Avodah Zarah Daf 57 עבודה זרח דַף 57

There was an incident in Biram, where an עכו"ם climbed up a palm tree and brought down a lulav. As he came down, נגע בראשה דלוליבא בחמרא שלא בכוונה – he unintentionally touched the wine with the tip of the lulav. Rav permitted selling the wine to an עכו"ם (but prohibited it for consumption).

Rav Kahana and Rav Assi challenged Rav from his own ruling: תינוק בן יומו הוא עושה יין נסך – even a one-day-old infant who touches wine makes it יין נסך. Although this infant’s touching is certainly without intent, it still prohibits the wine!? Rav replied that although he said it prohibits the wine in consumption, he never said it prohibits the wine in benefit. In both cases of unintended touching, the wine is prohibited for consumption, but may be sold to an עכו"ם.

Shmuel said that if one purchased slaves from an idolator, אף על פי שמלו וטבלו – even though they circumcised and immersed in a mikveh, עושין יין נסך עד שתשקע עבודת כוכבים מפיהם – they still make wine they touch into יין נסך, until the mention of idolatry disappears from their mouths. [Rebbe Yehoshua ben Levi said this requires twelve months.] This is challenged from a Baraisa teaching that if one purchases slaves from an idolator, שמלו ולא טבלו – and they were circumcised but did not immerse in a mikveh, or he owned sons born to his unconverted maidservants, who were circumcised but did not immerse, they are Rabbinically tamei like a zav (like all idolators). Regarding wine they touch, the adults make it into יין נסך, but the minors do not (adults are defined as יודעין בטיב עבודת כוכבים ומשמשיה – those who know the nature of the idols and their forms of worship). This Baraisa implies that only slaves which were not טובל make יין נסך, but those who were טובל do not!? The Gemara answers: תרגמה אבני שפחות – interpret [the section of the Baraisa discussing יין נסך] to refer to the children of unconverted maidservants owned by the Jew. Since they were born in a Jewish house, they would not make יין נסך after their conversion is completed.

An עכו"ם once entered a Jewish store in מחוזא and asked if there was wine for sale, and they said there was none. The עכו"ם noticed wine sitting in a bucket; שדי ביה ידיה שיכשך ביה – he thrust his hand into it and said, האי לאו חמרא הוא – “Is this not wine?!” The Jew angrily seized the bucket and threw it into a barrel of wine, indicating to the עכו"ם that he could not have it. Rava permitted all the wine to be sold to idolators, since his intent was not for libation, but Rav Huna bar Chinana and Rav Huna brei d’Rav Nachman prohibited it. Announcements went forth from both parties declaring their rulings. On the next Daf, Rava retracts and only permits selling the barrel of wine minus the value of the wine in the bucket, because Abaye brought numerous sources from Amoraim and a Baraisa prohibiting the wine in the bucket.