Avodah Zarah, Daf Lamed Heh, Part 5

 

Introduction

This passage asks what the problem could be with milk received from non-Jews.

 

גמ׳ חלב למאי ניחוש לה? אי משום איחלופי טהור חיור טמא ירוק ואי משום איערובי ניקום דאמר מר חלב טהור עומד חלב טמא אינו עומד

 

GEMARA. Milk, what could we be concerned about? If we fear that they substituted it [with the milk of an unclean animal], [the milk of] a clean animal is white and of an unclean animal green!

If on account of the possibility of a mixture [of a clean animal’s milk with that of an unclean animal], let him curdle it, because a Master has said: The milk of a clean animal curdles but that of an unclean animal does not!

 

If the milk was from an unclean animal (such as a camel or pig), it would have a different color from milk from sheep, goats or cows (clean animals).

And if the milk was a mixture, such that it would look like kosher milk, then the milk could not be used to curdle cheese, because milk from unkosher animals cannot be used to curdle.

So why should we be concerned about unkosher milk?

 

אי דקא בעי לגבינה ה"נ, הכא במאי עסקינן דקא בעי ליה לכמכא

ונשקול מיניה קלי וניקום כיון דבטהור נמי איכא נסיובי דלא קיימי ליכא למיקם עלה דמילתא

 

If he required [the milk for the purpose of making] cheese, then this would be so; but with what are we dealing here? When he requires it for food.

Then let him take a small quantity and curdle it!

[This test would not be conclusive], because even with the milk of a clean animal there is the whey which does not curdle, so nothing can be proved with this test.

 

The person here does not want to test all of the milk to see if it will curdle because he wants the milk for food, not for cheese (this was probably unusual in those days).

And he can t just test a little bit, because a little bit of milk would not curdle even if it was from a clean animal. And that milk might be from an unclean animal.

 

ואב"א אפי’ תימא דקבעי לה לגבינה איכא דקאי ביני אטפי

 

Or if you wish I can say that even if he wants the milk for cheese [the test is not conclusive because drops of milk] remain between the holes.

 

Even if he wants the milk for cheese, the test might be problematic because even if all of the clean milk does curdle, there might have been unclean milk in it and that milk would remain between the holes of the cheese.