Avodah Zarah 30a — the Talmud in English

And if

if

because

we fear lest they exchange it

—

that the gentile will exchange it for cooked wine of his own, there is no need to fear this.

From

since there is

there is

one seal, he does not trouble himself to counterfeit,

the gentile does not trouble himself to open the sealing of the barrel, remove the cooked wine from there, put other cooked wine in its place, and counterfeit another seal in order to close and seal the barrel exactly as the Jew did, since exchanging cooked wine does not justify so much trouble!

The Sages taught: Cooked wine and aluntit

[a medicinal drink]

of star-worshippers—

are forbidden,

since at their beginning they were wine. However,

aluntit as it was originally,

which the gentile took from a Jew when it was already prepared as an aluntit drink, and when the aluntit had already been mixed with wine, and it had never been in the gentile’s possession as wine—

is permitted.

And what is aluntit?—

As it was taught

with regard

to Shabbat: One makes anomlin

a drink,

but one does not make aluntit

a medicine.

And what is anomlin, and what is aluntit?

Anomlin

is a drink made from

wine, honey, and peppers,

and it is like the other drinks permitted on Shabbat.

Aluntit

is a medicine made from

old wine and clear water

[which was drawn and left in a vessel for a day or two, until all the materials mixed into the drawn water, such as earth and the like, settle],

and balsam—

which they make

this medicine is made

for those leaving the bathhouse,

for those who leave the bathhouse.

The Sages forbade drinking a drink that had been left uncovered, because one must fear lest a snake drank from it and injected its venom into it. Therefore, it is dangerous to drink that drink.

And the Gemara explains below which drinks were forbidden for this reason, and with which drinks one need not fear that a snake drank, and which were therefore not forbidden.

Rabba and Rav Yosef both said,

they both said:

Diluted wine

which they diluted and mixed with water [when two-thirds of it is water and one-third wine

has no

prohibition

because of exposure.

If one leaves it exposed, there is no prohibition in drinking it, since one need not fear that a snake drank from it.

And likewise,

cooked wine has no prohibition

of

libation,

since gentiles do not pour cooked wine as a libation.

They raised a question before them,

they were uncertain:

cooked wine,

when it remains exposed, is there

in it

a prohibition

because of exposure, or is there no

prohibition

because of exposure?

And the Gemara brings a proof—

Come and hear: Rabbi Yaakov bar Idi testified concerning cooked wine that a snake does not

drink from it, and therefore there is no

in it

prohibition

because of exposure.

Rabbi Yannai bar Yishmael became ill,

he felt unwell.

They entered to him,

they came in to him,

Rabbi Yishmael ben Zeirud and the Rabbis, to inquire of him,

to ask about his welfare.

They sat, and they were asking themselves,

when they sat with him, they were uncertain about this question:

Whether

cooked wine has

a prohibition against leaving it exposed

because of exposure, or whether it has no prohibition because of exposure?

Rabbi Yishmael ben Zeirud said to them

to the Sages:

Thus

so

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said in the name of a great man,

in the name of a great person,

and who was he,

and who was that great person?—

Rabbi Hiyya.

And he said as follows:

Wine

has no prohibition because of exposure!

They said to him,

the Sages: Should we

rely

on this and permit drinking cooked wine that remained exposed?

He signaled to them

he showed them

Rabbi Yannai bar Yishmael

with a hand gesture:

“Upon me and upon my neck”—

it is possible to rely on this!

And the Gemara brings another matter concerning cooked wine [with regard to libation]:

Shmuel and

a gentile named

Ablat were sitting

they were sitting together.

They brought before them

they brought before them

cooked wine,

cooked wine. And he

withdrew his hand,

the gentile Ablat withdrew his hand from the wine and did not touch it, so as not to forbid it for Shmuel.

Shmuel said to him

to Ablat: You need not refrain from touching the wine, for

they said: Cooked wine has no status of libation wine.

And we learn from this that cooked wine touched by a gentile is permitted even for drinking!

And the Gemara brings another incident:

The maidservant

his maidservant

of Rabbi Hiyya, a certain cooked wine became exposed to her,

it happened that cooked wine was exposed in her possession, and she was uncertain whether it was permitted to drink it.

She came before

she came before

Rabbi Hiyya,

and asked him what to do with this exposed wine.

