Pt3 Uncovered Liquids and Ritual Boundaries: Gentile Wine and the Risk of Snake Venom (Avodah Zarah 30a-31b)

This is the third and final part of a three-part series. Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here; the outline for the series can be found at Part 1.

Snakes, Venom, and Dangerous Creatures

Three types of snake venom based on the snake's age

Rav Safra, quoting R' Yehoshua Deroma,¹ states that there are three types of snake venom based on the snake's age:

1. Venom from a young (בחור) snake sinks (שוקע) in liquid,

2. Venom from a middle-aged (בינוני) snake stays suspended (מפעפע)

3. Venom from an old snake floats (צף)

אמר רב ספרא, משום רבי יהושע דרומא:

שלשה מיני ארס הן:

1. של בחור -- שוקע

2. של בינוני -- מפעפע

3. ושל זקן -- צף

[...]

Rav Safra says in the name of R' Yehoshua Deroma:

There are three kinds of snake venom:

1. Venom of a young snake, which sinks to the bottom when it is deposited in liquid;

2. venom of a snake of intermediate age, i.e., a snake that is no longer young, which is suspended in the liquid;

3. and venom of an old snake, which floats at the top.

[...]

Three creatures grow stronger with age: fish, snakes, and pigs

A baraita states that three creatures grow stronger with age: fish, snakes, and pigs.

תניא:

שלשה, כל זמן שמזקינין, גבורה מתוספת בהן,

אלו הן:

1. דג

2. נחש

3. וחזיר

[...]

taught in a baraita that

three creatures become stronger as they age,

and they are:

1. A fish,

2. a snake,

3. and a pig

[...]

Tales of the Tenth: Nine Consume Without Harm, Yet the Tenth Meets a Fatal End

The Talmud recounts two incidents in which nine people consumed from a potentially dangerous source—one from an uncovered jug and another from an exposed melon—without harm, but when a tenth person partook, they died.

מעשה היה

ששתו ממנו תשעה, ולא מתו

ושתה עשירי, ומת

[...]

מעשה היה

ואכלו ממנה תשעה, ולא מתו

ואכל עשירי, ומת

[...]

The Gemara relates that there was an incident

in which nine people drank from an exposed barrel and did not die,

and a tenth subsequently drank from it and died.

[...]

Again, there was an incident

in which nine people ate from a melon and did not die,

and the tenth ate from it and died.

[...]

Five Prohibited Uses of Exposed Water: Disposal in Public, Sprinkling Indoors, Mixing with Clay, Giving to Animals, and Washing

A baraita prohibits various uses of exposed water (to prevent harm). Specifically, one may not:

1. Pour it out into public property (רשות הרבים)

2. Sprinkle (ירביץ) it indoors (i.e. to settle dust)

3. Mix (יגבל) it with clay (טיט)

4. Give it to animals--one’s own or another’s--to drink

5. Use it for washing face, hands, or feet

תנו רבנן:

מים שנתגלו,

הרי זה

1. לא ישפכם ברשות הרבים

2. ולא ירביץ בהן את הבית

3. ולא יגבל בהן את הטיט

4. ולא ישקה מהן

   1. לא בהמתו

   2. ולא בהמת חבירו

5. ולא ירחץ בהן פניו, ידיו, ורגליו

[...]

The Sages taught:

With regard to water that was exposed,

1. one may not pour it out in the public thoroughfare,

2. nor settle dust with it by sprinkling it in the house,

3. nor mix clay with it,

4. nor give it to drink to his animal or the animal of another,

5. nor wash his face, hands, or feet with it.

[...]

R' Yoḥanan's Encounter in Parod: Bar-Kappara’s Legacy and a Ruling on Gentile Wine (Ecclesiastes 11:3)

R' Yoḥanan visited Parod,² and inquired if any of Bar-Kappara’s teachings³ were known there.⁴

R' Tanḥum of Parod (רבי תנחום דמן פרוד) cited a teaching in Bar-Kappara's name, stating that wine deposited with a non-Jew remains permitted for drinking.

Upon hearing this, R' Yoḥanan quoted Ecclesiastes 11:3: “Where the tree falls, there it shall be”.⁵

רבי יוחנן אקלע לפרוד

אמר: כלום יש משנת בר קפרא?

