Avodah Zarah 29b (כט:) — the Talmud in English

Until now, we have been discussing the laws of distancing that one must maintain from gentiles themselves, so as not to come to danger to life or the danger of forbidden sexual relations as a result of being in their company.

Now the Mishna discusses items belonging to gentiles that are forbidden for benefit, in order that we not stumble in matters that are prohibited, and also to prevent excessive closeness between us and them.

Mishna:

1.

These are the items belonging to those who worship the stars

that are prohibited to Jews,

and their prohibition is a prohibition of benefit [the Gemara below explains why specifically these items are prohibited]:

the Gemara below explains why specifically these items are prohibited]:

The wine, and the vinegar of those who worship the stars, which was

this vinegar

originally wine

and became vinegar.

And Hadrianic earthenware [

earthenware belonging to the Emperor Hadrian ].

And slashed hides,

they would make an opening in the hide of the animal and remove the heart through it. This was the customary manner of preparing an animal for star worship; therefore, these hides are prohibited as “sacrifices of the dead,” that is, sacrifices offered to idolatry.

Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel says: When its tear,

through which they removed the heart,

is round,

it is

prohibited

for benefit, because its shape demonstrates that it was made for idolatry.

But if it is

elongated,

along its length, rather than round, it is

permitted.

This demonstrates that it was not made for idolatry. 2.

Meat entering a house of star worship,

that is, when the gentile wishes to bring it in and offer it, and a Jew is careful to take the meat immediately after it entered there, before they offered it —

it is permitted

for benefit.

And

if it is meat

emerging

from there, it is

prohibited, because it is

as though it had already been offered and had become

a sacrifice of the dead [a sacrifice that was offered and slaughtered for idolatry is called a sacrifice of the dead]—the words of Rabbi Akiva.

a sacrifice offered and slaughtered for idol worship is called a sacrifice of the dead] — the words of Rabbi Akiva.

3. Gentiles

traveling

to an idolatrous shrine

to a distant place of idolatry, and a Jew encounters them on the way, may not engage in business dealings with them, because we are concerned that the gentile will go and give thanks to his deity for the profits he earned in his dealings with the Jew.

And

those

returning

from there are

permitted

to engage in business dealings, since this concern no longer applies.

4.

Leather flasks,

leather vessels belonging to

those who worship the stars, and their jars,

which are made of earthenware,

with Jewish wine gathered in them

for a long period—

are prohibited. And their prohibition is a prohibition of benefit—

the words of Rabbi Meir.

And the Sages say: The prohibition of these items is not

a prohibition of benefit,

but only a prohibition against eating or drinking. However, it is permitted to derive other forms of benefit from these items.

5.

The grape seeds,

the seeds of the grapes,

and the grape skins,

the skins of the grapes

belonging to those who worship the stars,

which remain after they have made wine from them,

are prohibited. And their prohibition is a prohibition of benefit—

the words of Rabbi Meir.

And the Sages say: If the

grape seeds and grape skins were moist—that is, they were still within twelve months and still contained moisture—

they are prohibited.

But if they were

dry,

meaning that twelve months had already passed over them, they are

permitted.

6.

Fish brine,

the fat that flows from fish,

and the cheese of Beit Unyakei [

the name of the village from which the cheeses came, while other cheeses are not included in this category]

belonging to those who worship the stars are prohibited. And their prohibition—

a prohibition of benefit, according to Rabbi Meir.

And the Sages say: Their prohibition is not a prohibition of benefit,

but they are prohibited only for eating.

Rabbi Yehuda said: Rabbi Yishmael asked Rabbi Yehoshua when they were traveling on the road,

and

said to him,

that is, he asked him:

Why did

the Sages who dispute Rabbi Meir

prohibit the cheese of those who worship the stars

for eating, even though they did not prohibit it for benefit?

He said to him,

Rabbi Yehoshua:

Because they set it

the cheese,

with the stomach of an animal carcass,

so that the secretion of the stomach juices would curdle the milk and improve the cheese. Therefore, this cheese is prohibited.