He said to her

Rabbi Hiyya:

Behold, they said

the Sages,

cooked wine has no prohibition because of exposure.

The attendant

his attendant

of Rav Adda bar Ahava, diluted wine became exposed to him,

diluted wine became exposed in his possession [mixed with water].

He said to him

Rav Adda bar Ahava said to him: The wine is permitted for drinking, for

they said: Diluted wine has no prohibition because of exposure!

Rav Pappa said:

This law, that diluted wine has no prohibition because of exposure,

we did not say,

we did not state it

except

when

it is very diluted,

a great deal of water is mixed into it.

But,

if the wine is

partly diluted and not diluted,

mixed with only a little water,

it drinks,

the snake drinks from it. Therefore, it is forbidden to drink if it remained exposed.

The Gemara asks:

And partly diluted and not diluted, does it drink,

does the snake drink from it?

But Rabba bar Rav Huna was traveling in a boat,

he was traveling on a boat,

and he was holding wine with him,

and he had wine with him,

and he saw a certain snake,

he saw a snake

that was swimming and coming

crawling toward them from the water.

He said to him,

Rabba bar Rav Huna said

to his attendant,

to his servant:

“Blind the eyes of this one” [

blind the snake’s eyes]. That is, show the snake something that repels it, and through this it will depart.

He took a little water,

he took a little water,

and threw it into it,

he threw it into the wine,

and it retreated

the snake

backward,

and went away from them.

And if so, it is proved that the snake does not drink from wine even when it is diluted with a little water?

The Gemara rejects this proof:

“Ahaya,”

with regard to undiluted wine,

it risks its life,

the snake risks its life to come and drink from it in full view of everyone, even though it endangers itself by risking that they will kill it.

With diluted wine,

with regard to diluted wine,

it does not risk its life,

it does not risk its life.

Therefore, when Rabba bar Rav Huna held undiluted wine in his hands, the snake approached him, even though they could kill it. But when the attendant diluted it with a little water, it retreated.

Indeed, when no one is watching, the snake drinks even diluted wine. Therefore, exposed diluted wine is forbidden.

But the Gemara asks:

And

is it the case that

with diluted wine,

with regard to diluted wine,

it does not risk its life,

the snake does not risk its life?

But,

yet

Rabbi Yannai was

was in a place called

“Bei Akhbori,” and some say

and some say that

Bar Hedya was

he was the one who was

in “Bei Akhbori.”

They were sitting,

they were sitting there,

and they were drinking diluted wine,

they were drinking diluted wine.

Some wine remained for them in a vessel,

wine remained for them in a vessel,

and they tied it with a cloth,

and they sealed the vessel by tying a piece of cloth over its mouth.

And they saw a certain snake,

and they saw a snake

that took water and cast it into the vessel,

it took water and filled the vessel in which the wine was,

until the vessel was full and the wine rose,

until the vessel became full and overflowed,

over the cloth,

the wine rose above the cloth sealing placed at the top of the vessel,

and it drank,

the snake drank from it!

And it is proved that even with wine diluted with water, the snake risks its life, for it did this in full view of all those sitting there!

They said,

they said to resolve this as follows:

When it is diluted by itself,

wine that the snake itself dilutes, as in the incident before us,

it drinks,

the snake drinks from it and even risks its life for it.

But wine

that others diluted,

that was diluted by others,

it does not drink,

it does not drink from it.

Rav Ashi said, and some say

and some say that

Rav Mesharsheya said: “A resolution for danger?!”

Does the Gemara offer resolutions of this sort in order to overturn the proofs that a snake does in fact drink diluted wine, and on this basis do we wish to permit wine whose drinking is dangerous?!

Rather, certainly every wine that became exposed is forbidden to drink, since one must fear that the snake drank from it, and it is dangerous.

Rava said: The halakha—

diluted wine has a prohibition because of exposure.

And it has the status of libation wine.

Cooked wine—

has no prohibition because of exposure, and has no status of libation wine.

The attendant

the servant

of Rav Helkiya bar Tovi, a certain measure of water became exposed,

he had water placed in a measuring vessel called a “kista,” and the kista became exposed,

and he was sleeping beside it.

and he was sleeping next to it.

He came to him

he came to ask the law of the water before

Rav Helkiya bar Tovi. He said to him: Behold, they said

that one need not fear that a snake drank from water beside which a person was sleeping, since

the fear of

the sleeping person

is upon them.

