Chapter 64 : The Prohibition of Dealing in Forbidden Objects

§1

Any article of food, that you are forbidden to eat, and the article is used exclusively as food, even though you are allowed to make use of it, you may not offer it for sale or use it as security for a loan. Even buying it to feed your non-Jewish worker is prohibited. But if it is something that is not used for food, such as horses and donkeys, you may do business with them. You may also deal in the forbidden fat of an animal, for it is said with regard to it: "You may use [its forbidden fat] for any purpose you desire."

§2

If, by chance, you happen to acquire a forbidden thing, for example, while fishing you catch a [ritually] unclean fish in the net, or you find an animal that died a natural death or an animal that has been killed by a wild beast in your house, you are allowed to sell it, since you did not intend [to acquire] it. But you must sell [a living animal] at once and may not wait until it grows fat in your possession. You may also sell it through an agent, although the agent will make a profit from [the sale]. But the agent may not buy it outright, for in that case, he would be doing business [with forbidden merchandise].

§3

You are also allowed to collect unclean things as payment for a debt, but you must sell them at once; for it is forbidden to keep them in order to make a profit on them. But you are permitted to wait long enough, so as not to suffer any loss on the capital.

§4

It is permitted to deal in articles such as cheeses of non-Jews, whose consumption is forbidden only by Rabbinical decree.