If one (a gentile) hires a worker (a Jew) to work for him with yayin nesech [to pour it from vessel to vessel or to take jugs from place to place (even with the ordinary wine of gentiles)], his wages are forbidden (in the derivation of benefit). [This is a penalty imposed upon him by the sages for dealing with yayin nesech or with their ordinary wine.] If he hired him to do other work with him, even if he told him: "Take this jug of yayin nesech from place to place," his wages (for the other work) are permitted, [as when he said to him: "Each jug for a perutah"; but if he said to him: "Deliver for me a hundred jugs for a hundred perutoth," and one jug of yayin nesech were found among them, his wages are forbidden.] If one (a gentile) hires an ass (from a Jew) for delivery of yayin nesech, his hire fee is forbidden (to the Jew). If he hired it to ride upon, even if the gentile placed his (wine) vessel upon it, his hire fee is permitted.[This Mishnah is adduced for its latter part, that if one hires an ass to ride upon, even though he apparently hired it also to place his wine vessel and food upon — so that one might think that this is to be considered as if he had hired it ab initio to transport yayin nesech and the hire fee is forbidden — we are apprised otherwise.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
השוכר את הפועל לעשות עמו ביין נסך – to empty from one utensil to another or to bring barrels from place to place and even with wine of gentiles (where it is unknown that it has been dedicated to an idol – see Talmud Avodah Zarah 74a).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Introduction
This mishnah discusses a non-Jew who hires a Jew to work with him in the transportation of yen neskekh.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
שכרו אסור – it is a fine that the Sages placed upon him with libations wine and wine of gentiles (where it is unknown where it is unknown that it has been dedicated to an idol).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
If [a non-Jew] hires [a Jewish] workman to assist him in [the transportation of] yen nesekh, his wage is prohibited. If he hired him to assist him in another kind of work, even if he says to him, ג€remove for me a cask of yen nesekh from this place to that,ג€ his wage is permitted. If he hired [a Jewג€™s] donkey to carry yen nesekh, its wages are prohibited; But if he hired it to sit upon, even though the non-Jew rested his jar [of yen nesekh] upon it, its wages are permitted. A Jew is not allowed to assist a non-Jew in the preparation or even the transportation of yen nesekh, wine which may eventually be used in libations. If he does so, and collects a wage for this specific type of work, the wage is prohibited, meaning that he cannot use the money. Since this person performed a forbidden act for profit, the Rabbis penalize him and forbid him to use his wages. However, if he was hired to do another type of work, for instance bring jugs of olive oil, and while working the non-Jew said to him to also bring a cask of yen nesekh, his wages are permitted. Since the Jew was not hired to work with specifically with the forbidden wine and the wages he receives are for his other work, the wages are permitted. [If the Jew was told from the outset that part of his work involved yen nesekh, the wages would be forbidden.]
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
שכרו מותר – as in the example where he said to him: “pass to me each and every barrel for a Perutah,” but if he said to him: “pass to me one hundred barrels for one hundred Perutot, and amongst them was found a barrel of libation wine, his hire is forbidden.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
This section teaches a similar ruling with regard to a donkey driver. If the non-Jew hires a Jewג€™s donkey to bring yen nesekh, the wages which the Jew receives are forbidden. However, if the non-Jew hires the donkey to ride on it the wages are permitted, even if the non-Jew brings his yen nesekh on the donkey. Although in both cases the Jewג€™s donkey is helping carry the forbidden wine, since in the second case he is not receiving wages specifically for carrying the wine, the wages are permitted.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
השוכר את החמור שכרה אסור – This Mishnah took hold of this because of the concluding segment [of the Mishnah] and the concluding part comes to teach us that even if he hires the donkey to ride upon it, he also hired it undefined to place his flash of wine and his provisions upon it, I might think that it is as if he hired it ab initio to bring upon it libation wine, and his hire is prohibited.
