Avodah Zarah, Daf Lammed, Part 2

 

Introduction

The sugya continues to discuss the issue of cooked wine is it prohibited because of fear of idolatry? Is it safe to drink it when it was uncovered.

 

שמואל ואבלט הוו יתבי. אייתו לקמייהו חמרא מבשלא. משכיה לידיה. א"ל שמואל הרי אמרו יין מבושל אין בו משום יין נסך.

 

Shmuel and Avlet were sitting together when boiled wine was brought up for them. [The latter] withdrew his hand. Shmuel said to him: Behold, they said that boiled wine is not to be suspected of idolatrous use.

 

Shmuel rebukes his friend Avlet for refusing to drink boiled wine.

 

אמתיה דרבי חייא איגלויי לה ההוא חמרא מבשלא. אתיא לקמיה דר’ חייא. אמר לה הרי אמרו יין מבושל אין בו משום גילוי?

 

R. Hiyya’s maid-servant found that some boiled wine had been left uncovered. She came [to ask about it] in front of R. Hiyya. He told her: Behold they said that boiled wine is not rendered unfit by being left uncovered.

 

שמעיה דרב אדא בר אהבה איגלי ליה חמרא מזיגא

א"ל הרי אמרו יין מזוג אין בו משום גילוי

 

The servant of R. Adda b. Ahavah found some diluted wine had been left uncovered.

He said to him: Behold they said that diluted wine is not rendered unfit by being left uncovered.

 

Diluted wine is wine mixed with water. Wine was generally diluted right before it was drunk. Evidently they said that snakes do not drink diluted wine. Snakes they take it straight up.

 

אמר רב פפא לא אמרן אלא דמזיג טובא אבל מזיג ולא מזיג שתי

ומזיג ולא מזיג מי שתי והא רבה בר רב הונא הוה קאזיל בארבא והוה נקיט חמרא בהדיה וחזייה לההוא חיויא דצרי ואתי. א"ל לשמעיה סמי עיניה דדין. שקיל קלי מיא שדא ביה וסר לאחוריה

אחייא מסר נפשיה אמזיגא לא מסר נפשיה

 

R. Papa said: This has only been said [of wine] that is well diluted; but if it is only slightly diluted [a snake] might drink it.

But does it indeed drink wine that is slightly diluted? But was not Rabbah son of R. Huna travelling in a boat and had some wine with him. He saw that a snake was cutting through the water and approaching. He said to his attendant, Put out its eyes! The attendant took some water and poured it into the wine and the snake turned back!

For pure wine [the snake] will even endanger its life, while for diluted wine it will not endanger its life.

 

According to R. Papa snakes will drink slightly diluted wine. But this is contradicted by a story in which the servant protects the wine by slightly diluting it.

The Talmud resolves the issue by saying that snakes will drink slightly diluted wine, but only if they do not need to endanger their lives to do so.

 

ואמזיגא לא מסר נפשיה והא רבי ינאי הוה בי עכבורי ואמרי ליה בר הדיא הוה בי עכבורי. הוו יתבי והוו קא שתו חמרא מזיגא. פש להו חמרא בכובא וצרונהי בפרונקא וחזיא לההוא חיויא דשקיל מיא ורמא בכובא עד דמלא בכובא וסליק חמרא עילויה פרונקא ושתי

 

And it does not endanger its life for diluted wine? What about R. Yannai who was at Akhborei s house (others say it was Bar-Hadaya that was at Akhborei s) where people were sitting and drinking diluted wine. Some of it was left in the cask they tied a rag over it? He then saw a snake carrying water which it poured into the cask till the cask was so filled that the wine came above the rag, and [the snake then] drank!

 

In this case the clever snake dilutes the wine himself!

אמרי דמזיג איהו שתי דמזיגי אחריני לא שתי

אמר רב אשי ואיתימא רב משרשיא פירוקא לסכנתא

אמר רבא הלכתא יין מזוג יש בו משום גילוי ויש בו משום יין נסך יין מבושל אין בו משום גילוי ואין בו משום יין נסך

 

We can say that what [the snake] itself dilutes it will drink, but it will not drink what others dilute.

R. Ashi (and some say, R. Mesharsheya) said: A resolution for a matter of danger!

Rava said: The law is that diluted wine is rendered unfit by being left uncovered and is to be suspected of idolatrous use, but boiled wine does not become unfit by being left uncovered nor is it suspected of idolatrous use.

 

The Talmud tries to answer that the snake will drink diluted wine only if he himself diluted it. But Rav Ashi finds this a bizarre resolution to a difficulty that involves what they perceived to be real physical danger. If the snake will drink diluted wine, then we better be careful, and not just offer resolutions as if we were dealing with theoretical issues. This is a fascinating recognition that many resolutions to difficulties in the Talmud are not based on demonstrable truth. When it comes to an academic subject, this is okay. But not when it comes to subject with immediate life and death consequences.

In the end, diluted wine is subject to the same laws as undiluted wine. Snakes drink it and non-Jews libate it. But boiled wine is not.