פירוש על עבודה זרה 116:4
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
Asi asks whether wine mixed with water by an idolater is prohibited. The idolater has not touched the wine, he has only poured it in order to mix it.
Yohanan responds by criticizing R. Asi for his choice of verbs. Mesakho is the biblical verb, whereas the rabbis use the word “mezago” with the zayin replacing the samekh. There are many cases in which the language the rabbis use is not identical to the biblical language. Hebrew had after all been developing for thousands of years. These two roots are actually quite close, clearly related one to the other.
In any case, R. Yohanan answers that while such wine is not strictly prohibited, it is advisable that Jews avoid this situation. This is like a nazirite going into a vineyard. There is no prohibition but it is better that he avoid it lest he come to eat the grapes.
Yohanan responds by criticizing R. Asi for his choice of verbs. Mesakho is the biblical verb, whereas the rabbis use the word “mezago” with the zayin replacing the samekh. There are many cases in which the language the rabbis use is not identical to the biblical language. Hebrew had after all been developing for thousands of years. These two roots are actually quite close, clearly related one to the other.
In any case, R. Yohanan answers that while such wine is not strictly prohibited, it is advisable that Jews avoid this situation. This is like a nazirite going into a vineyard. There is no prohibition but it is better that he avoid it lest he come to eat the grapes.
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