Avodah Zarah, Daf Kaf Aleph, Part 6

 

Introduction

Today s sugya contains another baraita in which R. Shimon b. Elazar discusses renting to a Samaritan.

 

תניא ר"ש בן אלעזר אומר לא ישכיר אדם שדהו לכותי מפני שנקראת על שמו וכותי זה עושה בו מלאכה בחוש"מ.

 

It was taught: R. Shimon b. Elazar says: One should not rent one’s field to a Samaritan, for it is called by the owner’s name and the Samaritan will do work on it on the intermediate days of the festival.

 

A Jew should not work his fields on the intermediate days of the festival (hol hamoed). But Samaritans do not seem to observe this rule. So if one rents a field to a Samaritan and others think he is working the field on behalf of the Jew, they will say that the Jew is working his own field on hol hamoed.

 

אבל עובד כוכבים מאי שרי דאמרי אריסא אריסותיה עביד

א"ה כותי נמי אמרי אריסא אריסותיה עביד

 

But what about to a non-Jew? It is permitted? Because they will say that he is a tenant working for his own tenancy.

If so, why should it not be said in the case of a Samaritan, too, that he is a tenant working for his own tenancy?

 

If it is forbidden to rent a field to a Samaritan, it would seem that he would say that it is permitted to rent a field to a non-Jew. The reason is that people will assume that this a tenancy arrangement. But if this is so, why not assume the same thing about the Samaritan. Why assume that people will think he is working the field on the Jew s behalf?

 

אריסותא לר"ש בן אלעזר לית ליה, אלא עובד כוכבים מ"ט מותר דאמרינן ליה וציית

R. Shimon b. Elazar is not thinking about tenancy. Rather why is it permitted in the case of a non-Jew? Because if he is told [not to work on forbidden days] he obeys.

 

R. Shimon b. Elazar allows one to rent the field to the non-Jew because if the Jew tells him not to work on hol hamoed, the non-Jew will listen.

 

כותי נמי אמרינן ליה וציית! כותי לא ציית דאמר אנא גמירנא טפי מינך

 

But a Samaritan, too, we can tell him and he will obey! A Samaritan would not obey for he would say: I am more learned than you.

 

The Samaritan will not listen to a Jew who tells him not to work on hol hamoed. The Samaritan believes that he knows more than the Jew, and in their system of laws, working a field on hol hamoed is permitted.

 

א"ה מאי איריא מפני שנקראת על שמו תיפוק ליה משום (ויקרא יט, יד) לפני עור לא תתן מכשול חדא ועוד קאמר חדא משום לפני עור ועוד מפני שנקראת על שמו

 

If so, why say [that it is forbidden] because it is called by the owner’s name; he could have derived it from the prohibition of not placing a stumbling block before the blind?

He mentions that reason as an additional one: First of all because of [not placing a stumbling block] before the blind, and furthermore is because it is called by his name.

 

The Talmud notes that there is an additional reason for why it is prohibited to rent a field to a Samaritan. This will give the Samaritan an opportunity to work the field on hol hamoed. Providing a person with an opportunity to transgress is considered placing a stumbling block before the bling. Thus there are really two reasons why one should not do this.