Avodah Zarah, Daf Kaf Zayin, Part 5

 

Introduction

The sugya continues to discuss whether one may receive healing from a non-Jew if he is about to die.

 

מיתיבי לא ישא ויתן אדם עם המינין ואין מתרפאין מהן אפילו לחיי שעה

 

An objection was raised: No man should have any dealings with the heretics, nor is it allowed to be healed by them, even to save an hour s worth of life.

 

This statement, which will be explicated below, holds that a Jew may never be healed by a heretic (who is assumed at first to have the same status as a non-Jew). Thus we are concerned with the short amount of time a person may live before he dies, and we do not allow non-Jews to heal Jews.

 

מעשה בבן דמא בן אחותו של ר’ ישמעאל שהכישו נחש ובא יעקב איש כפר סכניא לרפאותו ולא הניחו ר’ ישמעאל וא"ל ר’ ישמעאל אחי הנח לו וארפא ממנו ואני אביא מקרא מן התורה שהוא מותר ולא הספיק לגמור את הדבר עד שיצתה נשמתו ומת קרא עליו ר’ ישמעאל אשריך בן דמא שגופך טהור ויצתה נשמתך בטהרה ולא עברת על דברי חביריך שהיו אומרים (קהלת י, ח) ופורץ גדר ישכנו נחש

 

It once happened that Ben Dama the son of R. Ishmael’s sister was bitten by a snake and Jacob, a man of Kefar Sekaniah, came to heal him but R. Ishmael did not let him; whereupon Ben Dama said, My brother R. Ishmael, let him, so that I may be healed by him. I will even cite a verse from the Torah that he is to be permitted, but he did not manage to complete his saying, when his soul departed and he died. R. Ishmael said about him, Happy are you Ben Dama for your body was pure and your soul left you in purity and you did not transgress the words of your colleagues, who said, He who breaks through a fence, a snake shall bite him (Ecclesiastes 10:8).

 

Most scholars interpret Jacob of Kefar Sekaniah as being a student of Jesus. Jesus was often portrayed as having healing powers. Ben Dama wants to be healed, perhaps by some sort of incantation, which is often the way that Jesus heals. But R. Ishmael does not allow him to do so because of his heresy. This proves that the prohibition of being healed by a non-Jew is absolute.

 

שאני מינות דמשכא דאתי למימשך בתרייהו

 

It is different with the teaching of the heretics, for he may come to be drawn after it.

 

The Talmud rejects the analogy between non-Jews and heretics. Jews may not be healed by non-Jews because they are violent. But if the Jew is dying, then why not be healed? Worst case scenario he dies a little earlier. But when it comes to heretics, the fear is that Jews will be drawn into their heresy. Therefore, Jews should have nothing to do with heretics.

Note that this text, which appears in slightly different versions elsewhere in rabbinic literature, offers an interesting statement on the draw that Christianity had over Jews. The rabbis had to offer strict warnings to keep people away from Christianity. It is not that Jews wanted to become full Christians. Rather, we can see that they are attracted to some aspects of Christianity here the healing powers of the Christians.