Avodah Zarah, Daf Lamed Gimmel, Part 4

 

Introduction

Today s sugya discusses using wine vessels owned by non-Jews.

 

ת"ר קנקנים של עובדי כוכבים חדשים גרודים מותרין ישנים ומזופפין אסורין

עובד כוכבים נותן לתוכן יין ישראל נותן לתוכן מים עובד כוכבים נותן לתוכן יין ישראל נותן לתוכן ציר ומורייס ואינו חושש

 

Our rabbis taught: Earthenware bottles belonging to pagans, if new and stripped, are permitted, but if old and pitched they are forbidden.

If an idolater kept wine in them, the Israelite should put water into them; but though an idolater kept wine in them an Israelite may [immediately] put brine or murias into them without any concern.

 

If the earthenware bottle was new and had not been lined with pitch, the Jew can use it because it does not absorb the pagan wine. But if it had been lined with itch in it, or had been used for some time, it will have absorbed the taste and it cannot be used.

There are two interpretations of what this baraita means when it says that the Jew can put water into the earthenware bottle. Rashi says that this refers to the means by which the bottle is kashered, as we learned above. Other rishonim say that the baraita means that the Jew can put water into the earthenware bottle because the water will not take out the taste of the wine.

According to Rashi, the Jew can also put in fish brine or murias (another type of brine) because the taste of the wine will not be perceived in the bottle. Other interpreters perceive this to be another way of kashering the bottle the sharp taste of the brine will get out the taste of the wine.

 

איבעיא להו לכתחלה או דיעבד?

ת"ש דתני רב זביד בר אושעיא הלוקח קנקנים מן העובדי כוכבים חדשים נותן לתוכן יין ישנים נותן לתוכן ציר ומורייס לכתחלה

 

The question was asked: Is he allowed to do so ab initio or only ex post facto?

Come and hear: For R. Zevid b. Oshaia taught: If one buys earthenware bottles from an idolater, if they are new he may put wine into them; if old, he may use them for brine and murias ab initio.

 

The previous baraita ruled that if a Jew buys used earthenware wine bottles from an idolater, he may put brine and murias in them. Here the Talmud asks whether the baraita meant that if he put brine and murias into them, the brine is not ex post facto prohibited, but that he should not do so. Or is he completely allowed to do so. R. Zevid s baraita states even more clearly that he is allowed to put in the brine ab initio or lechatchila in Hebrew.