Les peaux [en cuir] des païens et leurs [faïences], vases et le vin d'un Juif à l'intérieur sont interdits, et leur issur (interdiction) est un issur de (dérivation de) bénéfice. Ce sont les paroles de R. Meir. Et les sages disent: leur Issur n'est pas un Issur de bénéfice. [Et voici leur vacarme: si elles sont neuves, il est permis d'y mettre du vin immédiatement. Et si le gentil avait mis du vin en eux pour les garder, il les remplit d'eau qu'il y laisse pendant trois jours pleins, répandant l'eau tous les jours complets des trois jours et la remplaçant par de l'eau fraîche, après quoi il est permis de mettez-y du vin. Et si douze mois se sont écoulés sans que le vin d'un gentil y soit, ils sont autorisés immédiatement après sans se vider.] Les coquilles et les grains (de raisin) d'un gentil sont interdits, et leur issur est un issur de bénéfice. Ce sont les paroles de R. Meir. Et les sages disent: les mouillés sont interdits [tous les douze mois, en guise de bénéfice], et les secs sont autorisés [à manger, après douze mois]. Les muries [saumure (de poisson), dans laquelle ils mettaient du vin) ] et les fromages des gentils de Beth Unyaki [un village dans lequel la plupart des veaux ont été sacrifiés à l'idolâtrie] sont interdits en (dérivation de) bénéfice. Ce sont les paroles de R. Meir. [R. Meir appréhende la minorité (des cas), estimant que même si la majorité des veaux sont une minorité par rapport aux autres animaux, nous sommes inquiets de la minorité, et vis-à-vis de tous les fromages qui s'y trouvent nous ont peur d'avoir été caillés dans l'estomac de veaux sacrifiés à l'idolâtrie.] Et les sages disent: Leur issur n'est pas un issur de bienfaisance. [Les sages ne craignent pas la minorité. La halakha n'est pas conforme à R. Meir dans tous ces trois cas.]
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.
