Avodah Zarah Daf 31 עבודה זרח דַף 31

Rebbe Yehudah ben Beseira said: שלשה יינות הן – there are three categories of wine regarding idolators: (1) יין נסך – wine which was poured for idols is forbidden in benefit, ומטמא בכזית – and is metamei "טומאה חמורה" – stringent tumah (i.e., to anyone carrying it, or in the same אהל, like a dead body) with the size of a כזית. (2) סתם יינם – Their standard wine, owned by idolators but unknown to have been poured for idolatry, is also forbidden in הנאה, and is metamei טומאת משקין – the tumah of beverages (i.e., it is capable of contracting tumah and then conveying it like ordinary liquids) with the volume of a רביעית. (3) המפקיד יינו אצל עובד כוכבים – If one deposits his own wine with an idolator, אסור בשתיה ומותר בהנאה - it is forbidden for drinking but permitted in benefit. Although an עכו"ם is suspected of exchanging a Jew’s produce with his own, this case is where the עכו"ם designated a corner of his property to the Jew. The Gemara concludes that Tannaim dispute if such wine is permitted to drink: if one buys or rents a house in an עכו"ם’s chatzeir, and he kept wine there and held the key or seal, Rebbe Eliezer permits it for drinking, and the Chochomim prohibit it.

The Gemara records a machlokes between Rebbe Elazar (the Amora) and Rebbe Yochanan. In the second version, Rebbe Elazar said: הכל משתמר בחותם בתוך חותם – everything is considered guarded with a seal within a seal, חוץ מן היין – except for wine, for which even a חותם בתוך חותם is insufficient. Rebbe Yochanan said that a חותם בתוך חותם is sufficient even for wine. The Gemara explains that their argument is according to the Rabbonon quoted above, who said that a single חותם is not adequate for wine, and argue if the Rabbonon concede that a חותם בתוך חותם is enough. The Gemara gives several examples of a חותם בתוך חותם: a basin pasted onto the mouth of a barrel and a seal is stamped into the paste, a basket fitted tightly onto a barrel (Rashi explains the barrel has a sealed cover underneath, which is the second seal), a tied wine flask inside a tied pouch (where the flask faces down), or if a flask’s tied mouth is bent inside and tied a second time outside.

The Gemara asks why they prohibited שכר של עובדי כוכבים – beer of idolators. Rebbe Yitzchak says: משום חתנות – because of a concern of intermarriage (i.e., Jews would attend their drinking parties and may become attracted to their daughters). Rav Nachman says: משום גילוי – because of uncovered liquids, since idolators are not careful to cover their liquids. This is not because they leave their beer uncovered, because we do as well (since snakes do not drink beer); rather, it is because they leave the water used for beer uncovered until it clears. The Gemara asks that aged beer should be permitted, since Rebbe permitted aged liquids, because אין מניחו ליישן – [a snake’s venom] does not allow it to age (he similarly permitted fermented liquids)!? It answers that they prohibited aged beer on account of new beer. The Gemara relates that Rav Pappa would drink the beer of idolators in the doorway of the עכו"ם’s store, and Rav Achai would drink it in his own home. They held that idolators’ beer was prohibited because of חתנות, which they avoided by drinking it outside of the עכו"ם’s property.