The prohibition against consuming yein nessech [literally, wine poured out to idolatry] is well known. Our teacher Moshe along with seventy of the elders of his generation instituted a prohibition against drinking all non-Jewish wine, even though it was not actually used in idolatry. This was in order to prevent Jews from being led into immorality, as occurred in the incident of Zimri in Shittim, which resulted in the deaths of twenty-four thousand Israelites (Bamidbar 25). The Kabbalists speak of this prohibition with the utmost gravity, warning of the severity of the punishment awaiting those who violate it.
In most countries in this region, wherever wine is made, there is a tendency to treat this prohibition lightly. Moreover, Jewish manufacturers even sell it to upright Jews under the guise of kosher wine, thereby bringing evil upon others as well, for which they bear responsibility for the sin of the multitude. Therefore it is the duty of the rabbis and judges of the land to issue a ban of excommunication against these producers. For if wine is touched by a non-Jew any time after it begins flowing into the vat it becomes totally forbidden. For this reason careful supervision is necessary to avoid transgression. Thus rabbis must refuse to issue certifications of kashrus until they have ascertained clearly that the wine was made properly.
The deeper significance of yein nessech is tied up with the three injunctions that the Holy One Blessed is He imposed upon a Jewish king: that he may not multiply wives [nashim, literally, “women”], horses [susim] or money [kesef] (Devarim 17:16-17). The acronym for these three items is the word nessech. These three restrictions apply not only to a king but even more so to an ordinary person.
Many men are guilty of chasing after strange women. You must know that a man who imbibes yein nessech in the taverns of the gentiles will inevitably be drawn after strange women as well, because one sin leads to another (Pirkei Avos 4:6). Thus he violates the injunction against multiplying women. At the same time, he disperses his seed like a horse, for the horse is the symbol of profligacy, as can be seen from the verse in Yechezkeil, “Their stream is like the stream of horses” (23:20). Such behavior is associated with animals. That is why a straying wife was required to bring an offering of barley flour, for barley is used for animal fodder. It turns out, then, that the word nessech contains the important hint that one who partakes of yein nessech will also be guilty of multiplying women, hence multiplying his seed like that of horses. In consequence he will descend into such poverty and indigence that he will want for a loaf of bread. As Scripture warns, “For the sake of a harlot a man will come to a loaf of bread” (Mishlei 6:26). In this way he fulfills the third injunction, “He shall not multiply money.” This is why nessech is an acronym for women [nashim], horses [sussim] and money [kessef]. Therefore let a man stay far from this iniquity.
I heard from my illustrious father, who heard from the saintly Rabbi Yaakov Temerlis that whoever stumbles in the sin of non-Jewish wine will be reincarnated in the form of a donkey, in fulfillment of a linguistic coincidence. For the Aramaic for “wine” is chamar while the word for donkey is chamor. Therefore let a man distance himself from the prohibition against non-Jewish wine and also from the liquor made from the lees of such wine, which is included in the prohibition. Whoever avoids this prohibition is called “holy” and it will be said of him that he is holy.
אִסּוּר יֵין נֶסֶךְ הוּא יָדוּעַ וּמְפֻרְסָם, שֶׁמּשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ וְשִׁבְעִים זְקֵנִים שֶׁבַּדּוֹר גָּזְרוּ עַל סְתָם יֵינָם שֶׁל נָכְרִים, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יָבוֹאוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לִידֵי זְנוּת. כְּמוֹ שֶׁחָטְאוּ בְּשִׁטִּים בְּמַעֲשֶׂה זִמְרִי, שֶׁנֶּהֶרְגוּ מֵחֲמַת חֵטְא זֶה עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה אֶלֶף מִן יִשְׂרָאֵל. וּבַעֲלֵי הַמְקֻבָּלִים הֶחְמִירוּ בְּאִסּוּר זֶה, וְהִפְלִיגוּ בְּעֹנֶשׁ מִי שֶׁשּׁוֹתִים סְתָם יֵינָם.
The prohibition against consuming yein nessech [literally, wine poured out to idolatry] is well known. Our teacher Moshe along with seventy of the elders of his generation instituted a prohibition against drinking all non-Jewish wine, even though it was not actually used in idolatry. This was in order to prevent Jews from being led into immorality, as occurred in the incident of Zimri in Shittim, which resulted in the deaths of twenty-four thousand Israelites (Bamidbar 25). The Kabbalists speak of this prohibition with the utmost gravity, warning of the severity of the punishment awaiting those who violate it.
