Avodah Zarah, Daf Mem Zayin, Part 2

 

Introduction

R. Papa here asks another question about using an object for a mitzvah that had once been worshipped as an idol.

 

בעי רב פפא המשתחוה לבהמה צמרה מהו לתכלת? תכלת דמאי? אי תכלת לכהנים היינו בעיא דרמי בר חמא. ואי תכלת לציצית היינו בעיא דר"ל.

 

R. Papa asked: What is the rule if one worshipped an animal; may its wool be used for blue thread? Blue thread for what? If it is for the blue material of the priests [garments], that is dealt with in the question of Rami b. Hama! If it is for the blue thread of tzitzit, that is dealt with in the question of R. Shimon b. Lakish!

 

R. Papa asks the same kind of question again, and the Talmud notices the repetition. If he is asking about using the blue thread to make clothes for priests, well that is the same as the question asked by Rami b. Hama about making a minchah out of wheat that had been worshipped. And if the question is about tzitzit, that is a personal, non-Temple mitzvah, and that is the same question asked by Resh Lakish about the using a lulav that came from an asherah tree.

 

אין ה"נ דלא הוה למיבעי ליה והאי דקא בעי ליה הא משום דאיכא מילי אחרנייתא צמרה מהו לתכלת קרניה מהו לחצוצרות שוקיה מהו לחלילין בני מעיה מהו לפארות

 

This is indeed so, there was no need [for R. Papa] to ask about this; but the reason why he did ask this question is because there are other similar matters [about which he asked]: May its wool be used for blue thread, its horns for trumpets, the bones of its legs for flutes, its intestines for harp-strings?

 

R. Papa was not asking just about the wool, he was asking about other parts of the animal to make the musical instruments used in the Temple service.

אליבא דמ"ד עיקר שירה בכלי לא תיבעי לך דודאי אסיר כי תיבעי לך אליבא דמ"ד עיקר שירה בפה בסומי קלא בעלמא הוא ומייתינן או דלמא אפילו הכי אסיר תיקו

 

According to the one who says that the main aspect of [Temple] music is with the instrument, the question does not arise because using these materials is certainly prohibited; but the question does arise according to him who says that the main aspect of [Temple] music is with the mouth. Is, then, the purpose [of the instrument] only to sweeten the sound and we may use these [materials], or perhaps even then it is prohibited? The question remains unanswered.

 

There is a dispute in many places in the Talmud over what is the main aspect of the Temple music is it the playing of the instruments or is it the Levites singing. If we hold that the main aspect is the instruments than surely we cannot use parts of an animal that had been worshipped. But if we hold that the main aspect is the singing, then maybe we can use them, because maybe they are there just to make the singing sound better.

Alas, there is again no answer to this question.