We continue with chapter 8 of Tractate Sanhedrin, mishnah 2. In this section we deal with the fundamental definition of the act of gluttony on account of which the son becomes a rebellious son. The language of the verse is "zolel vesovei," and these are two separate matters: "zolel" - gluttony in eating, "sovei" - excessive drinking of wine to the point of drunkenness.
The measure of eating and drinking:
The mishnah asks from when is he liable, that is, at what stage does the son cross the line and become liable, and it answers: "mishe'yochal tartimar basar ve'yishteh chatzi log yayin ha'Italki" - once he eats a tartimar of meat and drinks half a log of Italian wine.
"tartimar basar" - this refers specifically to the meat of an animal, cattle or sheep, and not to poultry. A tartimar is half a maneh: in the language of the Chumash a maneh is fifty shekels, and in the language of Chazal a hundred dinar, so that half a maneh is fifty dinar. In weight, this is about 250 grams, roughly half a pound, in effect a fairly small steak, one of the smaller items on the menu.
"chatzi log yayin ha'Italki" - a quantity of close to a liter, approximately the size of a bottle of wine (750 ml).
Chazal describe that both the meat and the wine are consumed hastily: the meat is not fully cooked, and the wine is not fully diluted, as they were accustomed to dilute it in the time of the Mishnah. On the other hand, this is not entirely raw meat nor undiluted wine that is not mixed at all, for then he would not enjoy them. As was introduced in the previous mishnah, great weight is given to the fact that the son becomes addicted to this behavior, and it must be behavior that creates a habit. Were the meat not tasty at all, or the wine not diluted at all, he would not be drawn after them. The problem is that out of his gluttony he does not wait until they are properly ready: he drinks the strong wine and eats the raw meat.
It is further required that the eating be done in a single sitting. The intent is not that all the meat enter his mouth at once, but that he eat it continuously, similar to the manner of eating matzah or drinking the wine on the night of the Seder.
Why specifically "Italian wine":
Rashi explains that specifically Italian wine is required because it is tasty wine, addictive and especially enticing; whereas with wine of lesser quality a larger quantity would be needed to compensate for its inferior quality. The Rema does not mention the matter of Italian wine, and therefore he understood that this refers to wine in general.
"Rabbi Yosei omer: maneh basar velog yayin" - a maneh of meat and a log of wine. Rabbi Yosei disagrees, and according to the tradition he holds the measures are double: instead of half a maneh, a full maneh, about half a kilo of meat (a large steak, a little more than a pound), and instead of half a log, a full log, a large quantity of wine. The halachah is not like Rabbi Yosei.
When the act does not make him a rebellious son:
The continuation of the mishnah teaches two rules: if he ate in the context of a mitzvah, even in the broad sense of the term, it does not count, for the act contains a point of merit; likewise if he ate in a forbidden manner, that is, in the context of a transgression and not merely out of appetite, this too does not count. The reason is that the verses speak of one who does not heed his parents, as opposed to one who does not heed Hashem. If he rebelled by way of halachic rebellion and ate forbidden foods, he does not become a rebellious son. It emerges that he must eat specifically kosher meat, and not in a mitzvah situation, gluttony for its own sake.
"achal bachavurat mitzvah" - he ate at a mitzvah gathering: such as a kohen eating meat with the other kohanim, eating the korban Pesach, and even taking part in a wedding feast. And all this is when he bought the meat and wine with stolen money - meaning that it is not that the meat or wine themselves were stolen, but that the money with which he bought them was stolen.
"achal be'ibur hachodesh" - in the past they sanctified the month according to the sighting of the moon, and therefore there were months of twenty-nine days and of thirty days. When the month was full, they would hold on the thirtieth day a small meal in order to publicize that the month was long, so that all would know how the calendar was running. This meal was a simple meal of bread and not a meal of meat and wine. And even though his eating of meat and wine at that occasion is not a mitzvah at all, since he ate in the context of an event that contains a mitzvah, it does not cross the line. We thus learn several technical possibilities that are built so that he not be considered a rebellious son.
"achal ma'aser sheni b'Yerushalayim" - the money he stole was money of Second Tithe designated to be eaten in Jerusalem, and there is a mitzvah to eat the Second Tithe money in Jerusalem.
"achal neveilos u'treifos, shekatzim u'remasim" - he ate meat that is not kosher. Neveilah - an animal that was not properly slaughtered. Treifah - an animal that could have been properly slaughtered, but was going to die anyway on account of a defect that does not allow it to live, such as a puncture in the heart. Shekatzim - small creatures and creeping things, such as frogs and crabs. Remasim - the small creatures that grow inside plants and fruits: worms, maggots and the like. Even though it is not common that he would eat these things, the rule is that eating meat that is not kosher does not make him a rebellious son, for it is required that he not heed his parents, and not that he not heed Hashem.
Tevel, first tithe from which terumah was not taken, Second Tithe and consecrated property that were not redeemed - tevel from which terumos and ma'asros were not separated; the tithe given to the Levi from which terumas ma'aser was not separated; Second Tithe eaten outside Jerusalem, and consecrated property belonging to the Temple that was not redeemed. These too are transgressions. Some of the Geonim do not have these words in the text of the mishnah, because they deal with things that do not apply to meat; and one who upholds the reading will say that these things apply to wine.
"achal davar shehu mitzvah vedavar shehu aveirah" - if he ate food that it is a mitzvah to eat, even a rabbinic mitzvah, or if his eating was a transgression, even a rabbinic transgression. The mitzvah - a mitzvah meal; the transgression - eating on a public fast and on a day of fasting.
"achal kol ma'achal velo achal basar" - if he ate some other food that is not animal meat, such as poultry or any other food in a large quantity.
"shatah kol mashkeh velo shatah yayin" - if he drank some other beverage, whiskey, beer or juice.
In all these cases the Mishnah rules: "eino na'aseh ben sorer umoreh" - he does not become a stubborn and rebellious son, until "sheyochal basar veyishteh yayin" - he eats meat and drinks wine, specifically animal meat and wine, and in the amounts explained above.
The source in the verses:
The reason for this is, "shene'emar: zoleil vesovei" - as it is stated: a glutton and a drunkard, referring to gluttony and drunkenness. And from where do we know that gluttony and drunkenness refer specifically to animal meat and wine? The answer is that this is a tradition. Therefore, the Mishnah says, "ve'af al pi she'ein re'ayah ladavar - zecher ladavar" - and even though there is no proof for the matter, there is an allusion to the matter: we do not have conclusive proof from the verses, but there is a strong hint pointing to this, serving as a scriptural support from the Book of Proverbs: "al tehi besovei yayin, bezolelei basar lamo" - do not be among people who guzzle wine and gluttonously eat meat. From the verse it emerges that the term "sovei" is linked to wine and "zoleil" is linked to meat. While one could argue that this is not an absolute proof, since it is possible that these are merely examples, there is certainly a hint here supporting our tradition that the reference is specifically to animal meat and wine.
In summary: In this Mishnah, we learned the measurements for gluttony and drunkenness - a tartimar of meat and a half-log of Italian wine (and according to Rabbi Yosi, a maneh and a log, and the halachah does not follow him) - and the manner of eating, done in haste and in one sitting. Furthermore, we clarified the rule that eating in the context of a mitzvah or by way of a transgression does not make him a stubborn and rebellious son, as well as the source of these matters in the wording of "zoleil vesovei" and the scriptural support from the Book of Proverbs.