וְהִנֵּה רֹב מְדִינוֹת הַלָּלוּ, בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁעוֹשִׂין יַיִן, הֵן מְקִלִּין בִּשְׁתִיַּת יֵין נֶסֶךְ, וְלֹא עוֹד שֶׁהֵן מוֹכְרִים סְתָם יֵינָם לִשְׁאָרֵי אֲנָשִׁים כְּשֵׁרִים שֶׁבְּיִשְׂרָאֵל בִּמְקוֹם יַיִן כָּשֵׁר, וְגוֹרְמִין רָעָה גַּם לַאֲחֵרִים, וְחֵטְא הָרַבִּים תְּלוּיִין בַּאֲנָשִׁים הַחֲטָאִים הָאֵלֶּה בְּנַפְשׁוֹתָם. עַל כֵּן מֻטָּל עַל הָרַבָּנִים וְדַיָּנִים שֶׁבַּמְּדִינוֹת לִגְזֹר בִּגְזֵרוֹת נָחָ"שׁ (נֶדֶר — חֵרֶם — שְׁבוּעָה) עַל אוֹתָן הָאֲנָשִׁים, שֶׁעוֹשִׂים יַיִן מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהִתְחִיל הַיַּיִן לִמְשֹׁךְ אֶל תּוֹךְ הַבּוֹר. אִם יִהְיֶה שָׁם מַגַּע נָכְרִי, אָז הַיַּיִן הוּא אִסּוּר גָּמוּר. עַל כֵּן צְרִיכִין שְׁמִירָה מְעֻלָּה לְבִלְתִּי לְהִכָּשֵׁל בְּעָווֹן זֶה. וְעַל הָרַבָּנִים הוּא מֻטָּל שֶׁלֹּא לִתֵּן כְּתַב הֶכְשֵׁר, עַד שֶׁבְּוַדַּאי יוֹדֵעַ בְּבֵרוּר שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה הַיַּיִן בְּהֶכְשֵׁר.
In most countries in this region, wherever wine is made, there is a tendency to treat this prohibition lightly. Moreover, Jewish manufacturers even sell it to upright Jews under the guise of kosher wine, thereby bringing evil upon others as well, for which they bear responsibility for the sin of the multitude. Therefore it is the duty of the rabbis and judges of the land to issue a ban of excommunication against these producers. For if wine is touched by a non-Jew any time after it begins flowing into the vat it becomes totally forbidden. For this reason careful supervision is necessary to avoid transgression. Thus rabbis must refuse to issue certifications of kashrus until they have ascertained clearly that the wine was made properly.
וְהִנֵּה סוֹד יֵין נֶסֶךְ הוּא אַזְהָרָה, שֶׁצִּוָּה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שָׁלשׁ מִצְווֹת לַמֶּלֶךְ, וְצִוָּה: לֹא יַרְבֶּה לוֹ נָשִׁים, וְלֹא יַרְבֶּה לוֹ סוּסִים, וְלֹא יַרְבֶּה לוֹ כֶּסֶף, כִּי רָאשֵׁי תֵּבוֹת נֶסֶךְ הוּא: נָשִׁים, סוּסִים, כֶּסֶף. וְהֵן הֵן שְׁלשָׁה דְּבָרִים שֶׁהַמֶּלֶךְ מֻזְהָר שֶׁלֹּא לְהַרְבּוֹת. וּמִכָּל שֶׁכֵּן שְׁאָר בְּנֵי אָדָם, שֶׁהֵן מֻזְהָרִין שֶׁלֹּא לְהַרְבּוֹת: נָשִׁים, סוּסִים, כֶּסֶף, שֶׁהֵן רָאשֵׁי תֵּבוֹת נֶסֶךְ.
The deeper significance of yein nessech is tied up with the three injunctions that the Holy One Blessed is He imposed upon a Jewish king: that he may not multiply wives [nashim, literally, “women”], horses [susim] or money [kesef] (Devarim 17:16-17). The acronym for these three items is the word nessech. These three restrictions apply not only to a king but even more so to an ordinary person.
