Avodah Zarah, Daf Nun Aleph, Part 6

 

Introduction

Today s sugya deals with the last part of the mishnah, which discusses whether an idol becomes prohibited when it is made or when it is first worshipped.

The midrash cited here discusses the following verse (Deuteronomy 12:2):

 

You must destroy all the sites at which the nations you are to dispossess worshiped their gods, whether on lofty mountains and on hills or under any luxuriant tree.

 

אַבֵּ֣ד תְּ֠אַבְּדוּן אֶֽת־כָּל־הַמְּקֹמ֞וֹת אֲשֶׁ֧ר עָֽבְדוּ־שָׁ֣ם הַגּוֹיִ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתֶּ֛ם יֹרְשִׁ֥ים אֹתָ֖ם אֶת־אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֑ם עַל־הֶהָרִ֤ים הָֽרָמִים֙ וְעַל־הַגְּבָע֔וֹת וְתַ֖חַת כָּל־עֵ֥ץ רַעֲנָן׃

 

עבודת כוכבים של עובד כוכבים אסורה מיד: מתני’ מני ר"ע היא דתניא (דברים יב, ב) אבד תאבדון את כל המקומות אשר עבדו שם הגוים בכלים שנשתמשו בהן לעבודת כוכבים הכתוב מדבר יכול עשאום ולא גמרום גמרום ולא הביאום הביאום ולא נשתמשו בהן יכול יהו אסורים ת"ל אשר עבדו שם הגוים שאין אסורין עד שיעבדו

מכאן אמרו עבודת כוכבים של עובד כוכבים אינה אסורה עד שתיעבד ושל ישראל אסורה מיד דברי ר’ ישמעאל

ר"ע אומר חילוף הדברים עבודת כוכבים של עובד כוכבים אסורה מיד ושל ישראל עד שתיעבד

 

The idol of an idolater is prohibited immediately. Whose teaching is our Mishnah?

It is R. Akiva s, for it has been taught: You shall destroy all the places where the nations worshipped (Deuteronomy 12:2). The verse refers to the vessels which are used for idolatry. It might have been that if they made them but did not complete them, or completed them but did not bring them [into the idolatrous shrine], or brought them there but did not use them, they would still be prohibited; therefore the text states, Where the nations worshipped, they are not prohibited until they have been used in the worship.

From here they said: The idol of an idolater is not prohibited until it is worshipped; but if it belonged to an Israelite it is prohibited immediately, the words of R. Yishmael;

But R. Akiva says the opposite: The idol of an idolater is prohibited immediately; but if it belonged to an Israelite it is not prohibited until it is worshipped.

 

The mishnah accords with the opinion of R. Akiva an idol made by an idolater is prohibited immediately. In contrast, R. Yishmael says that such an idol is not prohibited to a Jew until it has actually been worshipped. He derives this from the words of the verse where the nations worshipped.

 

אמר מר בכלים שנשתמשו בהן לעבודת כוכבים הכתוב מדבר הא מקומות כתיב אם אינו ענין למקומות דלא מיתסרי דכתיב (דברים יב, ב) אלהיהם על ההרים ולא ההרים אלהיהם תנהו ענין לכלים

 

The Master said [above]: The verse refers to the vessels which are used for idolatry. But places is written!

Since, it cannot refer to places, which are not prohibited, for it is written, Their gods upon the high mountains, not their mountains which are their gods, apply it to the subject of vessels.

 

The midrash above says that Deuteronomy 12:2 is referring to vessels human-made objects. The problem is that the verse explicitly says places not vessels. The Talmud explains that we cannot take this word places at face value for we have another midrash on the same verse (one we saw above) that says that places ( mountains ) cannot be prohibited. Since it cannot mean that Jews must destroy places where idolatry took place, it must mean that Jews cannot use vessels that were used in idolatrous worship.

 

מכאן אמרו עבודת כוכבים של עובד כוכבים אינה אסורה אלא עד שתעבד ושל ישראל מיד והא בכלים אוקימנא לה אמר קרא (דברים יב, ב) אשר אתם יורשים אותם את אלהיהם מקיש אלהיהם לכלים מה כלים עד שיעבדו אף אלהיהם נמי עד שיעבדו

 

From here they said: The idol of an idolater is not prohibited until it is worshipped; but if it belonged to an Israelite it is prohibited immediately. But we explained the verse as referring to vessels [and not to idols]! The verse says, Where [the nations] that you are to dispossess served their gods (Deuteronomy 12:2), it compares their gods to vessels just as vessels [are not prohibited] until they are used in worship so their gods likewise [are not prohibited] until they are worshipped.

 

Now the problem with the above midrash is that it interprets the verse to refer to vessels things used in the worship ceremony, but then it goes on to use this as a source for a rule about idols. Vessels and idols are not the same thing. The Talmud defends this analogy with another midrash gods (idols) are compared to vessels neither become prohibited until they are worshipped or used in a worship service.

 

ור"ע דלא מקיש אמר לך את הפסיק הענין

 

R. Akiva, who does not draw this comparison, would tell you that the et interrupts the subject.

 

Why doesn t R. Akiva make this comparison between vessels and idols? He says that the word את interrupts the connection between vessels and idols. So while vessels may be prohibited only once they have been used, idols made by idolaters can be prohibited immediately, which is his position as we saw in the mishnah.