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Avodah Zarah 69b

עבודה זרה ס״ט ע״ב

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Topic

When a Jew leaves his wine alone with a נכרי, when do we worry that the נכרי touched it and made it forbidden as יין נסך?

Overview

This daf continues the משנה about a Jew who leaves his wine alone with a נכרי. First, the גמרא explains when the נכרי is afraid of being caught: if the owner might show up by a twisting road, the wine stays permitted. If he said "go and I will come after you," the נכרי feels safe. Next, it explains why the משנה needed both the shop case and the wagon-or-ship case. Then רבי יוחנן teaches that the argument about how much time is needed applies only to a lime seal. The גמרא defends this from a ברייתא of רבן שמעון בן גמליאל. רבא rules like רבן שמעון בן גמליאל, based on an unnamed משנה that measures the time by fully opening the barrel. The גמרא then asks why we still don't leave sealed wine with נכרים today, and answers that it is because of the small air hole, the שייכא. Finally, רבא begins a new case about wine at the table of a גויה זונה, and his reasoning continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

בְּבָא לָהֶם דֶּרֶךְ עֲקַלָּתוֹן.

Where he came to them by a twisting road.

אִי הָכִי, סֵיפָא נָמֵי?

If so, the later case too?

כֵּיוָן דְּאָמַר לָהֶם ״לְכוּ וַאֲנִי בָּא אַחֲרֵיכֶם״,

Since he said to them, "Go, and I will come after you,"

סָמְכָא דַּעְתַּיְיהוּ.

their minds are at ease.

The steps (17)

  1. ResolutionThe owner came back by a twisting road
  2. ChallengeThen the later case should be the same
  3. Resolution"Go and I will come after you" lets them relax
  4. StatementWhy we need both cases: the gentile-case alone could fool us
  5. ConclusionWhy we need both cases: the ship case alone could fool us
  6. StatementThe time argument applies only to lime seals
  7. ChallengeA ברייתא: the seal can be seen from above and below
  8. ChallengeThe wording fits clay, not lime
  9. Resolutionרבן שמעון בן גמליאל answered both possibilities
  10. ResolutionHow the חכמים answer back
  11. Conclusionרבא rules like רבן שמעון בן גמליאל
  12. ProofThe unnamed משנה that follows רבן שמעון בן גמליאל
  13. ChallengeIsn't רבא's ruling obvious?
  14. ResolutionOne might have thought the whole clause was רבן שמעון בן גמליאל's
  15. QuestionThen why don't we leave wine with a נכרי today?
  16. ResponseBecause of the barrel's small air hole
  17. StatementWine at the table of a non-Jewish prostitute is permitted