Avodah Zarah, Daf Samech, Part 1

 

אמר רב פפא עובד כוכבים אדנא וישראל אכובא חמרא אסיר מ"ט כי קאתי מכח עובד כוכבים קאתי

 

R. Papa said: If a non-Jew [was holding] the barrel and a Jew the cask, the wine is prohibited.

What is the reason? Because [the pouring] results from the effort of the non-Jew.

 

If the non-Jew is holding a barrel of wine and pouring the wine into a cask held by the Jew, then the wine is prohibited because it is coming out from the force of the non-Jews.

 

ישראל אדנא ועובד כוכבים אכובא חמרא שרי ואי מצדד צדודי אסיר

 

If, however, a Jew [was holding] the barrel and a non-Jew the cask, the wine is permitted; but should [the non-Jew] tilt it sideways it is prohibited.

 

If the Jew is pouring, the wine is permitted, because the non-Jew is just acting passively. However, if the non-Jew tilts the cask then the wine has moved due to his power and it is prohibited.

 

אמר רב פפא האי עובד כוכבים דדרי זיקא וקאזיל ישראל אחוריה מליא שרי דלא מקרקש חסירא אסיר דלמא מקרקש

 

R. Papa said: If a non-Jew carries a skin-bottle [of wine] and a Jew follows behind him, if it is full it is permitted because [the wine] does not shake, but if it is not full it is prohibited because there is the possibility of shaking.

 

If the non-Jew touches the wine in the skin-bottle or causes it to shift in the skin, the wine is prohibited. So if there is a Jew there watching to make sure he doesn t touch it and the skin is full, then the wine is permitted.

כובא מליא אסיר דלמא נגע חסירא שרי דלא נגע

 

A full cask [being carried in such a manner], is prohibited because he might have touched it, but if it is not full it is permitted because he did not touch it.

 

The cask being referred to here is open and therefore, the shaking of the wine does not prohibit it, because the one carrying it would not want it to spill out. Therefore if it is full, the wine is prohibited lest the non-Jew touched it accidentally. If it is not full then the non-Jew probably did not touch it, so it remains permitted.

I should note that R. Papa seems to like coming up with opposite scenarios. In scenario one, a full container is permitted, whereas in scenario two it is prohibited. Rabbis seem to love these puzzles even if the logic is not always so straightforward.

 

רב אשי אמר זיקא בין מליא ובין חסירא שרי מ"ט אין דרך ניסוך בכך

 

R. Ashi said: In the case of a skin-bottle, whether full or not it is permitted. What is the reason? Because this is not the way of offering a libation.

 

R. Ashi seems to return this law to its logical foundations. Libating is not done by shaking the wine in a skin bottle. Therefore, as long as we know he did not touch it, the wine is permitted.