Today’s daf spends significant time debating the circumstances of a clause in the mishnah from Bava Batra 93 which states that when purchasing a wine cellar, a buyer accepts the possibility that up to ten percent of the barrels may be souring. Several beraitas seem to contradict this ruling — and one another. Depending on how the bill of sale was phrased, the beraitas suggest either that the buyer doesn’t have to accept any souring wine barrels, or that they have to accept the possibility of all the barrels becoming vinegar. In trying to resolve these tensions, the Gemara mentions the category of “wine that is sold in the shops.” The Meiri, a 13th-century Provencal rabbi, explains that this is wine which has begun to sour, but has not yet fully soured — that is, it isn’t of the greatest quality, but neither is it fully ruined. After dealing with the conflicts between the mishnah and the beraitas, the Gemara seizes upon this category to state a related law:
Rav Yehuda says: Over wine which is sold in the shops, one recites the blessing: Who creates fruit of the vine.
And Rav Hisda said: Over wine that has formed a film (as it begins to sour), why do I (need to recite the blessing for wine)?
Rav Yehuda and Rav Hisda disagree about the status of wine that has begun to sour. Normally, wine is accorded sufficient significance that we bless it neither with the general blessing “by whose word all things came to be,” nor the narrower blessing “who created the fruit of the tree.” Rather, it merits its own specific blessing: “who creates the fruit of the vine.” The dispute centers around the question of when a particular food goes bad enough to lose its unique identity. Is wine that has begun to sour still wine (Rav Yehuda), or is it vinegar and so merits only the general blessing (Rav Hisda)? The Gemara raises an objection to Rav Yehuda’s stance from a beraita:
Over bread that has become moldy, and over wine that has formed a film, and over a cooked dish that has spoiled, one recites: By whose word all things came to be.
This teaching seems to side with Rav Hisda, suggesting that any food which has gone bad is no longer dignified with its specific blessing, wine included. Since it is still food, albeit of poor quality, one simply recites the generic blessing “by whose word all things came to be.” Rav Zevid then clarifies Rav Yehuda’s stance:
Rav Zevid said: Rav Yehuda concedes on wine made from grape seeds that is sold on street corners.
Rav Zevid explains that there are several different levels of wine quality. There’s good wine, upon which everyone agrees we recite the blessing “who creates the fruit of the vine.” There’s wine sold in the shops, which is beginning to sour and over which Rav Yehuda believes we still recite “who creates the fruit of the vine,” as it is still considered wine, albeit of lesser quality. And then there’s wine made from grape seeds, which is of such poor quality that it’s not considered wine at all. This is the wine being referenced in the beraita cited above, and everyone, Rav Yehuda included, agrees that for this drink one only recites the generic blessing “by whose word all things came to be.”
Read all of Bava Batra 95 on Sefaria.
This piece originally appeared in a My Jewish Learning Daf Yomi email newsletter sent on September 28, 2024. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up here.
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