Chullin

All cakes are forbidden but the cakes of Boethius are permitted!1 — Surely Mar son of R. Ashi has explained that his girdle proves his special case. 2 MISHNAH. IF A DROP OF MILK FELL ON A PIECE OF FLESH3 AND IT IMPARTED A FLAVOUR INTO THAT PIECE,4 IT5 IS FORBIDDEN. IF THE POT WAS STIRRED,6 THEN IT IS FORBIDDEN ONLY IF [THE DROP OF MILK] IMPARTED A FLAVOUR INTO [ALL THAT WAS IN] THE POT. GEMARA. Abaye said: In all cases wherever the flavour [of a forbidden substance is perceptible] but not the substance it self,7 [the mixture is forbidden] by the law of the Torah.8 For should you say that it is forbidden by Rabbinic law only, and the reason why we may not draw any conclusions from the case of ‘flesh in milk’ is that it is an anomaly.9 then by reason of that anomaly [the mixture of flesh and milk should be forbidden] even though the one does not impart a flavour in the other!10 — Said Raba to him: The Torah has expressed this prohibition by the term ‘cooking’. 11 Rab said: As soon as it [the drop of milk] imparted a flavour to the piece of flesh, that piece becomes forbidden like nebelah, and it in turn renders all the other pieces forbidden,12 for they are of like kind.13 Mar Zutra the son of R. Mari said to Rabina: Let us consider: Rab in this statement of his evidently follows the view of R. Judah, who holds that homogeneous substances can never neutralize each other; but must we say that he disagrees with Raba? For Raba said: R. Judah is of the opinion that where one kind is mixed with a like kind and also with a different kind, you disregard the like kind as if it were not there, and if the different kind is more [than the forbidden substance] it will neutralize it!14 — He replied. Had it fallen into thin broth this would have been the case, but here we must suppose that it fell into thick broth.15 Then what is his view? If he holds that when the forbidden essence can be considered16 extracted it becomes permitted.17 why should the piece of flesh be deemed as nebelah?18 One must say that he holds that even when it is considered extracted it is still forbidden. And indeed it was so reported: Rab, R. Hanina and R. Johanan hold that even when it can be considered extracted it is still forbidden; Samuel, R. Simeon b. Rabbi and R. Simeon b. Lakish hold that when it is considered extracted it becomes permitted. Is Rab then of the opinion that even when it can be considered extracted it is still forbidden? But it has been reported: If an olive's bulk of flesh fell into a pot of milk, the flesh, says Rab, is forbidden19 but the milk is permitted. Now if you maintain that [Rab holds] even when it is considered extracted it is still forbidden. shirt with which to wear the girdle, for otherwise he would have removed it. among everything that was in the pot. the forbidden substance under consideration. together, even though they have been removed from each other, they are forbidden because of the flavour of the other which each absorbed. mere cooking together of these substances is also forbidden. imparting of a flavour from one substance to the other. milk fell. forbidden; for Rab evidently is in agreement with R. Judah that homogeneous substances cannot neutralize each other. as nebelah, and the other pieces in the pot are to be disregarded for they are of like kind, the broth, if there is sufficient of it, should neutralize the forbidden piece, for broth and flesh are different kinds. matter, is cooked together with other permitted food, the forbidden essence is considered as extracted from the original substance and distributed equally among the contents of the pot; so that if there is enough in the Pot to neutralize the quantity of forbidden essence it will all be permitted, even the original substance which Was rendered forbidden. In other words the substance, which is forbidden because of the forbidden essence that it absorbed, is not regarded as nebelah and forbidden absolutely for all time, but it is even possible for it to become permitted once again when cooked with other substances. it and distributed equally among all the pieces in the pot, so that this piece too should be permitted!