He said to him,

Rabbi Yishmael:

But is not the stomach of

an offering

of an olah, which is more severe

than it

the stomach of a carcass?

For an olah is prohibited for benefit, and if one derives benefit from it, he is liable for misuse of consecrated property!

Nevertheless,

they said [

and it is not known who said this], that

a priest whose “mind is well disposed,”

who is not fastidious and is not disgusted or repelled by sucking the stomach,

burns it,

sucks out the secretion of the juice gathered inside it [which resembles milk], and swallows it while the stomach is still

alive,

and not after it has been cooked.

And the Sages did not concede

to the words of the one who permitted sucking the stomach.

But they said,

at the same time, they agreed that, on the one hand,

one may not derive benefit,

by rabbinic law, from the juice gathered in the stomach of the olah, but, on the other hand,

there is no misuse of consecrated property.

One who transgressed and derived benefit has not committed misuse of an offering, and is not liable to bring a sacrifice for misuse.

He returned and

said to him,

Rabbi Yehoshua to Rabbi Yishmael: The reason that these cheeses, which were set with the stomach of a carcass, are prohibited is

because they set them with the stomachs of calves used for idolatry.

The stomach and the excrement gathered inside it are also included in the prohibition of the animal.

He said to him,

Rabbi Yishmael:

If so,

if there is concern that they set the cheese with the stomachs of calves used for idolatry, and it is therefore prohibited for eating,

why did they not prohibit it for benefit,

as is the law with regard to all idolatry?

7.

He diverted him

Rabbi Yehoshua diverted Rabbi Yishmael

to

discussing

another matter,

and did not wish to reveal a clear answer to him on this issue.

And so

he said to him,

Rabbi Yehoshua:

Yishmael, how do you read

the words of the verse in Song of Songs (1:2)? Do you read

“For your love is better

than wine”

in the masculine form,

or “For your loves are better”

in the feminine form?

He said to him,

Rabbi Yishmael: We read it as follows:

“For your loves are better,”

in the feminine form.

He said to him,

Rabbi Yehoshua:

That is not so, for its companion

the verse adjacent to it,

teaches concerning it.

As it is stated in the following verse:

“For the fragrance of your oils is good...

therefore maidens love you.” The expression “maidens love you” must certainly be read in the masculine form.

Gemara:

Wine that was poured as a libation for idolatry is prohibited by Torah law for drinking and for benefit, according to the law of an “idolatrous offering.” The Sages decreed that one may neither drink nor derive benefit from any wine belonging to a gentile, even when it is not known that it was poured as a libation for idolatry. This wine is called stam yeinam, “ordinary wine of gentiles.” As part of this decree, they also decreed concerning wine belonging to a Jew that a gentile touched.

The Sages not only prohibited stam yeinam, but applied to it all the laws of actual wine used for idolatrous libation, as will be explained in the course of the sugya and by the early authorities.

Indeed, nowadays, when gentiles do not customarily pour wine as a libation for idolatry, the early authorities disputed the law concerning wine touched by a gentile. See Tur and Rema, Yoreh De’ah 123:1. Rema’s ruling there is that when prohibiting wine because of a gentile’s contact would cause a major loss, one should be lenient and rely on those who permit it.

We learned in our Mishna: These are the items belonging to gentiles that are prohibited, and their prohibition is a prohibition of benefit—

wine!

The Gemara asks:

From where do we know

that wine is prohibited?

Rabba bar Avuha said:

This matter is derived from that which the verse states [Deuteronomy 32:38]:

“Who would eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drink the wine of their libations.”

And the derivation is as follows:

Just as a sacrifice

of idolatry

is prohibited for benefit, so too wine

of idolatry, mentioned later in the verse,

also,

that is, it too,

is prohibited for benefit.

And

the sacrifice

of idolatry

itself,

that is, the sacrifice itself,

from where do we know

that it is prohibited for benefit?