וְהִנֵּה בְּחֵטְא נָשִׁים הַרְבֵּה בְּנֵי אָדָם נִכְשָׁלִין וְהוֹלְכִין לְנָשִׁים זָרִים. וְדַע, כִּי מִי שֶׁהוּא שׁוֹתֶה יֵין נֶסֶךְ בְּבֵית הָאֻשְׁפִּיזוֹת שֶׁל עֲרֵלִים, הוּא נִכְשָׁל גַּם כֵּן בַּעֲווֹן נָשִׁים זָרוֹת, כִּי עֲבֵרָה גּוֹרֶרֶת עֲבֵרָה, וְהוּא עוֹבֵר עַל לָאו 'לֹא יַרְבֶּה נָשִׁים', וְהוּא נוֹתֵן זַרְעוֹ כְּסוּסִים שֶׁהֵן שְׁטוּפֵי זִמָּה. כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: וְזִרְמַת סוּסִים זְרַמְתָּם; כִּי הַזְּנוּת הוּא מַעֲשֵׂה בְּהֵמָה. כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה בְּסוֹטָה: הִיא עָשְׂתָה מַעֲשֵׂה בְּהֵמָה, לְפִיכָךְ הֵבִיאָה הַסּוֹטָה קָרְבָּן שֶׁל קֶמַח שְׂעוֹרִים, וּשְׂעוֹרִים הוּא מַאֲכַל בְּהֵמָה. וּלְפִי זֶה רֶמֶז גָּדוֹל הוּא בְּמִלַּת יֵין נֶסֶךְ, לְרַמֵּז: מִי שֶׁהוּא שׁוֹתֶה יֵין נֶסֶךְ — אֲזַי עוֹבֵר עַל לָאו 'לֹא יַרְבֶּה לוֹ נָשִׁים', וְלֹא יַרְבֶּה לוֹ זַרְעוֹ כְּסוּסִים. וְאַחַר כָּךְ יָבוֹא לִידֵי עֲנִיּוּת וְדַלּוּת מַמָּשׁ עַל כִּכַּר לֶחֶם מִמֵּילָא, וְלֹא יַרְבֶּה לוֹ כֶּסֶף, כִּי נֶסֶ"ךְ הוּא רָאשֵׁי תֵּבוֹת: נָשִׁים, סוּסִים, כֶּסֶף. עַל כֵּן יִרְאֶה הָאָדָם לְהִתְרַחֵק מֵעָווֹן זֶה.
Many men are guilty of chasing after strange women. You must know that a man who imbibes yein nessech in the taverns of the gentiles will inevitably be drawn after strange women as well, because one sin leads to another (Pirkei Avos 4:6). Thus he violates the injunction against multiplying women. At the same time, he disperses his seed like a horse, for the horse is the symbol of profligacy, as can be seen from the verse in Yechezkeil, “Their stream is like the stream of horses” (23:20). Such behavior is associated with animals. That is why a straying wife was required to bring an offering of barley flour, for barley is used for animal fodder. It turns out, then, that the word nessech contains the important hint that one who partakes of yein nessech will also be guilty of multiplying women, hence multiplying his seed like that of horses. In consequence he will descend into such poverty and indigence that he will want for a loaf of bread. As Scripture warns, “For the sake of a harlot a man will come to a loaf of bread” (Mishlei 6:26). In this way he fulfills the third injunction, “He shall not multiply money.” This is why nessech is an acronym for women [nashim], horses [sussim] and money [kessef]. Therefore let a man stay far from this iniquity.
וְשָׁמַעְתִּי מִפִּי מוֹרִי הַגָּאוֹן אָבִי זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה, שֶׁשָּׁמַע מִפִּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ רַבִּי יַעֲקֹב תֶּעמֶרְלִישׁ, זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה, שֶׁכָּל מִי שֶׁנִּכְשָׁל בַּעֲווֹן יֵין נֶסֶךְ, עַל כָּרְחוֹ אַחַר כָּךְ יִהְיֶה מְגֻלְגָּל בַּחֲמוֹר, כִּי לָשׁוֹן נוֹפֵל עַל לָשׁוֹן, כִּי תַּרְגּוּם שֶׁל יַיִן הוּא חֵמָר. עַל כֵּן יִרְאֶה הָאָדָם וְיַפְרִישׁ עַצְמוֹ מֵאִסּוּר יֵין נֶסֶךְ וּמִיֵּין שָׂרָף, שֶׁעוֹשִׂים מִשְּׁמָרִים שֶׁל יֵין נֶסֶךְ, שֶׁהוּא גַּם כֵּן אָסוּר כְּמוֹ יֵין נֶסֶךְ. וְכָל הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מֵאִסּוּר זֶה נִקְרָא קָדוֹשׁ, וְקָדוֹשׁ יֵאָמֵר לוֹ.
I heard from my illustrious father, who heard from the saintly Rabbi Yaakov Temerlis that whoever stumbles in the sin of non-Jewish wine will be reincarnated in the form of a donkey, in fulfillment of a linguistic coincidence. For the Aramaic for “wine” is chamar while the word for donkey is chamor. Therefore let a man distance himself from the prohibition against non-Jewish wine and also from the liquor made from the lees of such wine, which is included in the prohibition. Whoever avoids this prohibition is called “holy” and it will be said of him that he is holy.