Avodah Zarah, Daf Nun Heh, Part 2
Introduction
Today s section contains another interesting theological dialogue.
א"ל זונין לר"ע לבי ולבך ידע דעבודת כוכבים לית בה מששא והא קחזינן גברי דאזלי כי מתברי ואתו כי מצמדי מ"ט
אמר לו אמשול לך משל למה"ד לאדם נאמן שהיה בעיר וכל בני עירו היו מפקידין אצלו שלא בעדים ובא אדם אחד והפקיד לו בעדים. פעם אחד שכח והפקיד אצלו שלא בעדים. אמרה לו אשתו בוא ונכפרנו. אמר לה וכי מפני ששוטה זה עשה שלא כהוגן אנו נאבד את אמונתינו. אף כך יסורין בשעה שמשגרין אותן על האדם משביעין אותן שלא תלכו אלא ביום פלוני ולא תצאו אלא ביום פלוני ובשעה פלונית ועל ידי פלוני ועל ידי סם פלוני כיון שהגיע זמנן לצאת הלך זה לבית עבודת כוכבים אמרו יסורין דין הוא שלא נצא וחוזרין ואומרים וכי מפני ששוטה זה עושה שלא כהוגן אנו נאבד שבועתנו
Zunin said to R. Akiva: We both know in our heart that there is no substance to idol. Nevertheless we see men enter [the shrine] crippled and come out cured. What is the reason?
He replied, I will give you a parable: To what is the matter like? To a trustworthy man in a city, and all his townsmen used to deposit [their money] in his charge without witnesses. One man, however, came and deposited [his money] in his charge with witnesses; but on one occasion he forgot and made his deposit without witnesses. The wife [of the trustworthy man] said to [her husband], Come, let us deny it. He answered her, Because this fool acted in an unworthy manner, shall I destroy my reputation for trustworthiness!
It is similar with afflictions. When they are sent on a man they make them take an oath, You shall not come upon him except on such and such a day, nor depart from him except on such and such a day, and at such an hour, and by the work of so and so, and through such and such a druge." When the time arrives for them to depart, the man chanced to go to an idolatrous shrine. The afflictions plead, It is right that we should not leave him and depart; but because this fool acts in an unworthy way shall we break our oath!
Zunin s question is an fascinating one, and based on what we know about the placebo effect, we can understand how this happens. People who believe in non-scientific cures can be healed by merely believing in the curer and in his/her purported medicine. Idolaters go to shrines and come out healed, and yet we know that the idol is just a hunk of wood or stone. We see this quite often in both scientific medical studies and in holistic medicine.
R. Akiva s answer is not based on the placebo effect, probably because they did not know of this in those days.
R. Akiva answers that this is in a sense lucky timing. God does not change his ways just because of people s foolish behavior. If a person has a disease, there is a time set for that disease to become healed. The very fact that this foolish person went to an idolatrous healer does not mean that God should change the course of the illness. That would be a breach of God s trustworthiness, just as it would be a breach of the banker s trustworthiness not to pay back the foolish depositor.
והיינו דא"ר יוחנן מאי דכתיב (דברים כח, נט) וחלים רעים ונאמנים רעים בשליחותן ונאמנים בשבועתן
This what R. Yohanan said: What is that is written, And bad and faithful sicknesses (Deuteronomy 28:59)? Bad in their mission and faithful to their oath.
R. Yohanan, based on the verse from Deuteronomy, characterizes sicknesses as being faithful to their oath. The personified sickness takes an oath to leave the person it has afflicted at the appointed time.