Avodah Zarah, Daf Lammed, Part 1

 

Introduction

Today s section discusses laws pertaining to cooked wine and to alontit (explained in the sugya). One of the issues that comes up here is wine (or other liquids) that were left uncovered. The rabbis and other ancient peoples feared that snakes would put poison into uncovered liquids. Water left overnight uncovered was thus considered undrinkable and dangerous. They took this law quite seriously.

 

ת"ר יין מבושל ואלונתית של עובדי כוכבים אסורין אלונתית כברייתא מותרת

ואיזו היא אלונתית כדתנן גבי שבת עושין אנומלין ואין עושין אלונתית

ואיזו היא אנומלין ואיזו היא אלונתית אנומלין יין ודבש ופלפלין אלונתית יין ישן ומים צלולין ואפרסמון דעבדי לבי מסותא

 

Our Rabbis taught: Boiled wine or alontit belonging to a non-Jew is forbidden, but prepared alontit is permitted. What is alontit? As it was taught in connection with Shabbat: We may make anomalin but not alontith. What is anomalin and what is alontit ? Anomalin [is a mixture of] wine, honey and pepper; alontit [is a mixture] of old wine, clear water and balsam, which is made for use in the bath-house.

 

Boiled wine is prohibited if it belongs to the non-Jew, although as we saw, there are some leniencies with regard to it. Alontit is wine mixed with water and some balsam. If the Jew prepared the alontit, it does not become prohibited when it enters the non-Jew s possession.

 

רבה ורב יוסף דאמרי תרוייהו יין מזוג אין בו משום גילוי יין מבושל אין בו משום ניסוך

 

Rabbah and R. Joseph both of them said that diluted wine does not become forbidden through being left uncovered; nor is boiled wine to be suspected of being libated.

 

Snakes, according to this, will not put their poison into wine diluted with water. And non-Jews do not libate boiled wine.

 

איבעיא להו יין מבושל יש בו משום גילוי או אין בו משום גילוי?

ת"ש העיד רבי יעקב בר אידי על יין מבושל שאין בו משום גילוי

 

The question was asked: Does boiled wine become forbidden by being left uncovered or not? Come and hear: R. Jacob b. Idi testified in regard to boiled wine that it does not become forbidden by being left uncovered.

 

Snakes do not put their poison into boiled wine either. Those finicky snakes!

 

רבי ינאי בר ישמעאל חלש. על לגביה ר’ ישמעאל בן זירוד ורבנן לשיולי ביה. יתבי וקא מבעיא להו יין מבושל יש בו משום גילוי או אין בו משום גילוי? אמר להו ר’ ישמעאל בן זירוד הכי אמר רשב"ל משום גברא רבה ומנו ר’ חייא יין מבושל אין בו משום גילוי

אמרו ליה נסמוך מחוי להו ר’ ינאי בר ישמעאל עלי ועל צוארי

 

R. Yannai b. Ishmael was sick and R. Ishmael b. Zirud and other rabbis came to ask about him. As they sat, the question was asked of them: Does boiled wine become forbidden by being uncovered? To which R. Ishmael b. Zirud replied: Thus said R. Shimon b. Lakish on behalf of a great man and his name is R. Hiyya: Boiled wine does not become prohibited by being left uncovered. They said, Shall we rely on it? R. Jannai b. Ishmael motioned [as if to say], The responsibility is on me and on my neck.

 

The halakhah here is the same as above. The real life setting of the discussion is interesting. It shows rabbis learning halakhah while visiting the sick. It also shows some process of reciting a tradition and then asking another sage if it is authoritative.