Mysterious white spots a tomato plant puzzler

Q: My Early Girl tomato plant has little, tiny white things on the leaves. It seems as if some of the leaves are eaten away. Will this affect my tomatoes, which are growing or the blossoms? I assume it's a mite of some sort. So if that's the case, will a spray of hand soap help or is there something in the store I should get? This plant is growing in a pot on my patio. – P.L., AlbuquerqueA: My first question is, when the plant is bumped or jostled do the little white things come off the pl