Avodah Zarah 070

1:
We have seen in several mishnahs in this tractate that yeyn nesekh can become mixed up with kosher wine, or with any other liquid – or, indeed, with any other foodstuff. The first clause of our present mishnah makes quite clear what has been known to us since yeyn nesekh became the topic of discussion: yeyn nesekh is absolutely forbidden to Jews and even in the smallest amount. (In the previous shiur we saw how even small drops of yeyn nesekh left in a funnel impart their prohibition.)

2:
When yeyn nesekh becomes mixed with something else the admixture becomes forbidden. Actually, this rule does not apply only to yeyn nesekh but to any liquid that was offered as a libation to a pagan god. Thus the rule also applies to water: if a non-Jew makes a libation of water to some god any water that is left is forbidden to all Jews.

3:
If the smallest amount of yeyn nesekh is introduced into kosher wine the whole becomes forbidden – even a tiny drop of yeyn nesekh which fell into a a whole barrel of wine. Even the smallest amount of libation-water will disqualify the whole if it is introduced into ordinary water.

4:
This rule applies to an admixture of two liquids of the same nature – wine and wine, water and water. However, if yeyn nesekh (even in the smallest amount) is introduced into a different liquid – say water or milk or soup – the mixture only becomes prohibited if the yeyn nesekh improves the taste of the concoction.

5:
The last clause of our mishnah is, in fact, a general rule that explains what has preceded. Any forbidden foodstuff (solid or liquid) that becomes mixed with permitted foodstuffs which are the same (milk with milk, meat with meat, fruit with fruit etc) makes the whole mixture forbidden even if the forbidden element is in the smallest amount. However, when the two items are different (milk with wine or wine with meat etc) the mixture is only prohibited if its taste has been improved by the mixture.

I have received two more messages concerning non-Jews and yeyn nesekh. Israel Man has sent me a message to bolster his original claim:

In support of my argument, all the discussions here are about real yayin nesech but nowadays we don't have yayin nesech but yayin stam and I still think that it is an insult to the goy especially the rabbinical explanation of the social reasons of not using yayin stam. And anyway, this halacha prevents nothing as many other alcoholic drinks are permissible.

I respond:

Well, stam yeynam is prohibited today as well. I would imagine that Israel thinks that it should not be. In 1985 Rabbi Elliot Dorff wrote a responsum which supports Israel's contention. Here is a relevant passage:

However, in his conclusion, after a long discussion of all the problematica of modern wine-making, he writes:

However, Rabbi Dorff, in his responsum ignores the reason for the prohibition of stam yeynam, the social aspects. These are addressed by another message I have received, from Avraham Hasson:

I would like to respond to the matter of discrimination against non-Jews regarding yeyn nesekh:

The subject of yeyn nesekh has become exaggerated in our days: when a Jew who does not observe all 613 commandments holds an open bottle of wine the wine becomes forbidden to other Jews. In my opinion they have absolutely no support for this because we can be sure that the Jew did not offer that wine as a libation and he surely did not mumble to himself some prayer to an object of idolatry. But as regards non-Jews who touch wine, the subject of course is relevant to the period in which the Mishnah was written and I am convinced that any non-Jew made the wine prohibited by some prayer to his idol. But is it discrimination against non-Jews when we observe a religious precept? Certainly it is discriminatory, and that is exactly the task of religion, to separate Jews from non-Jews. Its task is to prevent assimilation and to preserve Judaism. Is there anyone who agrees to the marriage of a Jew to a non-Jew? Or does anyone agree that a Jew should eat non-kosher food? If so, very soon there will be no difference at all between Jew and non-Jew and assimilation will happen within one or two generations.

I respond:

Pornography is a question of geography says Sakini. Well, maybe. But in this case, comparing the views of Israel Man and Avraham Hasson, we might possibly say that assimilation is a question of geography.