Avodah Zarah, Daf Lammed Tet, Part 2

 

והקורט של חילתית: מ"ט משום דמפסקי ליה בסכינא אע"ג דאמר מר נותן טעם לפגם מותר אגב חורפיה דחילתיתא מחליא ליה שמנוניתא והוה ליה כנותן טעם לשבח ואסור

 

A sliver of hiltit [may not be eaten]. What is the reason? Because they cut it with a knife [on which there is residue from a non-kosher substance];

And although a master has said that when [the forbidden element] imparts a worsening flavor [the mixture] is permitted, the sharpness of the hiltit sweetens the fatty substance [which had been absorbed in the knife] and it therefore becomes a case where [the forbidden element] imparts an improved flavor and as such is prohibited.

 

Hiltit has a sharp taste, and so when it is cut with a knife which has been used to cut non-kosher substances, the taste of the non-kosher substances will go into the hiltit. And although such residue taste is generally considered as imparting a worsening flavor and permitted, in this case since the hiltit is sharp the flavor will turn out good. The implications from here are that when one cuts most foods with a non-kosher knife, the food is permitted. But not if the food has a sharp taste.

 

עבדיה דר’ לוי הוה קא מזבין חילתיתא. כי נח נפשיה דר’ לוי אתו לקמיה דרבי יוחנן.

אמרו ליה מהו למיזבן מיניה? אמר להו עבדו של חבר הרי הוא כחבר

 

R. Levi’s slave used to sell hiltit. When R. Levi died people asked R. Yohanan whether it was permissible to buy [hiltit] from him. He replied to them: The slave of a haver is like a haver.

 

A haver is a term used in rabbinic literature for one who is scrupulous about observing various halakhot, mostly tithes and purity, but here it seems to be general laws of kashrut. Since R. Levi was a haver, people can trust his slave (or servant) to not cut hiltit with unkosher knives.

 

רב הונא בר מניומי זבן תכילתא מאנשי דביתיה דרב עמרם חסידא

אתא לקמיה דרב יוסף לא הוה בידיה

פגע ביה חנן חייטא

א"ל יוסף עניא מנא ליה בדידי הוה עובדא דזביני תכילתא מאנשי דביתיה דרבנאה אחוה דר’ חייא בר אבא ואתאי לקמיה דרב מתנא לא הוה בידיה אתאי לקמיה דרב יהודה מהגרוניא אמר לי נפלת ליד הכי אמר שמואל אשת חבר הרי היא כחבר

 

R. Huna b. Minyomi bought blue wool from the wife of R. Amram the hasid, and came before R. Joseph. He was unable to answer him; He met Hanan the tailor [and mentioned the issue to him]. He replied: Poor Joseph how did this happen to you! It once happened that I bought blue wool from the household of Rabanah, brother of R. Hiyya b. Abba, and I came before R. Matana who could not answer [the same question]. So I went to R. Judah of Hagronia who said to me: This has happened to you! Thus said Samuel: The wife of a haver is like a haver.

 

The blue wool is used to make tzitzit. The problem is that a specific type of dye must be used and it is easy to fake this dye. Someone who buys dyed wool needs to trust the seller that the dye used is the correct one. Ultimately, R. Huna learns that he can trust the wife of a haver.

 

תנינא להא דת"ר אשת חבר הרי היא כחבר עבדו של חבר הרי הוא כחבר חבר שמת אשתו ובניו ובני ביתו הרי הן בחזקתן עד שיחשדו וכן חצר שמוכרין בה תכלת הרי הן בחזקתן עד שתיפסל

 

We have taught this in a baraita, for our rabbis have taught: The wife of a haver is like a haver. The slave of a haver is like a haver. When a haver dies his wife, children and members of his household remain in that state of confidence until others suspect them. Similarly a store in which blue wool is sold remains in a state of confidence until its wares are disqualified.

 

This baraita supports what was said above. The presumption that a haver behaves scrupulously extends to his wife and slaves (or servants). It also continues after his death until people begin to have specific suspicions about him.

 

 

ת"ר אשת עם הארץ שנשאת לחבר וכן בתו של עם הארץ שנשאת לחבר וכן עבדו של עם הארץ שנמכר לחבר כולן צריכין לקבל דברי חברות אבל אשת חבר שנשאת לעם הארץ וכן בתו של חבר שנשאת לעם הארץ וכן עבדו של חבר שנמכר לעם הארץ אינן צריכין לקבל דברי חברות לכתחלה דברי ר"מ

ר’ יהודה אומר אף הן צריכין לקבל דברי חברות לכתחלה

וכן היה ר"ש בן אלעזר אומר מעשה באשה אחת שנשאת לחבר והיתה קושרת לו תפילין על ידו נשאת למוכס והיתה קושרת לו קשרי מוכס על ידו

 

Our Rabbis have taught: The wife of an am ha aretz who marries a haver, likewise the daughter of an am ha-aretz who marries a haver, and the slave of an am ha-aretz who is sold to a haver are all required to accept upon themselves the obligation relating to the status of a haver.

But the wife of a haver who marries an am ha-aretz likewise the daughter of a haver who marries an am ha-aretz and the slave of a haver who is sold to an am ha-aretz are not ab initio required to accept the obligation relating to the status of a haver, the words of R. Meir;

R. Judah says: These too are required ab initio to take upon themselves the obligation relating to the status of a haver.

So too R. Shimon b. Eleazar would say: It happened that a woman married to a haver used to bind the tefillin upon his arm; she afterwards married a tax-collector and she used to attach the tax-seals for him.

 

An am ha aretz is a person who is by definition not a haver, meaning the person is not assumed to act with a high level of scrupulousness in certain matters such as tithing and purity.

To be trusted as a haver, meaning to move from being an am ha aretz to being a haver, one has to formally accept upon himself or herself to act in accordance with these ways. Indeed, the laws of conversion were probably patterned after these laws. So if a woman who grew up as an am ha aretz married a haver (pretty remarkable in and of itself) she must accept upon herself these responsibilities. So too with a slave joining a haver s household. The trust her husband has does not accrue to her immediately.

But if a woman marries out meaning she marries an am ha aretz, R. Meir says that she maintains her reliability as haver. R. Judah says she does not. Since she grew up as a haver, she never had to accept this responsibility on herself. But now she does.

R. Shimon b. Elazar cleverly illustrates how a woman can move from being married to a haver, considered an honorable, trustworthy person, can lose her level of piety by being married to a tax collector, a position considered somewhat disgraceful in rabbinic society, associated with robbery and violence.