Avodah Zarah, Daf Lammed Het, Part 3
Introduction
Today s sugya continues to discuss when a non-Jew is considered to have cooked the food such that it would become prohibited.
איבעיא להו הניח עובד כוכבים והפך ישראל מהו?
אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק ק"ו גמרו ביד עובד כוכבים מותר גמרו ביד ישראל לא כ"ש
איתמר נמי אמר רבה בר בר חנה א"ר יוחנן ואמרי לה אמר רב אחא בר בר חנה א"ר יוחנן בין שהניח עובד כוכבים והפך ישראל בין שהניח ישראל והפך עובד כוכבים מותר ואינו אסור עד שתהא תחלתו וגמרו ביד עובד כוכבים
The question was asked: What is the rule if a non-Jew placed [meat upon the coals] and an Israelite turned it over?
R. Nahman b. Yitzchak said: The answer can be deduced by a fortiori reasoning: if the food is permitted when its cooking is completed by a non-Jew, how much more so when it is completed by an Israelite!
It has been similarly stated: Rabbah b. Bar Hanah said in the name of R. Yohanan (and others say) R. Aha son of Hanah said in the name of R. Yohanan: Whether a non-Jew placed it there and an Israelite turned it over or a Jew placed it there and a non-Jew turned it over, it is permitted. It is not prohibited unless both the beginning and completion of the cooking are performed by a non-Jew.
For the food to be prohibited the non-Jew must do all of the cooking from the beginning to the end. If the Jew participates at all in the process, the food is permitted. Again, another leniency.
אמר רבינא הלכתא הא ריפתא דשגר עובד כוכבים ואפה ישראל א"נ שגר ישראל ואפה עובד כוכבים א"נ שגר עובד כוכבים ואפה עובד כוכבים ואתא ישראל וחתה בה חתויי שפיר דמי
Ravina said: The halakhah is: Bread baked in an oven, if a non-Jew kindled the fire and an Israelite baked it or if a Jew kindled the fire and a non-Jew baked it, or if a non-Jew both kindled the fire and baked the bread but an Israelite came and stoke the coals, it is permitted.
Even if all the Jew does is stoke the coals, the bread is permitted.
דג מליח חזקיה שרי ור’ יוחנן אסר
ביצה צלויה בר קפרא שרי ור’ יוחנן אסר
כי אתא רב דימי אמר אחד דג מליח ואחד ביצה צלויה חזקיה ובר קפרא שרו ורבי יוחנן אסר
Fish salted [by a non-Jew]: Hezekiah permits but R. Yohanan prohibits.
An egg roasted [by a non-Jew] Bar Kappara permits R. Yohanan prohibits. When R. Dimi came [from Eretz Yisrael] he said: Both salted fish and roasted eggs Hezekiah and Bar Kappara permit but R. Yohanan prohibits.
R. Yohanan considers salting to be akin to cooking. Bar Kapara allows a Jew to eat an egg roasted by a non-Jew because the food part of the egg is all internal.
ר’ חייא פרוואה איקלע לבי ריש גלותא. אמרו ליה ביצה צלויה מאי אמר להו חזקיה ובר קפרא שרו ור’ יוחנן אסר ואין דבריו של אחד במקום שנים אמר להו רב זביד לא תציתו ליה הכי אמר אביי הלכתא כוותיה דרבי יוחנן אשקיוהו נגוטא דחלא ונח נפשיה
R. Hiyya Parva’ah visited the house of the Exilarch. They asked him, What is the rule with regard to an egg roasted [by a non-Jew]? He replied, Hezekiah and Bar Kapara permit it, but R. Yohanan prohibits it, and the opinion of one sage cannot stand against that of two.
R. Zevid said to them, Pay no attention to him, for Abaye said that the halakhah agrees with R. Yohanan.
[The Exilarch’s non-Jewis servants were infuriated by R. Zevid’s remark and] gave him a draught of spiced vinegar from which he died.
Here we can see that there was some controversy around this issue. R. Zevid tried to put his foot down and not allow the Jews in the House of the Exilarch (the political leader in Babylonia) to eat eggs roasted by non-Jews. But the story ends with R. Zevid s death.
It is probably significant that this story occurs in this particular location. The Exilarch was the political leader of the community and as such would have had the most contact with non-Jews. Perhaps that is why R. Zevid tried to stop such a relaxation with the law. And perhaps that is why the story ends with his death.