and put it back in the jug and then measured how much milk was missing. According to their calculations too much milk had fallen into the meaty foods and there wasn’t enough food to cancel out the milk. (In Halacha when milk falls into meat if there is sixty times the original food it cancels out the milk, as long as the milk isn’t visible and cannot be tasted in the food. This also applies with meat falling into a milky food. Obviously if there is a solid piece of the forbidden food it must be removed.)
Everyone was devastated. In those times poultry was very expensive and this was a large loss.
Besides, it was too late to get fresh chicken in time. Although they had no doubts they decided to ask Rabbi Shmuel Salant for his opinion.
Rav Shmuel Salant was known to be very quick in giving precise answers. But this time he asked them to come back a little later.
After they returned Rav Salant happily informed them that the food was Kosher. However, he saw that they weren’t convinced. So he told them that he is happy to come to the dinner and eat himself from the food. Now they were sure it was Kosher.
The story was the talk of Yerushalaim. Many Rabbanim and Talmidei Chachamim tried to understand on what basis Rav Salant permitted the chicken. No one could work it out. But nobody dared to challenge the revered sage.
Many years later the truth came out.
After telling them to come back later Rav Salant called for the milkman. The Rav asked him, “please be honest with me, I will never tell anyone. I have to know, do you dilute your milk? And if yes, how much water to how much milk?”
The milkman admitted that he added some water to the milk. After recalculating he worked out that there was enough meaty food against the actual milk. Therefore the food was Kosher.
Rav Salant never told anyone. But in his later years the milkman himself realized that he was wrong in selling milk diluted in water so he stopped it, repented and it was him who told out the secret of the rabbi’s ruling.
On Pesach night Rav Salant would rush home, start the Seder immediately and rush through the Seder. He would go so fast that by the time he had finished his Seder most people had just started their Seder.
Rav Salant explained that on Pesach there are many questions that people come to ask the Rav. However, if a Rabbi has drunk a glass of wine (not grape juice) he is not allowed to answer Halachic questions. Rav Salant was concerned who will people ask their questions to on Pesach night. If all the Rabbis drink wine (in those days grape juice wasn’t used much if at all), who will be able to answer Halachic questions. Therefore Rav Salant rushed through his Seder, had a short nap to wear off the wine and then got up to sit and learn.
One Seder night a newlywed couple spent the Seder by the bride’s parents as the custom of many on the first Pesach. When it came to Shulchan Orech and the young man was eating his soup he suddenly saw, to his horror, a kernel of wheat in his plate.
“Chametz!!!! Chametz!!!,” shouted the young man. Turning to his wife he said angrily, “how can we eat in a place that is careless with Chametz on Pesach. Lets go to my parents.”
Of course everyone was in shock. The fresh mother in law started apologizing and the young wife was crying. The father in law tried calming everyone down but it only added more oil to the fire.
Finally the young man decided to ask Rav Salant what to do.
The Rav asked the young man, “tell me, how long ago did you get married?”
“A week ago,” answered the man.
“Please can you give me your Shtreimel (fur hat worn by Chassidim and Yerushalmis) for a minute,” asked the Rav.
The Rav took the Shtreimel and started shaking it. Kernels of wheat started falling out.
“You got married a week ago. The custom is to throw kernels of wheat on a Chassan as a Siman Beracha (a symbol of blessing). You forgot to clean your own Shtreimel for Pesach and the kernels in your soup were from your own Shtreimel. Now go and ask forgiveness from your inlaws for putting them to shame.”
