Avodah Zarah, Daf Samekh Vav, Part 4

 

Introduction

In today s section Abaye cites proof for his assertion that a substance is defined by its taste and not by its name.

 

אמר אביי מנא אמינא לה דבתר טעמא אזלינן דתניא תבלין ב’ וג’ שמות והן מין אחד או מין ג’ אסורין ומצטרפין

ואמר חזקיה הכא במיני מתיקה עסקינן הואיל וראוין למתק בהן את הקדירה

אי אמרת בשלמא בתר טעמא אזלינן כולי חד טעמא הוא אלא אי אמרת בתר שמא אזלינן האי שמא לחוד והאי שמא לחוד

 

Abaye said: From where do I declare that we follow the taste? As we have learned: Spices with two or three different names which belong to the same species, or three species, are prohibited and they join together;

And Hezekiah said: We are dealing here with kinds of sweet things since they are fit for sweetening the pot.

Now if you should say that we follow the criterion of taste, they all have the same taste; but should you hold that we use the criterion of name, each of them has a different name!

 

Abaye uses a baraita that is explained by Hezekiah to prove that a substance is defined by its taste. If three different spices with different names that are all forbidden (for instance they are all orlah produce during its first three years) fall into a pot and each one of them is not sufficient to impart taste but together they impart taste the dish is prohibited. This is because they all taste the same. The fact that they have different names does not matter.

 

ורבא אמר לך הא מני ר"מ היא דתניא רבי יהודה אומר משום רבי מאיר מנין לכל איסורין שבתורה שמצטרפין זה עם זה שנאמר (דברים יד, ג) לא תאכל כל תועבה כל שתיעבתי לך הרי הוא בבל תאכל

 

But Rava could say to you: Whose teaching is this? It is R. Meir’s, as it has been taught: R. Judah says in the name of R. Meir: How do we know that all the prohibited things of the Torah may be combined together? As it is stated, You shall not eat any abominable thing (Deuteronomy 14:3). Everything which I made abominable to you is included in the law of You shall not eat.

 

Rava says that this baraita follows R. Meir. Other sages do not hold that forbidden substances with different names join together because we follow the name, not the taste.