In the story of Rav Yehuda (40a-40b), I wonder if you could just clarify
1) what exactly did Rav Yehuda buy and sell, and
2) how are the Shemarim a profit (did he use/sell them separately, or were they mixed etc)
Thank You,
Meir Eliezer Bergman, Manchester UK
1) Rav Yehudah bought barrels of wine. This included the barrel itself as well as the wine and sediment inside the barrel.
2) He sold clear wine, in other words without the sediment and then he either sold the sediment separately, or he used to make wine and then sold the wine. See Tosfos Avodah Zara 34a DH Dordia who learns that the sediment of Rav Yehudah was used for making wine.
Dov Freedman
I think my problem is as follows: The Gemoro says they put 48 Kuzim in a barrel. Rav Yehuda sold 36 Kuzim, 8 were absorbed, and 4 could be sold for profit, apart from the Shemorim.
Would the Shemorim not be included in the 48 Kuzim?
i.e. I am assuming they put 48 Kuzim of wine in the barrel, and the sediment separated out to the bottom. Rav Yehuda then sold clear wine, but he would not get 48 Kuzim of clear wine from the barrel! (Is my assumption incorrect?)
Meir Eliezer Bergman
The Sdei ha'Aretz (Livorno 5547) says that the eight Kuzim include not only the wine absorbed, but the Shemarim as well.
The Yad David, however, says that the forty eight Kuzim of wine put in the barrel excludes the Shemarim.
Dov Freedman