Avodah Zarah, Daf Zayin, Part 4
Introduction
Today s section continues with a new mishnah.
מתני׳ רבי ישמעאל אומר שלשה לפניהם ושלשה לאחריהם אסור וחכ"א לפני אידיהן אסור לאחר אידיהן מותר
Rabbi Ishmael says on the three preceding days and the three following days it is forbidden;
But the Sages say: before their festivities it is forbidden, but after their festivities it is permitted.
Rabbi Ishmael states that not only is it forbidden to make transactions with non-Jews during the three days before a pagan holiday but it is also forbidden during the three days following the holiday. In the Palestinian Talmud two potential reasons are given for Rabbi Ishmael s statement. The first is that non-Jews continue to celebrate for three days after their holidays are over and therefore these three days are also forbidden. The second is that if the non-Jew knows that he will not be able to conduct business with the Jew after his holiday, he will be depressed during his holiday and he will engage in less idol worship.
The sages prohibit only the three days preceding the holiday and not the three days following.
גמ׳ אמר רב תחליפא בר אבדימי אמר שמואל יום א’ לדברי ר’ ישמעאל לעולם אסור:
GEMARA. R. Tahlifa b. Abdimi said in the name of Shmuel: According to R. Ishmael it is always be forbidden [because of] Sunday.
If one were to follow R. Ishmael s ruling, it would always be forbidden to engage in business with idolaters because of Sunday. This is clearly a reference to early Christianity and indeed, in many manuscripts, the text does not say Sunday but the day of the Nazarene.
וחכ"א לפני אידיהן אסור לאחר אידיהן מותר כו’: חכמים היינו ת"ק?
But the sages say, before their festivities it is forbidden, but after their festivities it is permitted.
Is not [the opinion of] the sages identical with that of the first tanna?
In reality, the sages who respond to R. Ishmael are probably the same sages whose opinion was in the first mishnah. Still, the Talmud perceives this format to be repetitive why repeat their position twice? Thus it must be that there is some halakhic difference between the two positions. The Talmud will now take various disputes that appeared above or will appear below and claim that the sages of the mishnah disagree on these points as well.
הן בלא אידיהן איכא בינייהו, תנא קמא סבר הן בלא אידיהן ורבנן בתראי סברי הן ואידיהן.
Them without their festivals themselves is the point on which they differ. The first tanna holds that the period is exclusive of the festival, but the latter rabbis hold that it includes the festivals.
The dispute between the two opinions is over whether the three day period includes the festival or does not.
איבעית אימא נשא ונתן איכא בינייהו תנא קמא סבר נשא ונתן מותר ורבנן בתראי סברי נשא ונתן אסור
Or if you want you can say that they differ on the question of a case where he did engage in business, the first tanna holds that [the proceeds of] such transactions are permissible, while our later rabbis hold that [the proceeds of] these transactions are forbidden.
This is another point we discussed before and that might be a difference between the two opinions.
ואיבעית אימא דשמואל איכא בינייהו דאמר שמואל בגולה אין אסור אלא יום אידם תנא קמא אית ליה דשמואל רבנן בתראי לית להו דשמואל.
If you want you can say that they disagree over Shmuel. For Shmuel said: In the Diaspora the prohibition is limited to their festival day only. The first tanna holds by Shmuel s ruling, while our later rabbis do not hold like Shmuel.
Shmuel restricts the three day prohibition to the land of Israel. In the Diaspora, where idol worship does not, according to him, have such a great hold on the populace, the prohibition is only for one day. This is another possible point of dispute between the two opinions.
איבעית אימא דנחום המדי איכא בינייהו דתניא נחום המדי אומר אינו אסור אלא יום אחד לפני אידיהן תנא קמא לית ליה דנחום המדי ורבנן בתראי אית להו דנחום המדי:
If you want you may say that they disagree over the ruling of Nahum the Mede. For it is taught: Nahum the Mede says: The prohibition applies to only one day before their festivals. The first tanna does not accept the ruling of Nahum the Mede, and our latter rabbis do agree with Nahum the Mede’s ruling.
This is an even more innovative way of reading the dispute. Nahum the Mede disagrees with the mishnah the prohibition is not for three days but for only one. Clearly, the first opinion in the Mishnah cannot agree with this. But the last opinion holds that only one day before the festival is prohibited.