Avodah Zarah, Daf Samekh Vav, Part 1
Introduction
This week s daf discusses the issue of forbidden foods falling into permitted foods and the question of whether this causes the permitted food to become prohibited.
חמרא עתיקא בענבי דברי הכל בנותן טעם
חמרא חדתא בענבי אביי אמר במשהו ורבא אמר בנותן טעם
Old wine [which falls] upon grapes, all agree that [they are prohibited, if] it imparts a flavor.
New wine [which falls] upon grapes, Abaye said that [they are prohibited] however small the quantity but Rava said that it must impart a flavor.
Old wine has a taste very different from grapes. Therefore when it falls on the grapes, all agree that the grapes are prohibited only if the wine imparts taste.
However, new wine will taste like grapes. Therefore there is a dispute about this issue Abaye says that the grapes are prohibited even if there is only a very small amount of wine, whereas Rava says that for the grapes to be prohibited they must impart taste.
אביי אמר במשהו בתר טעמא אזלינן אידי ואידי חד טעמא הוא דהוה ליה מין במינו ומין במינו במשהו
Abaye said that [they are prohibited] however small the quantity. For we use the criterion of flavor, and since both [the wine and grapes] have the same flavor, it is a case of one species being mixed with the same species, and in such circumstances the mixture is prohibited even if there is the smallest quantity.
Abaye says that new wine mixing with grapes is a case of one species being mixed with the same species, since they both have the same taste. When two of the same species are mixed, the mixture is prohibited even if there is only the smallest amount of prohibited substance. After all, if they taste the same, how can one detect the presence of the forbidden substance.
ורבא אמר בנותן טעם בתר שמא אזלינן והאי שמא לחוד והאי שמא לחוד וה"ל מין בשאינו מינו ומין בשאינו מינו בנ"ט
But Rava said that it must impart a flavor. For we use the criterion of name; and since they each have a different name it is a case of one species [being mixed] with a different species, and in such circumstances the mixture is prohibited only if [the prohibited substance] imparts flavor.
Rava follows the name of the substance, not the taste. New wine has a different name from grapes and therefore for the wine to prohibit the grapes it would have to impart taste. Note that it would in reality be impossible to test for this because they have the same name. Therefore the only criteria would be to determine an actual amount of wine that needs to fall on the grapes. This is where the notion of 1/60th comes into play. If there is 60 times as much permitted substance, the mixture is permitted. But if less, it is prohibited.