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Suppose that while you are away, your non-Jewish housekeeper borrows your mevushal bottle of wine and pours some off for avoda zara (apparently, despite the fact that it's mevushal, it's "good enough" for her needs). When you return, she informs you of what she has done.

Is this mevushal wine now forbidden?

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    Hi David. Did this really happen??
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented May 30, 2013 at 20:49
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    No. But while walking past a church recently, I noticed the priest pouring out leftover communion wine into the gutter, and I got to thinking about whether or not he uses mevushal wine for communion.
    – David H
    Commented May 30, 2013 at 20:54
  • Many many Catholic churches use Manischewitz because it is cheap.
    – Charles Koppelman
    Commented May 31, 2013 at 3:34

1 Answer 1

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Yes, it would be forbidden as taqroveth avoda zara. See ch. 7 of Hilkhoth A"Z.

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    @msh210 -- But, if I leave mevushal wine in the house, and if I don't know that it has been "borrowed", then it's ok to drink (under the assumption that it's considered by default unfit for avoda zara use)?
    – David H
    Commented May 30, 2013 at 20:52
  • @DavidH The difference is when the rabbis enacted that you worry vs when you actually know. (Also, msh didn't answer; he just edited. Deuteronomy answered)
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented May 30, 2013 at 20:55
  • Deuteronomy, see yeshiva.org.il/wiki/…, in particular what it says (including what it says about the Rambam) in the section "פרטי הדין". I don't know whether that applies to non-Jews' actions, though. (The Rambam's language there is "שאין אדם מישראל אוסר דבר שאינו שלו".) Do you?
    – msh210 ♦
    Commented May 30, 2013 at 20:55
  • @msh210 it would appear to me that the Rambam restricts that idea to shehitah and that it would be erroneous to deem it a universal principle applicable to all other areas.
    – Deuteronomy
    Commented May 30, 2013 at 21:05
  • Deuteronomy, possibly. The yeshiva.org.il page I linked to above seems to disagree with you.
    – msh210 ♦
    Commented May 31, 2013 at 3:08

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