Translation:Shulchan Aruch/Yoreh Deah/133

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Prohibition Against Enjoying Wine of Non-Jewish Origin and Engaging in Trade with It

This section contains seven clauses:

Just as it is forbidden to sell ordinary wine and derive benefit from it, it is also forbidden to become intoxicated from it. Therefore, if a Jew is hired by a non-Jew to perform work for him, even with ordinary wine, or if he rents out his donkey or boat to him for transportation, or if he lends him a vessel to use, the payment he receives is prohibited for enjoyment.

If he receives money as payment, he should scatter it to the wind or throw it into the sea. If he is given fruits, he should take them to the Dead Sea or burn them and bury the ashes in a cemetery. Even if he rents land or an animal that is not prohibited for prostration to them and works with them, it is strictly forbidden to derive benefit from them.

• Note: It is noted above that in our time, leniencies are applied regarding the permissibility of deriving benefit from ordinary wine, and therefore one should not be stringent in these matters except for genuine wine of non-Jewish origin.*

If he rented his donkey to ride on, even if he placed a wine barrel on it, or if he rented his boat to transport his goods, even if he also places his food and drink in it, the payment is permitted since the primary purpose of the rental was not for the wine of non-Jewish origin.

If a non-Jew hires a worker and says to him, "Transfer to me one hundred barrels of beer for one hundred coins," and one of them is wine, the entire payment is prohibited because there is a value of a coin from the wine of non-Jewish origin. If it was less than the value of a coin, it is permitted post-factum.

If he said, "Transfer to me each barrel for a coin," and among them is a barrel of wine, the payment for the barrel of wine is prohibited, but the rest of the payment is permitted. It is preferable not to do this.

If he is working with him with wine for free, he is mortgaging his property against his payment.

A Jew should not serve or pour for a non-Jew with wine of non-Jewish origin. It is also forbidden to act as a translator for a non-Jew to sell wine of non-Jewish origin. Furthermore, it is forbidden to give wine in a vessel to a non-Jew who is declaring it to taste, since once the non-Jew touches it, it becomes wine of non-Jewish origin, and when he declares it and tastes it, the Jew benefits from the wine of non-Jewish origin.

Even if the non-Jew says to him, "Keep this barrel of wine of non-Jewish origin for free," although he is exempt if it breaks or is lost, he is still distressed if it breaks or is lost while in his custody, and he desires its existence, which is forbidden.

If a Jew hires a non-Jew to break a barrel of wine of non-Jewish origin, even though he desires that they should not break by themselves until he breaks them and takes his payment, his payment is permitted, and he will be blessed for minimizing the triviality.