תנא ליה רבי תנחום דמן פרוד:

המפקיד יינו אצל גוי —

מותר בשתיה.

קרי עליה:

״מקום שיפול העץ

שם יהו"

[...]

R' Yoḥanan once happened to come to Parod, where the deceased tanna bar Kappara had lived.

When he arrived, he said: Is there any Mishna of bar Kappara here?

In response, R' Tanḥum of Parod taught him the following baraita, citing bar Kappara:

With regard to one who deposits his wine with a gentile,

drinking from the wine is permitted.

Upon hearing this, R' Yoḥanan read the following verse about him:

“Where the tree falls,

there it shall be” (Ecclesiastes 11:3).

[...]

Ownership and Security of Stored Wine in a Non-Jew’s Courtyard: Halakhic Dispute and Ruling

A baraita states that if a Jew buys or rents a house in a non-Jew's courtyard and stores wine there, with the key or seal under Jewish control, R' Eliezer permits the wine, while the Rabbis prohibit it.

תניא:

אחד הלוקח ואחד השוכר בית בחצירו של גוי,

ומלאוהו יין,

ומפתח או חותם ביד ישראל —

רבי אליעזר מתיר,

וחכמים אוסרין.

it is taught in a baraita:

With regard to both one who purchases or one who rents a house located in a gentile’s courtyard,

and they filled the house with containers of wine,

and the key to the house or a seal is in the possession of a Jew, so that the gentile cannot access the wine, in which case it is even more secure than when a corner is designated for the Jew’s wine,

R' Eliezer permits the wine,

and the Rabbis prohibit it.

Complex Chains of Transmission: Rav Ḥisda’s Attribution of the Halakha to R' Eliezer

Rav Ḥisda, citing various authorities, concludes that the halakha follows R' Eliezer.

The possible trains of transmissions are notably complex; three versions are given:⁶

Version 1:

1. R' Ḥiyya ben Ḥiyya bar Naḥmani (רבי חייא בריה דרבי חייא בר נחמני)

2. Rav Ḥisda

3. Rav

Version 2:

1. Rav Ḥisda

2. Ze’eiri

Version 3:

1. Rav Ḥisda

2. Abba bar Ḥama (אבא בר חמא)

3. Ze’eiri

1. אמר רבי חייא בריה דרבי חייא בר נחמני

2. אמר רב חסדא

3. אמר רב

ואמרי לה:

1. אמר רב חסדא

2. אמר זעירי

ואמרי לה:

1. אמר רב חסדא

2. אמר לי אבא בר חמא

3. הכי אמר זעירי

הלכה כרבי אליעזר.

[...]

1. R' Ḥiyya son of R' Ḥiyya bar Naḥmani says that

2. Rav Ḥisda says that

3. Rav says

and some say that:

1. Rav Ḥisda says that

2. Ze’eiri says

and some say that:

1. Rav Ḥisda says

2. Abba bar Ḥama said to me that

3. this is what Ze’eiri said

The halakha is in accordance with the opinion of R' Eliezer.

[...]

Rabbinic Concerns Over Non-Rabbinic Contamination: The Changing Status of Wine from Samaritan and Other Villages

A baraita states that initially (בראשונה), the rabbis prohibited wine from three specific towns in Eretz Yisrael, due to concerns about non-rabbinic (i.e. non-Jewish, pagan, and Samaritan) contact from neighboring villages:

1. Wine from Ein Kushi⁷ – Prohibited due to concerns of contact with the non-rabbinic inhabitants of Birat Serika.⁸

2. Wine from Barkata⁹ – Prohibited due to concerns of contact with the non-rabbinic inhabitants of K’far Parshai.¹⁰

3. Wine from Zagdor (זגדור) – Prohibited due to concerns of contact with the non-rabbinic inhabitants of K’far Shaleim (כפר שלים).

Later, they revised their ruling, allowing sealed jugs (חביות) while still prohibiting open ones.

תנו רבנן,

בראשונה היו אומרים:

1. יין של עין כושי אסור, מפני בירת סריקא

2. ושל ברקתא אסור, מפני כפר פרשאי

3. ושל זגדור אסור, מפני כפר שלים

חזרו לומר:

חביות פתוחות -- אסורות

סתומות -- מותרות

[...]

