Die [Leder-] Häute der Heiden und ihre [Steingut], Gefäße und der Wein eines Juden in ihnen sind verboten, und ihre Ausgabe (Verbot) ist eine Ausgabe (Ableitung von) Nutzen. Dies sind die Worte von R. Meir. Und die Weisen sagen: Ihr Aussteller ist kein Aussteller von Nutzen. [Und das ist ihr Lärm: Wenn sie neu sind, ist es erlaubt, sofort Wein in sie zu geben. Und wenn der Nichtjude Wein in sie gegeben hat, um sie aufzubewahren, füllt er sie mit Wasser, das er dort drei volle Tage lang stehen lässt, verschüttet das Wasser jeden vollen Tag der drei Tage und ersetzt es durch frisches Wasser, wonach es erlaubt ist lege Wein hinein. Und wenn zwölf Monate vergangen wären, ohne dass ein Nichtjudenwein in ihnen war, dürfen sie unmittelbar danach ohne Entleerung.] Die Schalen und Körner (von Trauben) eines Nichtjuden sind verboten, und ihre Ausgabe ist eine Ausgabe von Nutzen. Dies sind die Worte von R. Meir. Und die Weisen sagen: Nasse sind verboten [alle zwölf Monate, um Nutzen zu ziehen], und trockene dürfen [nach zwölf Monaten essen]. Die Muries ((Fisch-) Salzlake, in die sie früher Wein gaben) ] und die Käsesorten der Heiden von Beth Unyaki [einem Dorf, in dem die meisten Kälber dem Götzendienst geopfert wurden] sind verboten. Dies sind die Worte von R. Meir. [R. Meir ist besorgt über die Minderheit (der Fälle) und ist der Ansicht, dass wir, obwohl die Mehrheit der Kälber im Vergleich zu den anderen Tieren eine Minderheit ist, die Minderheit und alle dort vorkommenden Käsesorten fürchten befürchten, dass sie in den Mägen von Kälbern geronnen sind, die dem Götzendienst geopfert wurden.] Und die Weisen sagen: Ihre Ausgabe ist keine Ausgabe von Nutzen. [Die Weisen sind nicht besorgt über die Minderheit. Die Halacha stimmt in all diesen drei Fällen nicht mit R. Meir überein.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
נודות – (bottles) of hides/skins.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Introduction
This mishnah contains three disputes between Rabbi Meir and the Sages with regards to the prohibitions of certain foods once owned by non-Jews. In each case Rabbi Meir is more strict.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
וקנקנים – of earthenware.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Skin-bottles or flasks of non-Jews in which wine of a Jew is kept are forbidden and the prohibition extends to any benefit that may be derived from them, this is the opinion of Rabbi Meir. But the Sages say that the prohibition does not extend to deriving benefit. If a Jew stores his wine in skin-bottles or ceramic flasks in which non-Jews previously stored their wine the Jewish wine becomes forbidden. Since the skin-bottles and flasks contained absorbed wine in their walls, that non-Jewish wine would mix with the Jewish wine. According to Rabbi Meir, it is forbidden to even derive any benefit from this wine. According to the Sages it is only forbidden for the Jew to drink the wine. If he wants he could sell the wine to a non-Jew and thereby derive benefit. The Sages rule that the only type of non-Jewish wine from which it is actually prohibited to derive benefit is wine that one can see. Wine that has been absorbed in a vessel is only forbidden to be drunk.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
אין איסורן איסור הנאה – and the law is such. If they are new, it is immediately permitted to place wine in them , but if the heathen placed wine in them for preservation, we fill them up with water and detain it in them for three days consecutively but that he empties the water each day every twenty-four hours of the three days, and places other water in their place. And afterwards, it is permitted to place wine in it. But if there are twelve months where there was no heathen wine in them, it is permissible immediately after one year without emptying it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Grape seeds and grape-skins of non-Jews are forbidden, the prohibition extending to any benefit that may be derived from them, this is the opinion of Rabbi Meir. But the Sages say, when fresh they are forbidden but when dry they are permitted. According to Rabbi Meir, both dry and moist grape skins and seeds that belonged to non-Jews are forbidden to Jews and the prohibition extends even to deriving any benefit from them. The Sages rule that dry seeds and skins are permitted even to eat and only moist ones are prohibited.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
חרצנים וזגים – the refuse of the grapes and their seeds that are inside and the outer shells.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Fish brine and Bithynian cheese of the non-Jews are forbidden, the prohibition extending to any benefit that may be derived from them, this is the opinion of Rabbi Meir. But the Sages say that the prohibition does not extend to deriving benefit. The concern with regards to fish brine is that there may be small amounts of wine in it. Bithynian cheese is cheese that comes from a place called Bithynia, which is in Asia Minor. According to the Talmud most of the calves raised there were used for idol worship. Since cheese uses rennet, a substance which comes from the stomach lining of a cow and solidifies the milk into cheese, we are concerned that the rennet came from a cow used in idol worship. Due to our concern with both of these foods, Rabbi Meir says it is forbidden for a Jew to derive benefit from either. According the Sages it is only forbidden to eat them; it is permitted to derive benefit from them. The fish brine is permitted since the wine was only used as an antidote for any polluting agent in the brine and not for its own taste. The cheese is permitted since most of the animals in Bithynia were not used for idol worship, only most of the calves which were a minority of the total number of animals.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
לחים – all twelve months they are forbidden to derive benefit.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
ויבשים – after twelve months they are permitted even for eating.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
המורייס – the fat of the fish and it was customary that they would mix in it wine, but if it was known of it that they did not mix wine in it, everyone does not dispute that it is permitted.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
בית אינייקי – the name of a village where most of the calves that are found there are offered as sacrifices to idolatry. Rabbi Meir was troubled by a minority and held that even though most calves were a minority corresponding to the rest of the animals, we should concern ourselves with the minority. And all the cheeses that are found there, we state that perhaps that the rennet of the calves was curdled for idolatry. But the Sages were not concerned about the minority. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Meir in any of these three segments.
