1 then one should be allowed to send it even though it was cut up, for no [Jew] would buy it from him. And if we are speaking of a place where they do proclaim it, then one should not be allowed to send even an entire thigh, for he [the gentile] will cut it up and sell it! — If you wish I can say that it is a place where they do proclaim it, and if you wish I can say that it is a place where they do not proclaim it. If you wish, I can say that it is a place where they do proclaim it , [and yet there is nothing to fear] because the cutting up [of the thigh] by a gentile is recognizable. ‘And if you wish, I can say that it is a place where they do not proclaim it’, [and yet it is forbidden to send a portion] lest he should give it to the gentile in the presence of another Israelite. Alternatively, I can say, [it is forbidden] because he thereby deceives him, and Samuel holds that it is forbidden to deceive people even gentiles. This view of Samuel was not expressly stated but was inferred from the following incident. Samuel was once crossing on a ferryboat and he said to his attendant, ‘Reward the ferryman’. He rewarded him, but [Samuel] became angry. Why was he angry? — Abaye said: Because he [the attendant] had a trefah hen and he gave it to the ferryman representing it as one that was ritually slaughtered. Raba said: Because he [Samuel] told him to give him [the gentile] anpaka to drink, and he gave him mixed wine to drink. And what if it was only inferred? — Because according to him who says that he gave him a trefah hen, it can be said [that Samuel was angry with his attendant] for keeping with him [a forbidden thing]. And according to him who says that he told him to give him anpaka, it can be said [that Samuel was angry] because anpaka really means unmixed wine. It was taught: R. Meir used to say: A man should not urge his friend to dine with him when he knows that his friend will not do so. And he should not offer him many gifts when he knows that his friend will not accept them. And he should not open [for a guest] casks of wine which are to be sold by the shopkeeper, unless he informs [the guest] of it. And he should not invite him to anoint himself with oil if the jar is empty. If, however, the purpose is to show the guest great respect, it is permitted. But surely this cannot be right. For Ulla once came to Rab Judah's house and the latter opened up for him casks that were later to be sold by the shopkeeper! — He must have informed him of this fact. Or if you wish, I can say that the case of Ulla is different, for he was so dear to Rab Judah that he would have opened for him even those that were not [to be sold by the shopkeeper]. Our Rabbis taught: A man should not go to the house of a mourner with a bottle in which the wine shakes about; neither should he fill it with water because he thereby deceives him. If, however, there is a large assembly present, it is permitted. Our Rabbis taught: A man should not sell to his neighbour shoes made of the hide of an animal which died, [representing them] as made of the hide of a living animal which was slaughtered, for two reasons: first, because he is deceiving him, and secondly, because of the danger. A man should not send to his neighbour a barrel of wine with oil floating at the mouth of it. It once happened that a man sent his friend a barrel of wine, and there was oil floating at the mouth of the barrel. He went and invited some guests to partake of it. When they came and he found that it was only wine he went and hanged himself. The guests may not give from what is set before them to the son or daughter of the host, unless they have the host's permission to, do so. It once happened that a man in a time of scarcity invited three guests to his house and he only had three eggs to set before them. When the child of the host entered, one of the guests took his portion and gave it to him, the second guest did likewise, and so did the third. When the father of the child came and saw him stuffing one [egg] in his mouth and holding two in his hands, he [in rage] knocked him to the ground so that he died. When the child's mother saw this she went up to the roof and threw herself down and died. He too went up to the roof and threw himself down and died. R. Eliezer b. Jacob said: Because of this three souls in Israel perished. What does he [R. Eliezer b. Jacob] tell us? — It means that the whole story was related by R. Eliezer b. Jacob. Our Rabbis taught: If a man sends to his friend a whole thigh he need not remove beforehand the sciatic nerve; if [he sends it] cut up he must remove beforehand the sciatic nerve. To a gentile, however, whether he sends it cut up or whole, he need not remove beforehand the sciatic nerve. And for two reasons they said, a man should not sell to a gentile animals that have become nebelah or trefah: first because he is deceiving him, and secondly because he in turn might sell it to another Israelite. A man should not say to a gentile. ‘Buy for me meat with this denar’, for two reasons:ᵃᵇᶜᵈᵉᶠᵍʰⁱʲᵏˡᵐⁿᵒᵖᵠʳˢᵗᵘ
2 first because of the violent ones among them, and secondly because they might sell him meat of a nebelah or trefah animal. The Master said: ‘To a gentile, however, whether [he sends it] cut up or whole, he need not remove beforehand the sciatic nerve’. But what are the circumstances? If we are dealing with a place where they do proclaim it, then in the case where it has been cut up why [do you say,] he need not remove beforehand the sciatic nerve? [Is it not to be feared that,] since no proclamation was made, people will buy from him? Obviously then we are dealing with a place where they do not proclaim it. Consider now the middle clause which reads: ‘For two reasons, they said, a man should not sell to a gentile animals that have become nebelah or trefah: first because he is deceiving him, and secondly because he in turn might sell it to another Israelite’. If, as you say, we are dealing with a place where they do not proclaim it, then surely no one would buy from him. Obviously then we are dealing with the place where they do proclaim it. Consider now the final clause which reads: ‘A man should not say to a gentile. "Buy for me meat with this denar", for two reasons: first because of the violent ones among them, and secondly because they might sell him meat of a nebelah or trefah animal’. Now if, as you say, it is a place where they do proclaim it, then surely if there happened a trefah it would have been proclaimed. Obviously then we are dealing with the place where they do not proclaim it; so that the position is: The first and last clauses deal with a place where they do not proclaim it, whilst the middle clause deals with a place where they do proclaim it! — Abaye answered: It is so. The first and last clauses deal with a place where they do not proclaim it, but the middle clause deals with a place where they do proclaim it. Raba answered: The whole [Baraitha] deals with a place where they do proclaim it; and in the first and last clauses the case was that a proclamation had been made [this day], but in the middle clause the case was that no proclamation had been made. R. Ashi answered: The whole [Baraitha] deals with a place where they do not proclaim it; but the ruling in the middle clause is merely a precautionary measure lest he sell it to the gentile in the presence of another Israelite. What is the form of the proclamation? — R. Isaac b. Joseph said: ‘Meat has fallen into our hands for the army’. And why not proclaim, ‘Trefah meat has fallen into our hands for the army’? — They would not then buy it. Are we not then deceiving them? — No. They are deceiving themselves. As in the following incident. Mar Zutra the son of R. Nahman was once going from Sikara to Mahuza, while Raba and R. Safra were going to Sikara; and they met on the way. Believing that they had come to meet him he said: ‘Why did the Rabbis take this trouble to come so far [to meet me]?’ R. Safra replied: ‘We did not know that the Master was coming; had we known of it we should have put ourselves out more than this’. Raba said to him, ‘Why did you tell him this; you have now upset him’? He replied: ‘But we would be deceiving him otherwise’. ‘No. He would be deceiving himself’. A butcher once said to his fellow,ᵛʷˣʸᶻᵃᵃᵃᵇᵃᶜᵃᵈᵃᵉᵃᶠᵃᵍᵃʰ