The Sages taught:

At first, the Sages would say that

1. wine from the Samaritan city of Ein Kushi is prohibited, due to the concern that it might have come into contact with the idolatrous inhabitants of Birat Serika,

2. and similarly the wine of Barkata is prohibited due to the idolatrous inhabitants of the village of Parshai,

3. and the wine of Zagdor is prohibited due to the village of Shaleim.

Subsequently, they retracted and began saying:

Open barrels are prohibited

but sealed barrels are permitted.

[...]

The practices of Rav Pappa, Rav Aḥai, Rav Shmuel bar Bisna, Rav, and Ḥiyya bar Rav re beer and wine of non-Jews

The Talmud describes different Amoraim's approaches to consuming non-Jewish beer:

Rav Pappa drank it just outside non-Jew’s tavern,¹¹ while Rav Aḥai had it brought to his home.

Rav Shmuel bar Bisna refused both non-Jewish wine and beer when visiting a town called Marguan (מרגואן).

Rav states that Aramean beer is permitted but notes that his son Ḥiyya refrains from drinking it.

רב פפא -- מפיקין ליה לאבבא דחנותא, ושתי

רב אחאי -- מייתו ליה לביתיה, ושתי

[...]

רב שמואל בר ביסנא איקלע למרגואן

אייתו ליה חמרא, ולא אשתי

אייתו ליה שיכרא, ולא אשתי

[...]

אמר רב:

האי שיכרא דארמאה שרי

וחייא ברי לא נישתי מיניה

[...]

The Gemara cites the opinions of various Sages with regard to beer.

Rav Pappa had them bring out the beer belonging to gentiles from the store to the entrance of the store, and he would drink it outside the store.

Rav Aḥai had them bring the beer to his house, and he would drink it there.

[...]

The Gemara relates that Rav Shmuel bar Bisna happened to come to Marguan,

and they brought him wine but he did not drink it.

Next they brought him beer but he did not drink it.

[...]

Rav says: This Aramean beer is permitted, but my son Ḥiyya does not drink from it.

[...]

Final Reflections on Danger and Prohibition

All “creeping animals” (sheratzim) have venom, but only the venom of a snake is lethal

Shmuel states that all “creeping animals”¹² have venom, but only the venom of a snake is lethal.

אמר שמואל:

כל השרצים יש להן ארס

של נחש -- ממית

של שרצים -- אינו ממית

Shmuel says:

All creeping animals possess venom;

that of a snake kills,

whereas the venom of other creeping animals does not kill.

Explanation for why non-Jews don't die after drinking uncovered water: non-kosher diet

Shmuel then tells Ḥiyya bar Rav¹³ something “excellent” that his father, Rav, once said:

The local non-Jews,¹⁴ who are swollen,¹⁵ who drink exposed liquids, don’t die from the venom in the liquids because they consume “repugnant creatures and creeping animals”,¹⁶ which warm (חביל) their bodies.¹⁷

אמר ליה שמואל לחייא בר רב

בר אריא!

תא ואימא לך מילתא מעלייתא דהוה אמר רב אבוך

הכי אמר אבוך:

הני ארמאי זוקאני

דהוו שתו גילויא

ולא מתו

איידי דאכלי שקצים ורמשים

חביל גופייהו

[...]

Shmuel said to Ḥiyya bar Rav:

Son of a lion!

Come and I will say to you a superior matter that your father, Rav, said.

This is what your father said:

These Arameans are swollen [zukanei]

because they drink exposed liquids,

but they did not die from doing so

since they eat repugnant creatures and creeping animals,

which heat their bodies and thereby render them less susceptible to the venom.

[...]

Hadrianic Earthenware: The Legendary Wine Jugs and Shards of Emperor Hadrian, Virgin Soil

The Mishna prohibits the use of "Hadrianic earthenware" (חרס הדרייני).

The Talmud clarifies this term:

Rav Yehuda, quoting Shmuel, explains it refers to the “earthenware of Hadrian”.¹⁸

Rav Dimi elaborates on what this means:

• Hadrian (i.e. at his command) cultivated vineyards on virgin (בתולה) soil and produced wine, which was stored in white jugs.¹⁹

• The jugs absorbed (מייצי) the wine, and they were later broken into shards (חספי).