As it is written,

when David listed in Psalms (106:28) the sins committed by the Children of Israel from the day they left Egypt:

“They joined themselves to Baal Peor and ate the sacrifices of the dead.”

The verse teaches:

Just as a dead person is prohibited for benefit, so too

a sacrifice

of idolatry, as was the case there,

also

that is, it too

is prohibited for benefit.

And the dead person itself

that is, the dead person himself,

from where do we know

that it is prohibited for benefit?

It is derived

through a gezeira shava from the words

“there, there,” from the beheaded heifer.

It is written here,

with regard to the dead person [Numbers 20:1],

“And Miriam died there.” And it is written there,

with regard to the prohibition of benefit from the beheaded heifer [Deuteronomy 21:4],

“And they shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley.”

For in both of these verses, the word “there” is stated. And from this gezera shava we learn:

Just as there

with regard to the heifer whose neck is broken,

the matter is forbidden

to derive benefit from it,

so too here

a corpse

also

is likewise

forbidden to derive benefit from.

And there, with regard to the heifer whose neck is broken,

from where do we know

that it is forbidden to derive benefit from?

The scholars of the house of Rabbi Yannai said,

in the study hall of Rabbi Yannai:

“Atonement” is written concerning it

with regard to the heifer whose neck is broken [Deuteronomy 21:8: “Atone for Your people Israel”

as with sacrificial offerings.]]

Since it effects atonement as sacrificial offerings do, its status is like that of sacrificial offerings, which are forbidden to derive benefit from.

We learned in our Mishna:

And the vinegar of gentile idolaters that was initially wine

is also forbidden.

The Gemara asks:

It is obvious;

surely it is forbidden! Is it that

because it became vinegar,

the wine fermented and became vinegar,

its prohibition is removed?

Rav Ashi said:

Indeed, it is certainly governed by the law of wine and is forbidden. Rather,

this came to teach us

that the tanna in the Mishna came to inform us that

our vinegar

of ours,

which we deposit

with a gentile, does not require

that it be sealed with

a seal within a seal,

with two identifying marks. ( Wine that one deposits with a gentile must be sealed with two seals—two identifying marks—so that the gentile cannot exchange it for his own wine. If the wine is sealed and closed with two identifying marks, it will be difficult for him to counterfeit the Jew’s seal, and he will refrain from opening the barrel.)

The reason that vinegar does not require a seal within a seal as wine does is that

if the concern is libation,

if the concern with wine is that perhaps the gentile poured it as a libation, there is no such concern with vinegar, since vinegar

is not used for libation.

And if the concern is exchange,

if the concern is that the gentile may have exchanged it for his own vinegar, which is inferior to this vinegar, there is no need for concern!

For

since there is

there

a seal

closing the barrel,

he will not trouble himself to counterfeit it.

The gentile will not trouble himself to open the barrel’s seal, remove the vinegar, put different vinegar in its place, and counterfeit another seal in order to close and seal the barrel exactly as the Jew did, since exchanging the vinegar does not justify so much effort!

Rabbi Ila’a said: We learned:

The cooked wine

of gentile idolaters that was initially wine

is forbidden!

The Gemara wondered:

It is obvious;

surely it is forbidden.

Is it that because it was cooked,

this wine was cooked,

its prohibition is removed,

its prohibition has been removed?

Rav Ashi said:

Indeed, wine cooked by a gentile certainly has the status of all wine, and is forbidden.

And

this came to teach us,

and the tanna of the Mishna came to inform us that

our cooked wine,

which we deposited

with gentile idolaters, does not require

that it be sealed with

a seal within a seal,

and it does not become forbidden to derive benefit from merely by being in the gentile’s possession.

The reason for this is:

if

the concern is

due to libation,

that perhaps the gentile will pour it as a libation, there is no need for concern, because cooked wine

is not used for libation.

Therefore, it does not become prohibited through contact with a gentile.