Julian Ungar-Sargon

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Daf Ditty

A wide-ranging commentary on the daily page of Talmud.

Avodah Zarah 73: הִגְדִּילוּ בְּאִיסּוּר — אָסוּר, הִגְדִּילוּ בְּהֶיתֵּר — מוּתָּר

jyungar August 30, 2025

For the source text click/tap here: Avodah Zarah 73

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When we have mixtures of foods that are forbidden with foods that are permitted, can the forbidden food ever be perceived as so insignificant that it is nullified so that the mixture can be eaten?

The Mishna on our daf teaches that yayin nesekh – wine that has been poured off as a libation to pagan gods – that is mixed with other wine – can never be nullified. Similarly, water that has been sacrificed in that way that has been mixed with other water can never be nullified. Water mixed with wine or wine mixed with water, however, will become nullified if the volume of the permitted liquid overwhelms the forbidden liquid to the extent that it can no longer be tasted.

The general principle is that min be-mino – in a mixture where the two things are similar – one cannot nullify the other; min shelo be-mino – when the mixture is two dissimilar things – one can nullify the other.

In the intersection of ancient religious law and modern scientific understanding often reveals surprising parallels and illuminating contrasts. Few areas demonstrate this more clearly than the Talmudic laws of mixtures (ta'arovet) and contemporary fluid mechanics and chemistry. Both traditions grapple with fundamental questions about identity, boundaries, and the persistence of essential properties when substances combine.

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Julian Ungar-Sargon

This is Julian Ungar-Sargon's personal website. It contains poems, essays, and podcasts for the spiritual seeker and interdisciplinary aficionado.​