Avodah Zarah Daf 29 עבודה זרח דַף 29

In the Mishnah on Daf 27a, Rebbe Meir prohibited taking a haircut from an עכו"ם anywhere, but the Chochomim permitted it in public. A Baraisa states that when a Jew is taking a haircut from an idolator, רואה במראה – he should look in a mirror, indicating he is particular that his hair is cut professionally. This cannot refer to haircutting done in public, because a mirror is unnecessary. The Gemara explains that although the haircutting is done in private, using a mirror permits it. Since he insists on using a mirror, מתחזי כאדם חשוב – he appears like a prominent person, who would care about the quality of his haircut, and the עכו"ם is afraid to harm him. Rav Chana bar Bizna was once having his hair cut by an עכו"ם on the roads outside נהרדעא. The barber remarked, “Chana, Chana! יאי קועיך לזוגא – Your neck is fitting for my razor!” Rav Chana commented that he deserved this danger for transgressing Rebbe Meir’s opinion. He held that the Rabbonon would permit a haircut on the roads outside נהרדעא, since many people commonly travel there.

The next Mishnah states: אלו דברים של עובדי כוכבים אסורין – these are the items of idolators which are prohibited, ואיסורן איסור הנאה – and their prohibition is a prohibition of benefit (and not just consumption). Wine and vinegar of an עכו"ם which was originally wine are prohibited, because he may have poured them for his idol. The Mishnah lists numerous other items which may have been used for idolatrous sacrifice or may contain wine or wine flavor. The Gemara will elaborate on each of these items. Rabba bar Avuha provides the source that wine poured as a libation for an idol is forbidden in benefit. The passuk says: אשר חלב זבחימו יאכלו ישתו יין נסיכם – the fat of whose offerings they would eat; they would drink the wine of their libations. Just as their idolatrous sacrifices are forbidden in benefit, so is their wine used for libations. Their sacrifices are prohibited because a passuk calls them "זבחי מתים" – offerings of the dead; just as the dead are forbidden in benefit, so are idolatrous offerings. The prohibition to benefit from the dead is derived from עגלה ערופה, about which is written "כפרה" – atonement, comparing it to קדשים.

The Mishnah taught that an עכו"ם’s vinegar which was once wine is prohibited in benefit, since it may have been poured while it was wine. The Gemara asks that this seems obvious; משום דאחמיץ פקע ליה איסוריה – just because it soured and turned to vinegar, should its prohibition leave? Rav Ashi answers that it is teaching that a Jew’s vinegar in an עכו"ם’s hands does not require חותם בתוך חותם – a seal within a seal (i.e., a “double seal”), as wine does; rather, a single seal is sufficient. An עכו"ם would not pour vinegar as a libation to his idol (as inferred from the Mishnah), and there is no concern that he exchanged the vinegar for his own (prohibited) vinegar of lower quality, because he would not bother to break and forge a single seal to make this exchange. Similarly, רבי אילעא said that יין מבושל – cooked wine of an עכו"ם is prohibited in benefit, since he may have poured it before it was cooked. This seems obvious, and Rav Ashi explains that he is teaching that a Jew’s cooked wine in an עכו"ם’s hands is permitted with a single seal, since he would not pour such wine to his idol, and would not bother breaking and forging a seal to make an exchange.