The [leathern] skins of the gentiles and their [earthenware], vessels, and the wine of a Jew inside them are forbidden, and their issur (prohibition) is an issur of (derivation of) benefit. These are the words of R. Meir. And the sages say: Their issur is not an issur of benefit. [And this is their din: If they are new, it is permitted to put wine in them immediately. And if the gentile had placed wine in them to keep, he fills them with water which he leaves there for three full days, spilling out the water every full day of the three days and replacing it with fresh water, after which it is permitted to put wine in them. And if twelve months had passed without a gentile's wine being in them, they are permitted immediately thereafter without emptying.] The shells and kernels (of grapes) of a gentile are forbidden, and their issur is an issur of benefit. These are the words of R. Meir. And the sages say: Wet ones are forbidden [all twelve months, in derivation of benefit], and dry ones are permitted [to eat, after twelve months.] The muries [(fish) brine, into which they used to put wine)] and the cheeses of the gentiles of Beth Unyaki [a village in which most of the calves were sacrificed to idolatry] are forbidden in (derivation of) benefit. These are the words of R. Meir. [R. Meir is apprehensive of the minority (of instances), holding that even though the majority of the calves are a minority relative to the other animals, we are apprehensive of the minority, and vis-à-vis all the cheeses that are found there we are afraid they may have been curdled in the stomachs of calves sacrificed to idolatry.] And the sages say: Their issur is not an issur of benefit. [The sages are not apprehensive of the minority. The halachah is not in accordance with R. Meir in all of these three instances.]
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.
