Avodah Zarah, Daf Mem, Part 5

 

Introduction

Today s sugya explains the remainder of the mishnah.

 

ועלה של חילתית: פשיטא לא נצרכה אלא לקרטין שבו מהו דתימא ניחוש דלמא מייתי ומערב ביה קמ"ל דהא אישתרוקי היא דאישתרוק ואתא בהדה:

 

A leaf of hiltit. This is obvious! It was only necessary to mention this with regard to the slivers one the leaf. What might you have said? We must be concerned lest [a non-Jew] bring [other slivers of hiltit which he had cut from the root with his knife] and mix them with it. Therefore it teaches us that [the slivers which are found on the leaf] detached themselves [without cutting] and came off together with it.

 

The stalk of the hiltit plant cannot be bought from a non-Jew because he might have used a knife with non-kosher fat on it to cut it. But we should have no such concern with the leaf the leaf was not even cut!

The answer is that we need to know that the leaf is kosher even if it has some slivers on it. We might have been concerned that the slivers come from the sliced stalk. The mishnah teaches that these slivers came onto the leaf when it was detached from the ground, and not when the stalk was cut.

וזיתי גלוסקאות המגולגלין: פשיטא לא נצרכא אע"ג דרפי טובא מהו דתימא חמרא רמא בהו קמ"ל הני מחמת מישחא הוא דרפו:

 

And rolled olive-cakes. This is obvious! It was only necessary to teach [that they may be eaten] even when they are very soft. What might you have said? [The non-Jew] put wine on them. Hence it teaches us that their softness is due to the oil.

 

We might have thought that very soft olive cakes have wine in them, and therefore should not be bought from a non-Jew. Therefore the mishnah teaches that it is the olive oil that makes them soft, not added wine. They may be eaten even when purchased from a non-Jew.

 

ורבי יוסי אומר שלחין אסורין: היכי דמי שלחין א"ר יוסי בר חנינא כל שאוחזו בידו וגרעינתו נשמטת:

R. Yose says: Overripe olives are prohibited. What is considered overripe? R. Yose b. Hanina said: Any one which when held by hand, its pit falls out.

 

An olive that is very soft may have been softened with wine, and therefore R. Yose says it is prohibited.