Avodah Zarah, Daf Mem Vav, Part 1

 

Introduction

This week s daf begins with a baraita.

 

תני תנא קמיה דרב ששת העכו"ם העובדים את ההרים ואת הגבעות הן מותרין ועובדיהן בסייף ואת הזרעים ואת הירקות הן אסורין ועובדיהן בסייף

 

A tanna taught in the presence of R. Sheshet: If idolaters worship mountains and hills, they are permissible but the worshippers must be put to the sword; [if they worshipped] plants and vegetation, these are prohibited and the worshippers must be put to the sword.

 

This baraita distinguishes between mountains and vegetation. The mountains are not prohibited, but the vegetation is. In both cases, the idolaters who worship them must, at least theoretically, be executed by sword. This accords with the teaching in Sanhedrin, that Noahides are prohibited from worshipping idols, and that their punishment is death by sword. We should note that nowhere do we find the rabbis advocating that anyone actually go out and kill idolaters. These laws were clearly theoretical.

 

א"ל דאמר לך מני רבי יוסי בר יהודה היא דאמר אילן שנטעו ולבסוף עבדו אסור

ולוקמה באילן שנטעו מתחלה לכך ורבנן לא ס"ד דקתני דומיא דהר מה הר שלא נטעו מתחלה לכך אף האי נמי שלא נטעו מתחלה לכך

 

[R. Sheshet] said to him: Who said that to you? It must be R. Yose son of R. Yehudah who said: A tree which had been planted and was subsequently worshipped is prohibited.

But let [R. Sheshet] apply [the statement reported by the tanna] to a tree which had been planted for idolatry at the outset and [make it agree with the view of] the rabbis!

Do not even think this, for it taught [that the plants] were similar to the mountain: just as with a mountain it was not planted for idolatry at the outset, so with this also it was not planted for idolatry at the outset.

 

R. Sheshet argues that the analogy the baraita draws between the mountains and the vegetation seems to imply that just as the mountain was not created to be worshipped, so too the vegetation was not created to be worshipped. Since the baraita states that the vegetation is prohibited, it must follow the opinion of R. Yose son of R. Yehudah who holds that trees that were not planted for idolatry but were then worshipped are prohibited. This view was the topic of some intense discussion in last week s sugya.