Avodah Zarah, Daf Lammed, Part 5
Introduction
We continue to discuss snake poison!
אמר רב ספרא משום ר’ יהושע דרומא שלשה מיני ארס הן של בחור שוקע של בינוני מפעפע ושל זקן צף.
R. Safra said in the name of R. Joshua of the south: There are three kinds of venoms [of snakes]: that of a young one sinks to the bottom; that of a middle-aged one bubbles in the middle; while that of an old one floats on top.
R. Safra classifies the types of snake poison based on the age of the snake.
למימרא דכמה דקשיש כחוש חיליה והתניא שלשה כל זמן שמזקינין גבורה מתוספת בהן אלו הן דג נחש וחזיר כח אוסופי הוא דקא מוסיף זיהריה קליש
That is to say that the older a snake gets the more his strength diminishes. But has it not been taught: There are three whose strength increases as their age advances: a fish, a snake and a swine! Its strength indeed increases, but its venom becomes weaker.
R. Safra s classification of snake venom seems to contradict a baraita that teaches that snakes grow stronger as they age. The Talmud resolves this by saying that while they go stronger, their venom grows weaker. That is why it floats to the top.
של בחור שוקע למאי הלכתא? דתניא חבית שנתגלה אע"פ ששתו ממנה תשעה ולא מתו לא ישתה ממנה עשירי. מעשה היה ששתו ממנו תשעה ולא מתו ושתה עשירי ומת
אמר ר’ ירמיה זהו שוקע
וכן אבטיח שנתגלתה אע"פ שאכלו ממנה ט’ בני אדם ולא מתו לא יאכל ממנה עשירי
מעשה היה ואכלו ממנה תשעה ולא מתו ואכל עשירי ומת א"ר זהו שוקע.
The venom of a young one sinks to the bottom.
What practical application does this have? As it is taught: If a barrel was uncovered, even if nine persons drank from it and did not die, the tenth person is still forbidden to drink from it. It happened indeed that nine people drank from it and did not die but the tenth one died; and R. Jeremiah said: It was a case of the venom sinking to the bottom.
Likewise if a [cut] melon was left uncovered and nine persons ate of it without dying, it is forbidden for a tenth person to eat from it, for it once happened that nine persons ate of such a one and did not die and the tenth one who ate it died; and Rav said that it was a case of venom that sank to the bottom.
The point of knowing that the venom sneaks to the bottom is that nine people can safely drink from a barrel of liquid or eat from a melon and live, and the tenth can die.