(Conclusion): Had R. Zeira not accepted the answer, he would have said that the decree was on unsupervised Shechitah, and they ate from supervised Shechitah!

Rather, R. Zeira accepted the answer.

Question: Why did they decree?

Answer: They decreed for the same reason that R. Meir did;

R. Meir sent R. Shimon ben Elazar to bring wine from a city of Kusim. An elder warned "put a knife in your cheek, if you value your soul" (i.e. don't drink their wine).

When R. Meir heard this, he decreed that wine of Kusim is forbidden.

Question: What was the reason?

Answer (Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak): He found Kusim worshipping a graven dove on Har Grizim.

R. Meir generally is concerned for a minority. (Here, he forbids wine of all Kusim due to those who are idolators.)

Also R. Gamliel and his Beis Din are also concerned for a minority, like R. Meir.

Question: What is the primary meaning of "put a knife in your cheek, if you value your soul"?

Answer: It discusses a Talmid learning in front of his Rebbi;

(R. Chiya - Beraisa): "When you sit to combat the ruler (to learn from your Rebbi), contemplate what is in front of you. Put a knife in your cheek, if you value your soul" - ask a question only if you think that your Rebbi can answer. If not, refrain from asking.

R. Avahu sent R. Yitzchak bar Yosef to bring wine from a city of Kusim. An elder warned him that the residents do not guard the Torah. When R. Avahu heard, he told R. Ami and Rav Asi. They decreed that Kusim are like Nochri in all respects.

Question: What did their decree affect?

Suggestion: It forbade the Shechitah and wine of Kusim.

Rejection: R. Gamliel and R. Meir already decreed about them!

Answer: The previous decrees were not accepted. The decree of R. Ami and R. Asi was accepted.

Question: Regarding what did they make them totally like Nochrim?

Answer (Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak): In an alleyway that opens to a courtyard in which a Kusi lives, one may not carry in on Shabbos. It does not help if he grants full rights of access to his premises to all. The only solution is if the members of the alley rent his property.

(Beraisa): A Yisrael Mumar that keeps Shabbos in public can grants rights of access to his premises to all in the alleyway, and this allows them to carry. If he desecrates Shabbos in public, it does not help if he allows access to his premises.

A Yisrael can grant access. A Nochri must rent out his premises to permit carrying.

If the Yisrael says, 'my property is acquired to you. It is Batel to you', this suffices. An act of acquisition is not needed.

R. Zeira and Rav Asi lodged at an inn. They served them eggs that had been shriveled in wine. R. Zeira did not eat; Rav Asi ate.

R. Zeira: Aren't you concerned lest they absorbed Demai (doubtfully tithed) wine?

Rav Asi: I did not think about that.

R. Zeira thought, can it be that mixtures containing Demai are forbidden, and Rav Asi mistakenly ate one?

Hash-m does not allow a pitfall to come even through animals of Tzadikim, all the more so through Tzadikim themselves!

R. Zeira found a source that indeed, such mixtures are permitted.

(Mishnah): One who buys wine to put into brine or a potion of wine and oil, or vetch to make brine, or lentils to make groats (minced lentils), he must tithe them if they are Demai, and all the more so if they are Tevel (definitely untithed)!

If one buys the mixture itself, there is no obligation to tithe a mixture containing Demai.

Contradiction (Beraisa): One who gives his neighbor a dough to bake or a pot to cook, he need not worry that she leavened or spiced it with sourdough or spices of Tevel or Shemitah produce;

If he told her to use her sourdough or spices, he must be concerned.

Answer #1: There is different. Since he told her to use hers (she is like his Shali'ach to mix in Demai), it is as if he himself mixed in Demai. Therefore, he must tithe it.

Answer #2 (Rafram): Sourdough and spices are different. They are added (to ferment, or) for their taste, so they are not Batel.

Question: (Why does the Beraisa permit?) We should be concerned lest an ignoramus switch one's food!

(Mishnah): One who gives to his mother-in-law (dough to bake) must tithe the dough he gives to her and the bread he receives, because she will switch it if it is spoiling.

Answer: R. Yehudah explained the reason there.

R. Yehudah says, we are concerned lest she switch because she wants her daughter to eat well, but she is ashamed to tell this to her son-in-law.

Question: Are we really not concerned (in general) lest an ignoramus switch one's food?!

(Mishnah): One who gives to the inn-keeper (dough to bake) must Ma'aser the dough he gives to her and the bread he receives, because she is suspected to switch it.

Answer: There also, she rationalizes her action. This Talmid should eat fresh, warm bread, and I will eat cold bread! (Rashi - she wants to benefit the Talmid. Tosfos - this is said incredulously. She feels that she should eat better than him.)

Question: Are we really not concerned (in general) lest an ignoramus switch one's food?

(Version #1 - Tosfos - Mishnah): The wife of a Chaver (fully observant man) may grind grain with the help of Le'ah (an ignoramus' wife) when Le'ah (knows that she herself) is Teme'ah, but not when she (thinks she) is Tehorah (for then, Le'ah will take some to eat, and make it Tamei);

R. Shimon ben Elazar says, even when Le'ah is Teme'ah she may not help, lest Le'ah's friend Rachel (also an ignoramus' wife, who considers herself to be Tehorah) give Le'ah to eat (and Rachel will make the grain Tamei).

This shows that an ignoramus' wife will steal. All the more so, she is suspected to switch!

(Version #2 - Rashi - (Mishnah): Sarah, a Chaver's wife, may help Le'ah (an ignoramus' wife) to grind when Sarah is Teme'ah, but not when she is Tehorah;

R. Shimon ben Elazar says, even when Sarah is Teme'ah she may not, lest Le'ah give her to eat.

This shows that an ignoramus' wife will steal (from her husband). All the more so, she is suspected to switch! (end of Version #2))

Answer (Rav Yosef): There also, she rationalizes her action. An ox is entitled to eat while threshing! (Also a person who helps is entitled to eat.)

R. Yehoshua ben Zeruz testified in front of Rebbi that R. Meir ate a leaf of a vegetable from Beis She'an without separating Ma'aseros. Based on this, Rebbi declared that Beis She'an is exempt from Ma'aseros (except for grain, wine and oil).

Rebbi's family: Your ancestors forbade this (to eat Tevel from Beis She'an). Will you permit it?!

Question (Rebbi): "(Chizkiyahu) ground up the copper serpent that Moshe had made, because Yisrael were serving it as idolatry." How is it that Asah and Yehoshafat eradicated all idolatry from the world, but not this serpent?!

Answer (Rebbi): You must say that his ancestors left room for him to aggrandize himself. Also, my ancestors left room for me!

This teaches that if a Chacham says an innovative law, we do not Mezi'ach (separate him from) his teaching. Some say that we do not Mazni'ach (despise) his teaching. Some say, we do not Mazchi'ach it (attribute it to haughtiness).