Avodah Zarah, Daf Ayin Vav, Part 2

 

Introduction

In yesterday s sugya R. Sheshet explained that vessels belonging to a Gentile must be kashered by heating them up until they are white hot. But since Temple vessels had absorbed permitted substances, they need be kashered only by boiling.

Today s sugya raises a difficulty on R. Sheshet.

אמר רבא סוף סוף כי קא פליט איסורא קא פליט

 

Rav said: In any case, when they discharge [the taste], what they discharge is prohibited!

 

While it is true that permitted substances were cooked in the Temple vessels, when they discharge taste, that taste is from a substance that is now prohibited. The taste has been in the walls of the vessels for several days and sacrifices become strictly prohibited after one or two days. Thus in both cases, the substance cooked in one of these vessels would have the taste of a prohibited substance.

 

אלא אמר רבא מאי הגעלה נמי שטיפה ומריקה

 

Rather Rava said what does the term hag’alah [boiling] mean? Merikah and shetifah [ rinsing and washing ].

 

Rava explains that the word boiling does not mean what it seems. Rather, it means rinsing and washing, two verbs used in the context of cleaning holy utensils in Leviticus 6:21.

 

א"ל אביי מי דמי מריקה ושטיפה בצונן הגעלה בחמין

אלא אמר אביי (איוב לו, לג) יגיד עליו רעו תנא הכא ליבון והוא הדין להגעלה תנא התם הגעלה וה"ה לליבון

 

Abaye said to him: Are they the same? Merikah and shetifah are with cold water whereas hag’alah applies to boiling water!

Rather Abaye said Let his fellow testify about him (Job 36:33). Here [in the Mishnah] he taught that it must be made white-hot and scalding also applies, and there [in connection with sacrifices] he taught that they must be scalded and making them white-hot also applies.

 

Abaye rejects Rava s resolution because rinsing and washing are done with cold water, not hot. He resolves the difficulty by saying that in both cases, both scalding and heating until white hot are required. This is a case of each mishnah providing only partial information.