Zevachim 72: Seven Items So Important That Their Presence Will Not Nullify

Brief notes from today's daf:

• forbidden items can be batel, nullified, 
• b'rov, when the majority of the items are permitted 
• b'shishim, when the amount of permitted items allows a mixture where the forbidden items cannot be tasted
• Sages determined that this is when there are 60 times the permitted material then forbidden material
• the Gemara discusses an exception: when objects are considered to have such importance that they cannot be nullified
• Rabbi Akiva names seven objects:
• Nuts from Perech
• Pomegranates from Badan
• Sealed barrels
• Beet greens
• Cabbage stalks
• Grecian gourds
• Loaves of a homeowner
• The Gemara discusses the egoz, walnut tree, is commonly planted under the shade of palm trees
• The three types of walnuts are categorized based on the thickness of their shells where the thinnest is the most valued
• Sealed barrels imply stored wine in earthenware containers with stoppers to close the cask
• When moved into storage or elsewhere, the stopper was sealed with clay temporarily
• Once the cask was opened, the air would age (damage) the wine
• Rambam rules Rabbi Akiva's seven things as examples
• examples stand on their own as important enough for this special status in any place/time