IN THE PARSHA:
In פרשת שמיני, we learn about how foods and liquids can become טמא (see פרק יא, פסוק לד). The details of these laws are discussed in מסכת עוקצין, the last of all the מסכתות, and the last הלכה discussed at the end of the מסכת is about the status of honey.
The laws of טומאה for foods are not the same as the laws for liquids, and בית שמאי and בית הלל have different opinions regarding the status of honey.
According to בית שמאי, honey has the status of a liquid as soon as the owner decides to remove the honey from the honeycomb. According to בית הלל, it only has the status of a liquid once he actually removes the honey from the honeycomb.
QUESTION:
Why is the last הלכה discussed at the very end of the last מסכת in משניות about honey?
ANSWER:
The מדרש on the beginning of חומש דברים says that בני ישראל are compared to ד בוֹר ים, bees. Just as bees work to make honey only for the benefit of their owner, we, too, serve Hashem not for our own personal gain or reward, but to fulfill the will of Hashem.
This is why the last הלכות taught at the end of the entire ששה סדרי משנה is about honey made by bees. When we complete the learning of משניות, we also learn that our learning of תורה and fulfilling its מצוות is complete when we do so only for Hashem’s sake.
Further discussion:
What is the connection between the last הלכה and the next (and final) משנה in which we learn that עתיד הקב"ה להנחיל לצדיקים ש"י עולמות?
(See אות ז in the שיחה)
