Mishnah
Mishnah

Halakhah for Avodah Zarah 2:4

נוֹדוֹת הַגּוֹיִם וְקַנְקַנֵּיהֶן וְיַיִן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּנוּס בָּהֶן, אֲסוּרִין, וְאִסּוּרָן אִסּוּר הֲנָאָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, אֵין אִסּוּרָן אִסּוּר הֲנָאָה. הַחַרְצַנִּים וְהַזַּגִּין שֶׁל גּוֹיִם אֲסוּרִין, וְאִסּוּרָן אִסּוּר הֲנָאָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, לַחִין, אֲסוּרִין, יְבֵשִׁין, מֻתָּרִין. הַמֻּרְיָס וּגְבִינוֹת בֵּית אֻנְיָקִי שֶׁל גּוֹיִם אֲסוּרִין, וְאִסּוּרָן אִסּוּר הֲנָאָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, אֵין אִסּוּרָן אִסּוּר הֲנָאָה:

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.]

Gray Matter III

Nonetheless, Rav Weitman (Bin’tiv Hechalav p. 40) contends that since the price of non-kosher milk is tens of times greater than that of kosher milk, we need not be concerned that the former was introduced into the latter. He argues for extending the Pri Chadash’s interpretation of ein b’edro tamei to allow chalav akum even where non-kosher animals are milked as long as a large price difference discourages mixing the milks. The basis for this approach is the Gemara’s assertion (Avodah Zarah 34b) that although the Mishnah (Avodah Zarah 2:4) prohibits non-Jews’ muryas (oil from pickled fish, which sometimes contained wine) due to concern that non-kosher wine was added, the prohibition does not apply when wine is far more expensive than pure muryas.
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