Avodah Zarah, Daf Mem Aleph, Part 4

 

Introduction

This section contains a debate that will be discussed for the next daf and a half. We learned in the mishnah that broken pieces of images can be used by a Jew. There are two reasons to be lenient in that case. First of all, these are images, not idols. They may not even have been worshipped. Second, they are broken. Maybe the idolater annulled them when breaking them. But what about broken pieces of idols, ones that we know were not broken intentionally? These are idols, we know were worshipped, not just images. And we know that the idolater did not break them. So are they too permitted?

 

אתמר עבודת כוכבים שנשתברה מאיליה רבי יוחנן אמר אסורה

רשב"ל אמר מותרת

רבי יוחנן אמר אסורה דהא לא בטלה

רשב"ל אמר מותרת מסתמא בטולי מבטיל לה מימר אמר איהי נפשה לא אצלה לההוא גברא מצלה ליה

 

It has been stated: An idol that broke on it own: R. Yohanan said that [its fragments] are prohibited, but R. Shimon b. Lakish said that they are permitted.

R. Yohanan said that they are prohibited because [the idolater] did not annul the idol.

R. Shimon b. Lakish said that they are permitted because [the owner] can be assumed to have annulled [the idol], saying, It could not save itself, so how can it save me!

 

R. Yohanan says that since no idolater actively annulled the idol, the fragments are still considered idolatrous and they are prohibited.

R. Shimon b. Lakish tries to get into the head of the idolater. If the idolater sees that his idol broke, he will divest it of its power, thinking to himself that if the idol could not save itself from being broken, then how can it save me? Thus we can assume that it was annulled and its fragments are permitted.