Avodah Zarah, Daf Bet, Part 5

 

Introduction

Persia enters next.

 

יצאת מלכות רומי ונכנסה מלכות פרס אחריה. מ"ט? דהא חשיבא בתרה. ומנלן? דכתיב (דניאל ז, ה) "וארו חיוא אחרי תנינא דמיא לדוב" ותני רב יוסף אלו פרסיים שאוכלין ושותין כדוב ומסורבלין [בשר] כדוב ומגדלין שער כדוב ואין להם מנוחה כדוב .

 

The kingdom of Rome goes out and the kingdom of Persia enters. Why Persia next? Because they are next in importance. And how do we know this? Because it is written: And behold another beast, a second like a bear (Daniel 7:5); and R. Joseph said: This refers to the Persians, who eat and drink greedily like a bear, are fleshly like a bear, have shaggy hair like a bear, and are restless like a bear.

 

The Persians come in next. This is based on the verse from Daniel that says that the second nation is similar to a bear and R. Joseph identifies the verse as referring to the Persians. As an aside, after reading this, I feel that I may have a bit of bear in me.

 

אמר להם הקב"ה במאי עסקתם? אומרים לפניו רבש"ע הרבה גשרים גשרנו הרבה כרכים כבשנו הרבה מלחמות עשינו וכולם לא עשינו אלא בשביל ישראל כדי שיתעסקו בתורה.

 

The Holy Blessed One will ask of them: With what have you occupied yourselves? and they will reply, Master of the Universe, we have built many bridges, we have captured many cities, we have waged many wars, and all this for the sake of Israel, that they might engage in the study of the Torah.

 

Like the Romans, the Persians also claim that they have been busy building the world so that Israel can be free to occupy themselves with Torah.

 

אמר להם הקב"ה כל מה שעשיתם לצורך עצמכם עשיתם תקנתם גשרים ליטול מהם מכס כרכים לעשות בהם אנגריא מלחמות אני עשיתי שנאמר (שמות טו, ג) ה’ איש מלחמה כלום יש בכם מגיד זאת שנאמר (ישעיהו מג, ט) מי בכם יגיד זאת ואין זאת אלא תורה שנאמר וזאת התורה אשר שם משה מיד יצאו מלפניו בפחי נפש.

 

The Holy Blessed One will say in reply: All that which you have done, you have only done to satisfy your own desires. You have made bridges, to collect taxes on them; cities, to raise in them the head-tax; wars, I make, as it is said: The Lord is a man of war (Exodus 15:3). Are there any among you who have been declaring this? As it is said, Who among you declares this? (Isaiah 43:9). And this is nothing but Torah, as it is said: And this is the Torah which Moses set before the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 4:44). They will then depart crushed in spirit.

 

The Persians claims are rejected in the same manner in which the claims of the Romans were.

 

וכי מאחר דחזית מלכות פרס למלכות רומי דלא מהניא ולא מידי מאי טעמא עיילא? אמרי אינהו סתרי בית המקדש ואנן בנינן

 

But after the Persians saw that the Romans did not achieve anything, why did they go in? They will say to themselves: The Romans have destroyed the Temple, whereas we have built it.

 

The Persians thought they stood a better chance than the Romans because they built the Temple (under the direction of Cyrus and Darius, who let the Israelites return to Israel) whereas the Romans destroyed it.

 

וכן לכל אומה ואומה. וכי מאחר דחזו לקמאי דלא מהני ולא מידי מ"ט עיילי?

סברי הנך אישתעבדו בהו בישראל ואנן לא שעבדנו בישראל.

 

And so too every nation.

But after they saw that the first ones did not achieve anything, why should the other nations come forth? They will say to themselves: The others have oppressed Israel, but we have not.

 

The aggadah assumes that at this point every nation comes forth before God, and each nation s claim fails. The other nations thought they had a chance because at least they did not impress Israel.

 

מאי שנא הני דחשיבי ומאי שנא הני דלא חשיבי להו? משום דהנך משכי במלכותייהו עד דאתי משיחא.

 

And why are these [two] nations singled out as important, and not the others? Because their reign will last till the coming of the Messiah.

 

The aggadah mentions Rome and Persia as the most important because their reign, according to rabbinic thought, will last until the end of days. I m not sure history bore this out. Christianity inherited Rome, but the Vatican does not really reign all that much anymore. There are still Persians but not really much of an empire left. Still, these world powers had great influence on world history.