• They would carry (דרו) the shards, soak (תרו) them in water, and drink the resulting liquid.²⁰

וחרס הדרייני.

מאי הדרייני?

אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל: חרס של הדריינוס קיסר

כי אתא רב דימי, אמר:

קרקע בתולה היתה

שלא עבדה אדם מעולם

עבדה, ונטעה,

ורמי ליה לחמרא בגולפי חיורי

ומייצי להו לחמרייהו

ומתברו להו בחספי

ודרו בהדייהו

וכל היכא דמטו,

תרו להו ושתו

The mishna teaches: And Hadrianic earthenware is prohibited.

The Gemara asks: What is Hadrianic earthenware?

Rav Yehuda says that Shmuel says: It is earthenware of Emperor Hadrian.

When Rav Dimi came, he said:

There was an expanse of virgin soil

that no man had ever tilled before,

and Hadrian tilled it and planted grapevines in it, which yielded wine of the highest quality.

And they placed this wine in white jugs,

and the jugs absorbed the wine.

And they would break the jugs into shards

and carry the shards with them,

and anywhere that they stopped,

they soaked these shards in water and drank the water.

1. This surname is toponymic, meaning “of Deroma" -- "south”, i.e. the Judean Hills, near Hebron, see Deroma.

2. פרוד - likely a town in the Galilee.

3. משנת - “mishnahs”.

4. Ed. Steinsaltz understands that Parod was a place that the late tanna Bar-Kappara lived; however there’s no indication of this elsewhere. Based on the end of the passage, this may simply be the town that he died in.

5. I.e. Bar-Kappara's rulings were known in the place where he died.

6. In each list, the later authority appears first, and the next name in the list is the tradent he’s citing from, as is standard in the Talmud.

7. עין כושי - literally: “Ethiopian Eye/Spring”.

On this town, and all the towns mentioned here, see a discussion in this article:

שומרונים ופגאנים בשרון לאור ברייתא תלמודית והממצא הארכאולוגי

8. בירת סריקא - literally: “Fort Serika”

See Jastrow:

בירת סריקא […] Fort Sirikah in Samaria

9. ברקתא - Burgata.

The town name possibly stems from Latin burgus - “fort”, see discussion at Hebrew Wikipedia there.

10. כפר פרשאי - “Parshai Village” - see חורבת פרסין – ויקיפדיה.

11. חנותא - on this Aramaic word meaning “tavern”, see my note in my previous piece.

12. שרצים - on the technical meaning of this term, see my previous piece.

13. Addressing him as בר אריא! - “Son of a lion!”, i.e. Rav.

14. “Arameans” - i.e. the local Aramaic-speaking community. See my note in Part 2 on this term.

15. זוקאני.

Jastrow:

blown up, swollen, afflicted with dropsy [=edema]

16. שקצים ורמשים - a technical term, based on biblical laws of kashrut. Related to the term sheratzim - “creeping animals’” - see my previous note.

17. And thereby make them less vulnerable to the venom's effects.

18. Roman emperor from 117 to 138 CE.

19. גולפי - from Greek.

20. The Talmudic description likely refers to a particular method of wine preservation and extraction that has a classical background (compare, in general, Ancient Rome and wine - Wikipedia). Some of the elements:

1. Hadrian’s Vineyards on Virgin Soil: The mention of Hadrian cultivating vineyards on virgin (בתולה) soil refers to newly planted, previously uncultivated land. Virgin soil is known for producing high-quality wine due to the fresh, nutrient-rich ground. This could also hint at Roman practices where new regions would be developed for viticulture.

2. White Jugs: Referring to earthenware (חרס - pottery) jugs or amphorae used for storing liquids, particularly wine. Amphorae were common in Roman and Mediterranean wine storage. (Compare Ancient Roman pottery - Wikipedia)

On the term “virgin” for land, compare the mishnah in tracate Middot, regarding stones of the Second Temple altar being taken from virgin earth of Beit Kerem Valley. It’s enticing to interpret here that it’s not grapes being grown on virgin land, but the clay for the amphorae being taken from virgin land. However, the way the Talmud is phrased in the printed edition doesn’t allow for this interpretation.

Compare also the Talmudic discussion in tractate Rosh Hashana about the purported Roman method of harvesting coral, analyzed in my previous piece.