R. Yehudah dijo: R. Yishmael preguntó a R. Yehoshua mientras caminaban por el camino: ¿Por qué los quesos de los idólatras tenían prohibido [comer]? [La consulta es para los rabinos. No hay necesidad de sentir aprensión por la leche de un animal inmundo porque sabemos que esa leche no se cuaja.] Él respondió: Porque las cuajan en las fauces de la carroña. R. Yishmael: Pero las fauces de una ofrenda quemada no son más estrictas (en relación con la derivación del beneficio) que la de la carroña, a pesar de lo que dijeron: un Cohein que puede tolerarlo lo come en carne viva [siendo ¡nada más que una secreción]! (Y no se lo concedieron [para permitirlo ab initio] sino que le dijeron: No está permitido obtener beneficios de él, pero no se ofrece una ofrenda meilah [abuso de propiedad sagrada] [si el beneficio se deriva de ello ]). Luego él (R. Yehoshua) repitió: Porque lo acurrucan en las fauces de los terneros (dedicados a) la idolatría. [Y aunque es una mera secreción, está prohibido, ya que está escrito con respecto a la idolatría (Deuteronomio 13:18): "Y que no se adhiera a tu mano nada del botín".] Él (R. Yishmael) con eso preguntó: Si es así, ¿por qué no prohibieron la derivación del beneficio de él?—con lo cual lo desvió a otro asunto, [pero no quiso dar la razón, ya que doce meses aún no habían transcurrido desde la emisión de este decreto; y cuando los rabinos emiten un decreto, no revelan su razón hasta el decimotercer mes (desde su emisión) hasta que se haya establecido, para que no haya quien cuestione la razón y venga a abaratarla. Y la razón por la que prohibieron los quesos de los gentiles es que lo acurrucan en la piel de las fauces de los animales sacrificados de los gentiles, que es neveilah (carroña). Y aunque es insignificante en relación con toda la leche, todavía, dado que cuaja la leche y actúa sobre ella, no se anula, la regla es: "Todo va de acuerdo con el catalizador". Y la prohibición contra la leche y la carne no lo prohibiría, porque si se permitiera la carne en sí, no lo prohibiría, aunque la cuajara hasta que le diera un sabor (de carne). Pero una cosa que está prohibida en sí misma (p. Ej., Neveilah) prohíbe lo permitido incluso si no le da un sabor, siempre que lo cuaje.] ("Con lo cual lo desvió a un asunto diferente") preguntándole: Yishmael, ¿cómo lo lees? (Canción de canciones 1: 2): "para tu amor [de Israel] [del Señor] ('dodecha') es mejor que el vino" o: "para tu amor [del Señor] [de Israel] ('dodayich') es mejor que el vino "? Él respondió: "para mejor es dodayich"—con lo cual él (R. Yehoshua) dijo: No es así, como lo indica lo que sigue (3): "Para la fragancia Tus aceites son buenos, etc." (el contexto indica claramente que Israel se está dirigiendo al L rd). [Israel está diciendo ante el Santo Bendito sea Él: "Más dulces para mí son las palabras de dodecha (Tus seres queridos, es decir, las medidas ordenadas y decretadas por los sabios) más que 'el vino de la Torá' (la Torá escrita sí mismo)."]
Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
מפני מה אסרו גבינת של עובדי כוכבים – with regarding to eating, but the Rabbis require it because the milk of an impure animal one doesn’t have to suspect anything for we hold that the milk of an impure animal does not curdle.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Introduction
This mishnah contains a discussion between Rabbi Ishmael and Rabbi Joshua concerning the prohibition of non-Jewish cheese.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
שורפה חיה – it is a mere secretion (and no longer real milk – see Tractate Hullin 116b).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Rabbi Judah said: Rabbi Ishmael put this question to Rabbi Joshua as they were walking on the way, “Why have they forbidden the cheese of non-Jews?” He replied, because they curdle it with the rennet of a nevelah (an animal that was not properly slaughtered.” Rabbi Ishmael asks Rabbi Joshua why the Sages forbid cheese made by non-Jews. This prohibition is perplexing to Rabbi Ishmael because even the non-Jews make their cheese from kosher animals such as cows and goats. Since the milk used to make the cheese comes from kosher animals, it should be permitted. Rabbi Joshua responds that non-Jews use rennet to curdle the cheese. This rennet comes from the stomachs of animals that were not properly slaughtered and therefore the cheese is prohibited.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
בקיבת עגלי עבודה זרה – and even though it is a mere secretion, it is prohibited, for idolatry is different, as it is written concerning it (Deuteronomy 13:18): “Let nothing that has been doomed stick to you hand,[in order that the LORD may turn from His blazing anger and show you compassion, and in His compassion increase you as He promised your fathers on oath].”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
He (Rabbi said: “but is not the rennet of a burnt-offering more strictly forbidden than the rennet of a nevelah? [and yet] it was said that a priest who is not fastidious may suck it out raw.” (Though the Sages disagreed with this opinion, and they said that no benefit may be derived from it, although one who consumed it did not trespass [temple. Rabbi Ishmael responds that a priest who sees rennet in the stomach of a whole burnt offering may drink this rennet (I know this sounds a little gross.). Since a whole burnt offering is forbidden to be eaten, this law proves that the rennet is not considered part of the animal. If it were considered to be an integral part of the animal, it would have been prohibited. Since it is not forbidden in this case then by comparison the rennet used to make cheese should not make the cheese forbidden to Jews, even though it comes from an animal that was improperly slaughtered. At this point the mishnah offers an aside. The statement that the rennet of a whole burnt offering may be consumed by a priest was only Rabbi Ishmael’s opinion. The Rabbis did not agree with him. They stated that it is forbidden to derive benefit from this rennet and yet one who does so is not considered to have taken (trespassed) Temple property. [If he had taken from Temple property he would have to bring a sacrifice to atone for the sin, as well as pay back the value of that which he took.] This section is not an integral part of the mishnah and was added in at a later time.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
השיאו לדבר אחר – and he did not want to tell him the reason of the matter because twelve months had not yet passed from when they made this decree. For when the Rabbis make a decree, they do not reveal the reason until twelve months of a year until their decree will become widespread. For perhaps there is someone who doesn’t hold by this reason and will come to despise it, and the reason why they forbade the cheeses of idolaters is because they curdle it in the skin of an animal slaughtered by an idolater which is a carcass, but even though it is a small amount corresponding to all of the milk, since he curdles the milk and performs an act, it is not negated, and we hold that everything goes according to the one who curdles the milk. But because of meat with milk, he did not forbid it, for since the meat on its own is permitted, it is not forbidden with milk, even though he curdles it until he gives forth into it a taste , but I is a matter of something forbidden from its outset. He forbids something that is permitted, even though it does not give forth a taste while he is curdling it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Rabbi Joshua responded: “The reason then is because they curdle it with the rennet from calves sacrificed to idols.” Rabbi Joshua now provides another reason why non-Jewish cheese is forbidden. Non-Jews use rennet that comes from calves that were used in idol worship. Since any item that was used in idol worship is forbidden to a Jew, non-Jewish cheese is forbidden to a Jew.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
כי טובים דודייך מיין – The Holy One, blessed be He says this to the congregation of Israel.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
He (Rabbi said to him: “if that be so, why do they not extend the prohibition to any benefit derived from it?” Rabbi Ishmael responds that if non-Jewish cheese is forbidden since it may contain rennet that comes from an animal used in idol worship, then it should not only be forbidden to eat, it should also be forbidden to derive any benefit from it. From the example in the previous mishnah concerning Bithynian cheese, we learned that the Sages said it was only forbidden for consumption and it was not forbidden to derive benefit from non-Jewish cheese.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
אין הדבר כן – but rather the congregation of Israel stated before the Holy One, blessed be He (see Talmud Avodah Zarah 35a): “The words of Your beloved ones are a surety before Me,” meaning to say, the ordinances that the Sages have established and decreed are better than the wine of the Torah, from the principle of the Written Torah (as they supplement the Written Torah and complete it).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
He (Rabbi diverted him to another matter, saying: “Ishmael, how do you read for your [masc.] love is more delightful than wine” or “your [fem.] love etc. (Song of Songs 1:2” He replied: “your [fem.] love is better …” He said to him: this is not so, as it is proved by its fellow [-verse]: your ointments [masc.] have a goodly fragrance … [therefore do the maidens love you] (Song of Songs 1:3).” Rabbi Joshua does not seem to have an answer to this response of Rabbi Ishmael’s and therefore he distracts him to a different topic, this dealing with the gender of the speaker in the second verse of Song of Songs. The verse states “for your love is more delightful than wine”. “Your love” can either be masculine or feminine. The only difference in the Hebrew is the vocalization; the consonants are exactly the same. Rabbi Ishmael responds that he vocalizes it to be a masculine pronoun. In other words the speaker is feminine and she is speaking to a male. Rabbi Joshua points out that this is surely wrong for the word “your ointments” is masculine. Although this word too can be vocalized to be feminine, the fact that the end of the verse refers to maidens loving him proves that the one being spoken to is male.
