Avodah Zarah 58a
עבודה זרה נ״ח ע״א
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Topic
Wine touched by a non-Jew without intent: רבא's leniency is refuted by אביי's sources, and two תנאים disagree about wine poured by a hidden non-Jew.
Overview
רב הונא בריה דרב נחמן visits מחוזא, where רבא had allowed a barrel of wine stirred by a non-Jew to be sold. In private, רבא says such wine is forbidden even for הנאה. He explains that he only allowed the money from the rest of the barrel, not the value of the forbidden wine itself. רבא then recalls how אביי (נחמני) pressed him with sources forbidding such wine: rulings of שמואל in נהרדעא and רבי יוחנן in טבריא, and a ברייתא about a non-Jewish market inspector who tasted wine. רבא tries to push these aside, but אביי points out that the same ברייתא says 'it may be sold' when it means only drinking is forbidden. The גמרא declares רבא fully refuted. Next comes a story where a man pouring wine for two תנאים turned out to be a non-Jew. One forbade the wine even for הנאה, and the other permitted it even for drinking. רבי יהושע בן לוי says both ruled well, and his reasons continue on the next amud.
Opening lines
אִיקְּלַע רַב הוּנָא בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַב נַחְמָן לְמָחוֹזָא,
Rav Huna son of Rav Nachman happened to come to Mechoza.
אֲמַר לֵיהּ רָבָא לְרַב אֶלְיָקִים שַׁמָּעֵיהּ:
Rava said to Rav Elyakim, his attendant:
טְרוֹק גַּלֵּי, דְּלָא נֵיתוֹ אִינָשֵׁי דְּנִיטְרֹיד.
Close the gates, so that people who would disturb us do not come.
עָל לְגַבֵּיהּ, אֲמַר לֵיהּ:
He went in to him and said to him:
The steps (15)
- Statementרב הונא arrives and רבא asks for privacy
- Questionרב הונא asks what the law is in this case
- Responseרבא: forbidden even for benefit
- ChallengeBut you said stirring does not make it libation wine
- Resolutionרבא: I never allowed the value of the touched wine
- Statementאביי surrounded רבא with sources forbidding it
- Proofשמואל and רבי יוחנן both forbade it
- Rejectionרבא: they were strict because the people were unlearned
- Rejectionאביי: is מחוזא more learned than טבריא and נהרדעא?
- ProofThe barrel-tasting market inspector
- RejectionOnly drinking was forbidden
- ChallengeThe same ברייתא says 'it may be sold' when it wants to
- Conclusionרבא is refuted
- StatementTwo תנאים served wine by a hidden גוי
- StatementBoth opinions are valid