And because it fears the person, it does not risk its life for this water.

And these words

this matter, that they fear the person sleeping beside the water, applies only

during the day.

during the day.

But at night,

at night—

no.

Then they do not fear him.

The Gemara rejects this:

It is not so,

the matter is not so. Rather,

there is no difference between during the day and at night

there is no difference, and both during the day and at night—

“We do not say: ‘The fear of the sleeper is upon them’!”

We do not say that the fear of the sleeper is upon them; rather, they are accustomed to drink from this water, and therefore it must be forbidden.

Rav did not drink

he would not drink

from the house of an Aramean

in the house of gentiles. And the reason is that

Rav said:

Rav said:

they are not careful

the gentiles are not careful

about

this matter of

exposure.

Therefore, one must fear that the drinks in their homes are contaminated with snake venom.

And

from the house of a widow,

in the home of a Jewish widow,

he drank,

he would drink, even though a woman is not expert in the laws and does not know on her own that water must be covered. If so, how would he drink?—

he said

as the reason for the matter:

the attachment to the man,

her husband’s practices,

she holds,

she adopts and preserves them. Therefore, it must be said that she indeed takes care not to leave drinks exposed.

Shmuel did not drink water

water

from the house of a widow

in a widow’s home.

He said

Shmuel stated the reason for the matter:

she has no fear of a man,

since she is a widow, she does not fear a man,

and she does not cover the water,

and she does not cover the water.

But from the house of a gentile

in the home of gentiles,

he drank.

So Shmuel would drink. And his reason was:

Although they are not particular about exposure,

although they are not particular about the prohibition of exposure, because of the concern lest a snake come, nevertheless,

with regard to cleanliness,

with regard to the cleanliness of the drink,

at least they are particular,

they are particular, and therefore they take care that it be covered, so that refuse should not fall into it.

There are those who say

there are those who have this version:

Rav—

did not drink water from the house of a gentile

in the gentile’s home.

But from the house of a widow

in a widow’s home,

he drank,

he would drink.

Shmuel -

He did not drink water

he did not drink water,

not in the house of a gentile

not in the house of a gentile,

and not in the house of a widow

in the house of a widow.

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: There are three

kinds of

wines, and there is no prohibition of

uncovering

in them,

for the snake does not drink from them.

And these are they: sharp, bitter, sweet.

And the Gemara explains what these wines are:

a.

Sharp,

it is

a sharp tila that bursts wineskins.

A kind of very strong and very sharp wine, and because of its strength, it bursts the wineskin in which it is found! And since it is sharp, and its taste is not good and sweet, but rather it is like vinegar, the snake does not drink from it.

b.

Bitter,

it is

yarenka.

For its taste is bad and bitter.

c.

Sweet,

it is

hulya.

And it becomes very sweet, since the grapes remained in the sun for a long time and ripened greatly. And the taste of the wine is not choice.

And according to this explanation of the words of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, inferior wines are being discussed. And because of their inferiority and low quality, the snake does not taste them.

However,

Rav Hama teaches

interprets the names of the wines that Rabbi Joshua ben Levi mentioned

for excellence,

as excellent and choice wines.

And this is their interpretation:

a.

Sharp -

it is wine that is sharp because he mixed

wine

[wine]

and peppers

and spices into it, which make it sharp.

b.

Bitter -

it is wine having a bitter taste because of

absinth

[wormwood] that they put into it.

c.

Sweet -

it is

mei barg,

and it is a choice beverage. ["Barg" in Persian, choice]

And all these are choice wines, and the snake does not drink from them.

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said:

Wine

whose name is “Krina” has no prohibition of

uncovering

in it.

The Gemara asks:

What is it,

what is this wine that is called

“K ri na”?

Rabbi Abbahu said:

sweet wine

sweet wine,

that comes from Asia,

which comes from a place called Asia.

Rava said: And in its place,

in that place where they are accustomed to drink it,

there is a prohibition of

uncovering

in it. What is the reason -

since in that place

it is the wine of the country.

And the snakes in that place are accustomed to its taste. Therefore it is forbidden because of uncovering.

Rava said: This wine

wine

that has turned sour,

which has turned sour [but has not become actual vinegar],

for up to three days,

three days from the day it began to spoil,

has a prohibition of

uncovering

in it.

And

it too has a prohibition

of idolatrous wine.