Avodah Zarah, Daf Lamed Gimmel, Part 1
Introduction
Last week s daf ended with a discussion of Jews and pagans going and returning from places of idolatry. Today s sugya discusses Jews and pagans going to the fair, which as we have learned was also a place of idolatry.
ת"ר עובד כוכבים ההולך ליריד בין בהליכה בין בחזרה מותר ישראל ההולך ליריד בהליכה מותר בחזרה אסור
Our rabbis taught: With an idolater going to a market-fair it is permitted to deal both on his journey there and back; but in the case of a Jew going to such a fair, it is permitted on his journey there but forbidden on his return journey.
It is permitted to engage in business with a pagan on his way to and back from the idolatrous fair. The prohibition of engaging in business with them applies only to those actually there.
With Jews, one can engage in business only on their way there. The Talmud will explain what the concern is.
מאי שנא ישראל דבחזרה אסור? דאמרי עבודת כוכבים זבין דמי עבודת כוכבים איכא בהדיה עובד כוכבים נמי נימא עבודת כוכבים זבין דמי עבודת כוכבים איכא בהדיה
Why is an Israelite different in that it is forbidden on his return journey? For we say that he may have been selling articles of idolatry and has thus idolatry-money with him.
Should we not say the same in the case of an idolater that he may have sold articles of idol-worship and carries idolatry-money on him?
The Talmud now asks the question why it is forbidden to engage in business with Jews on their way back from the fair but not with pagans. If the answer is that the Jew may have sold objects for idolatry and therefore his money is the wages of idolatry, then the same should certainly be said about pagans they too have idolatry money on them.
אלא עובד כוכבים אמרינן גלימא זבין חמרא זבין ישראל נמי נימא אימור גלימא זבין חמרא זבין אי איתא דה"ל הכא הוה מזבין ליה:
Rather, in the case of an idolater we say that he may have sold such things as a garment or wine.
[If so] let us then say in the case of an Israelite, too, that it may have been such things as a garment or wine that he was selling!
If he had such things only he would have sold them here.
With the pagan, we can assume that he went to the idolatrous fair in order to engage in non-idolatrous business. With the Jew, we would not make such an assumption. If he was only trying to sell a garment or wine, he would not have had to go the idolatrous fair, he could have sold them in the Jewish market.
In other words, Jews go to these fairs for idolatrous purposes whereas pagans go there for all sorts of purposes.