Avodah Zarah 58b (נח:) — the Talmud in English

The one who prohibits reasoned:

he says:

He says that the gentile says to himself:

the gentile says in his heart:

Would it enter your mind that

could it enter his mind that

rabbis such as these—

distinguished people like them—

are drinking date beer?

drinking date beer?

Rather,

the gentile thinks:

Surely, this is wine,

it is wine,

and he poured it as a libation for idolatrous worship. Although he did not touch the wine, but merely poured from a jug, as explained below, nevertheless there is reason for concern that perhaps he touched the wine and poured it as a libation, but we did not notice or see it, since we had assumed that he was a Jew.

for idolatry. Even though he did not touch the wine, but merely poured it from a jug, as will be explained below, there is nevertheless concern that perhaps he touched the wine and poured it as a libation, and we did not notice or see it, since we had assumed that he was a Jew.

The one who permits—

the one who permits it—

properly permits it.

And his reasoning is:

He says that the gentile said to himself:

the gentile said in his heart:

Would it enter your mind that

could it enter his mind that

rabbis such as these,

proper and distinguished people like them,

are drinking wine,

as one drinks wine,

and they say to me,

and tell me,

“Come, give us to drink”? Do they not know that Jews are careful regarding wine touched by a gentile?

Come and pour us a drink?! Even gentiles know that Jews are careful with wine touched by a gentile.

Rather,

the gentile thinks:

Surely, they are drinking beer,

they are drinking beer,

and he did not pour it as a libation,

and he did not pour it as a libation.

And we challenge this:

But he sees it—

he sees it, and it is recognizable whether it is wine or beer. And we answer:

It was at night—

the incident took place at night, in the darkness, and he could not see.

And we challenge this:

But he smells it—

he smells it, and from the smell he can determine whether it is wine or beer.

And we answer:

It was new wine—

it was new wine, and it had no smell.

And we challenge this:

But he touched it with the antela—

he agitated the wine in the barrel when drawing it with the vessel used for drawing it , even if we say that he did not know it was wine, thinking that it was beer.

And it would thereby be—

the entire wine in the barrel would thereby have the status of

contact with a gentile without intent

to pour it as a libation—

and it should be prohibited?

And we conclude: He did not draw it with an antela. Rather,

it is necessary to say that

the incident was one in which he

poured it by tilting—

he tilted the barrel and poured from it—

and

this tilting

was considered his force

his “force” caused the wine to move, rather than “his direct action”]

without intent

to pour it as a libation.

And

we have established:

any action through his force without intent—

the Sages did not issue a decree concerning it,

and it is permitted even for drinking.

Therefore, the one who permitted it permitted it properly. And the one who prohibited it reasoned that since at first we had not paid attention to the fact that he was a gentile and had not been cautious with regard to him, there is reason for concern that nevertheless he may have touched the wine with his hands and poured it as a libation .

In their time, wine was strong, and therefore they would ordinarily dilute it with water while it was in the cup, to prepare it for drinking. The Gemara raises a doubt: When a gentile diluted the wine, is it prohibited for drinking? The two sides of the doubt will be explained in the Gemara.

Rav Asi asked Rabbi Yohanan: What is the status of wine that a gentile diluted—

what is the law?

Is it permitted to drink it, even though the gentile diluted it and agitated the wine through his “force”?

He said to him,

Rabbi Yohanan said to Rav Asi: Why are you using the expression “diluted”?

Say instead,

you could have said,

“mixed.”

He said to him,

Rav Asi said to him:

I am speaking in accordance with the wording of Scripture,

I am using the wording of Scripture, as it is stated [Proverbs 9]:

“She has slaughtered her slaughtering; she has mixed her wine,”

which is an expression for dilution.

He said to him,

Rabbi Yohanan said to him:

The language of Torah is one matter, and the language of the Sages is another matter!

And Rav Asi asked him:

What,

what is the halakha?

He said to him: It is prohibited,

even though he did not touch it; since he agitated it through his “force,” the Sages issued a decree. It is not prohibited by the fundamental law, but as a safeguard against transgression,

because of

“Go, go,”

go and distance yourself from wine,

they say to the nazirite,

they say to the nazirite, who is prohibited from drinking wine:

“Go around, go around,”

go around the vineyard;

“Do not approach the vineyard.”

Rabbi Yirmeya arrived,

he came

to

a place called

Sabta.

He saw

that

wine was being diluted by gentiles,

wine that a gentile had diluted,

and Jews were drinking from it,

and Jews were drinking it.

And he prohibited it for them,

Rabbi Yirmeya prohibited them from drinking it,

because of “Go, go,” they say to the nazirite, “Go around, go around—

do not approach the vineyard.”

It was also stated,

and we likewise learned:

Rabbi Yohanan said, and some say,

and there is one who transmitted this teaching as follows:

Rav Asi said that Rabbi Yohanan said: Wine that a gentile diluted is prohibited, because of “Go, go,” they say to the nazirite, “Go around, go around—

do not approach the vineyard.”

The Gemara relates a similar incident concerning tithes and idolatry.

Resh Lakish arrived,

he came

to Botzrah.

He saw,

he saw

Jews eating produce from which tithes had not been taken,

eating tevel produce without separating its tithes.

And he prohibited it for them,

he prohibited them from eating it without separating tithes, because he reasoned that the city of Botzrah was the city of Betzer mentioned in the Torah [Deuteronomy 4]. Since it was in Eretz Yisrael, its produce was obligated in tithes.

He saw

and he also saw

water,

water

to which gentiles bow,

to which the gentiles prostrate themselves,

and Jews drank,

and Jews were drinking this water.

And he prohibited it for them,

he prohibited them from drinking this water.

He came

Resh Lakish came

before

before

Rabbi Yohanan,

and told him that he had prohibited these two things for them.

He said to him,

Rabbi Yohanan said to Resh Lakish:

While your cloak is still upon you,

while your clothes are still upon you,

go back,

return to them and permit these things for them! Do not even delay in order to rest from the exertion of the journey, because

the city of Betzer

mentioned in the Torah

is not Botzrah.

Botzrah is outside Eretz Yisrael, and its produce is not obligated in tithes.

And water

that is

public is not prohibited.

The Gemara explains the law of public water.

Rabbi Yohanan,

who issued this ruling, did so

according to his reasoning,

in accordance with his own view—