Avodah Zarah, Daf Mem, Part 6
Introduction
The final sugya of this chapter (!) explains the last few clauses of the mishnah.
החגבין הבאין כו’: ת"ר החגבין והקפריסין והקפלוטות הבאין מן האוצר ומן ההפתק ומן הספינה מותרין. הנמכרין בקטלוזא לפני חנוני אסורין מפני שמזלף יין עליהן. וכן יין תפוחים של עובדי כוכבים הבאין מן האוצר ומן ההפתק ומן הסלולה מותרין הנמכר בקטלוזא אסור מפני שמערבין בו יין
Locusts which come [out of [a shopkeeper s] basket are prohibited, but if from storage they are permitted].
Our rabbis taught: Locusts, capers and leeks which come from a warehouse, storage or from a ship are permitted; but those sold on the counter in front of the shopkeeper are prohibited because [the shopkeeper] sprinkles wine upon them.
Similarly the apple-cider of a non-Jew a warehouse, storage or from a ship are permitted; but those sold on the counter in front of the shopkeeper are prohibited because [the shopkeeper] mixes wine with it.
The issue in this baraita is whether we are concerned lest the shopkeeper mixes wine in with his wares. We learn that he does so only with wares that are ready to sell. If the products are sold from storage, they are permitted.
ת"ר פעם א’ חש רבי במעיו אמר כלום יש אדם שיודע יין תפוחים של עובדי כוכבים אסור או מותר? אמר לפניו ר’ ישמעאל ב"ר יוסי פעם אחת חש אבא במעיו והביאו לו יין תפוחים של עובדי כוכבים של ע’ שנה ושתה ונתרפא. אמר לו כל כך היה בידך ואתה מצערני. בדקו ומצאו עובד כוכבים אחד שהיה לו שלש מאות גרבי יין של תפוחים של ע’ שנה ושתה ונתרפא אמר ברוך המקום שמסר עולמו לשומרים:
Our rabbis taught: Rabbi once suffered from a disorder of the bowels and said, Does anyone know whether apple-cider bought from a non-Jew is prohibited or permitted? R. Ishmael son of R. Yose replied, My father once suffered a bowel disorder and they brought him apple-cider from a non-Jew which was seventy years old; he drank it and recovered. He said to him, You had this information all this time and let me suffer! They checked and found a non-Jew who possessed three hundred jars of apple-cider seventy years old.
[Rabbi] drank some of it and recovered; whereupon he exclaimed, Blessed be God Who delivered His world into the keeping of guardians!
Not only is the apple cider permitted, but it cures bowel disorders. Indeed, a search on google yields that there is truth to this, at least if it is apple cider vinegar.
וכן לתרומה: מאי וכן לתרומה? אמר רב ששת וכן לכהן החשוד למכור תרומה לשם חולין לפניו הוא דאסור אבל הבא מן האוצר ומן ההפתק ומן הסלולה מותר אירתותי מירתת סבר שמעי ביה רבנן ומפסדו לי’ מינאי:
The same rule applies to terumah. What does it mean the same rule applies to terumah ?
R. Sheshet said: [It means that] the same rule applies to a priest who is suspected of selling his portion of terumah as though it were non-sacred food. If it is in front of him, it is prohibited [to buy it]; but if it comes out of a warehouse or the stock or a basket, it is permitted because he would be afraid [to include the terumah among the wares] lest the rabbis hear and they cause him a loss.
Priests were occasionally suspected of selling terumah as if it was non-sacred food, which carries a higher price. It is prohibited to buy produce from such a priest, but only from the basket that is in front of him. He might mix terumah into this basket. But he will not mix terumah and non-sacred produce in his warehouse lest the rabbis find out and declare that his whole warehouse is prohibited. This would be too big of a loss. Therefore one can buy food from his warehouse.
May we return to you chapter One may not place
Congratulations you finished another chapter of Avodah Zarah. This was a long one, but did contain some very interesting sugyot related to kashrut of foods and especially wine, a chapter we will return to later in the tractate. Next week we begin a whole new subject can Jews use material that was once part of idolatrous worship.