Avodah Zarah Daf 56 עבודה זרח דַף 56

The Mishnah taught that once juice from the grapes descends into the pit, it is considered wine and can become יין נסך. The Gemara asks that a Mishnah teaches: יין משיקפה – wine is considered finished and subject to maaser from when [the pits and peels] float to the surface, some time after descending into the pit!? Rava answers that they reflect different opinions in a Baraisa: there, the Tanna Kamma says wine is subject to maaser from when it descends into the pit, and Rebbe Akiva says משיקפה. [The Gemara clarifies that משיקפה refers to floating to the top of the pit (not the barrels).] In another version of this Baraisa, the Tanna Kamma said it is wine משיקפה, and Rebbe Akiva said משישלה בחביות – from when he draws it from the pits to put into barrels. The Gemara emends the first Baraisa to agree with this one, but asks that our Mishnah, which considers it wine from when it descends into the pit, seems to disagree with both opinions!? It answers that יין נסך is different, דאחמירו ביה רבנן – because the Rabbis are stringent regarding it and considered it wine earlier. Rava, however, who did not distinguish between יין נסך and מעשר, must say our Mishnah reflects a third opinion.

The Mishnah taught that after the wine descends into the pit, that which is in the pit is forbidden, but what remains above is permitted. Rav Huna said that this is only if he did not return the contents of the strainer to the treading basin, אבל החזיר גרגותני לגת אסור – but if he returned the strainer’s contents to the treading basin, [the wine in the basin] is prohibited. The Gemara wonders why the strainers contents should be prohibited: apparently, it is בנצוק – through the stream flowing from the strainer to the pit which connects the two liquids; שמע מינה נצוק חיבור – let us learn from here that a stream is considered a connection, which is a machlokes on Daf 72!? The Gemara answers that Rav Huna’s case is שפחסתו בורו – where the wine in his pit rose until it touched [the strainer], and the pit’s wine mixed with the strainer’s wine.

There was a child who mastered מסכת עבודה זרה at age six, and they asked him if one may tread on grapes together with an עכו"ם in a winepress. He answered that it is permitted. They asked that the עכו"ם might make a libation with his hands, rendering the wine prohibited (and the Jew could not be paid for working with the forbidden substance), and the child answered: דציירנא להו לידיה – it is only permitted to tread with the עכו"ם where they tied his hand so he cannot make a libation. The y persisted that he might make a libation with his foot, and he answered: ניסוך דרגל לא שמיה ניסוך – a libation made with the foot is not considered a libation and does not prohibit the wine.