Avodah Zarah 57a

עבודה זרה נ״ז ע״א

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Topic

Wine touched by a גוי without intent (forbidden to drink, allowed for benefit), רב's rule about a one-day-old baby, and when bought slaves stop making wine into יין נסך

Overview

The גמרא first asks why שמואל held off on ruling about wine a גוי touched. It rejects the idea that he feared a strict תנא like רבי נתן, and concludes he hoped to find a lenient תנא like רבי שמעון so he could allow even drinking. Next comes a story in בירם: a גוי's palm branch touched wine by accident, and רב allowed it to be sold to גוים. When challenged with his own rule that even a one-day-old גוי baby makes wine into יין נסך, רב explains that such a touch forbids drinking but not benefit. רב שימי בר חייא then challenges that baby rule from a ברייתא saying young slaves who don't understand idol worship do not forbid wine. The גמרא limits that leniency to sons of maidservants raised in a Jewish home. It then works through the ברייתא's word וכן and reads it to mean that slaves, once circumcised and immersed, no longer forbid wine. This reading goes against רב נחמן in the name of שמואל, who said bought slaves forbid wine until עבודה זרה is gone from their mouths, which רבי יהושע בן לוי sets at twelve months. רבה begins challenging רב נחמן from the same ברייתא, and that challenge continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (20)

1. ResponseA first suggested reason for שמואל's delay
2. ProofThe ברייתא showing רבי נתן's strict view
3. Challengeרבי נתן only forbids the hand case
4. ResolutionThe real reason: hoping to find a lenient תנא
5. StatementThe story in בירם: a palm branch touches wine
6. Challengeרב כהנא and רב אסי challenge רב from his own rule
7. Resolutionרב: my rule forbids drinking, not benefit
8. StatementBack to רב's rule about the one-day-old baby
9. ChallengeA ברייתא about circumcised slaves who have not immersed
10. ChallengePinpointing the clash: minors do not forbid wine
11. ResolutionThe ברייתא is talking about sons of maidservants
12. ChallengeBut the ברייתא says 'And so too'
13. ResolutionThe link is only about spit and what they step on
14. ChallengeThat answer only works for the opinion that holds they are טמא
15. ResolutionSlaves are like sons of maidservants: immersion ends the problem
16. ConclusionThis rejects שמואל's view that immersed slaves still make wine into יין נסך
17. Statementרב נחמן's rule about newly bought slaves and wine
18. QuestionHow long does that take
19. ResponseTwelve months
20. Challengeרבה challenges רב נחמן from the ברייתא