[Avodah] distilled fruit juice

[David Riceman]

Me:

<<if you produce water by distilling fruit juice, which does not 
machshir zeraim, does the water thus obtained machshir zeraim?>>

RDB:

<<The Sugya is Mei Chalav Kechalav (Machshirin 6:5). See also Chullin 
114 and Aruch Hashulchan OC 168:27 and YD 81:16.>>

You haven't exactly spelled out what you have in mind.  My first 
impression is that you think that if a liquid is derived from a mashkeh 
then it is itself a mashkeh.

But that can't be true.  See H. Tumas Ochlin 10:13-14, "hayayin 
sheb'soch hakaf eino mashkeh ad shey'areh oso l'soch hakli", and an 
analogous din for mohel coming from olives.  Furthermore see AhSH He 
Asid Tohoros 175:9-13, who distinguishes three types of mohel from 
olives, and concludes that their status depends on their composition, 
which doesn't fit your model.

Of course you were so terse that you may have meant something else 
entirely...

Incidentally I really don't understand the Rambam I just cited. There's 
a mahlokes (Rambam vs. Raavad) at the beginning of H. Tumas Ochlin about 
whether the mishna you cite is about hechsher for tumah or about 
hibbur.  Naively the Rambam here seems to fit better with the Raavad 
there.  There's a long Hazon Ish about it that I hope to look through on 
Shabbos.

RMB:

<<I think it's of the same worldview as that which lists mayim and tal 
as different liquids. We care about where water comes from.>>

I don't think that's right.  The issue is the name.  See the Sifra on 
"v'chol mashkeh asher yishaseh ..." cited by the AhSHhA Tohoros 158:4.

David Riceman