Avodah Zarah, Daf Nun Daled, Part 3
כי אתא רב דימי א"ר יוחנן אע"פ שאמרו המשתחוה לקרקע עולם לא אסרה חפר בה בורות שיחין ומערות אסרה
When R. Dimi came [from Eretz Yisrael] he stated in the name of R. Yohanan: Although [the rabbis] declared that he who worships a piece of ground does not render it prohibited, yet if he dug in it wells, pits or caves he has rendered it prohibited.
Simply bowing down to the ground does not make the ground prohibited. But if one digs into it to create objects of use for idolatrous purposes, these features do become prohibited. As we learned above, doing something to the object is different from simply worshipping it.
כי אתא רב שמואל בר יהודה א"ר יוחנן אע"פ שאמרו המשתחוה לבעלי חיים לא אסרן עשאן חליפין לעבודת כוכבים אסרן
When R. Shmuel b. Judah came [from Eretz Yisrael] he reported that R. Yohanan said: Although [the rabbis] declared that he who worships animals has not rendered them prohibited, if he used them in exchange for an idol he has rendered them prohibited.
Worshipping an animal does not make it prohibited, but using the animal to purchase an idol or to sell an idol does.
כי אתא רבין אמר פליגו בה רבי ישמעאל ב"ר יוסי ורבנן חד אמר חליפין אסורין חליפי חליפין מותרין וחד אמר אפילו חליפי חליפין נמי אסורין
מ"ט דמ"ד חליפי חליפין אסורין אמר קרא (דברים ז, כו) והיית חרם כמוהו כל שאתה מהיה ממנו הרי הוא כמוהו
ואידך אמר קרא הוא הוא ולא חליפי חליפין
When Rabin came [to Eretz Yisrael] he said that R. Yishmael son of R. Yose and the other rabbis disputed: One said that the animals used in exchange for an idol are prohibited but the animals used in exchange for these are permitted; while the other says that even these are prohibited.
What is the reason of him who says that even these are prohibited?
The verse says, That you should become accursed like it (Deuteronomy 7:26) whatever you bring into being from it is to be treated like it.
All rabbis agree that if one exchanges an idol for an animal, the animal is prohibited. The dispute is over animals exchanged for those animals. According to one opinion the prohibition continues. As we learn from the verse, anything that is derived from idolatry is accursed. The other opinion emphasizes that only it, the original animal is prohibited. The animal exchanged for the prohibited animal does not become prohibited.
ואידך ההוא מיבעי ליה למעוטי ערלה וכלאי הכרם שאם מכרן וקידש בדמיהן מקודשת
And as to the other opinion [how does he explain the word it ]? He requires it for the exclusion of orlah and the mixed seeds a vineyard, so that if he sold them and with the proceeds betrothed a woman she is betrothed.
The one that holds that animals used in exchange for animals used to acquire an idol are prohibited uses the word it ( it is prohibited and not things exchanged for it) to exclude orlah (fruit during its first three years of growth) and mixed seeds planted in a vineyard. One may not derive benefit from either of these. But if one sells them (this is prohibited) and then uses the money to betroth a woman, the woman is betrothed. This proves that this money has value to its owner.
ואידך ערלה וכלאי הכרם לא צריכי מיעוטא דהויא להו עבודת כוכבים ושביעית שני כתובין הבאין כאחד וכל שני כתובין הבאין כאחד אין מלמדין
And the other opinion, why does he not read this verse in the same way? Because orlah and the mixed plantings of a vineyard do not require to be specially excluded, because idolatry and the Sabbatical year are two verses which come as one, in any case where two verses come as one we do not derive any other cases from them.
The author of the other opinion now has to explain why he does not also use the word it to teach that only in cases of idolatry does the second exchanged object become prohibited but not in orlah and mixed seeds in a vineyard. The answer is that idolatry and Sabbatical year produce are two special cases, and only in them does the second exchanged object become prohibited. Whenever we have two verses that teach the same rule about two different cases, we don t apply that rule elsewhere. The idea is that if the Torah wanted the rule to apply across the board it would have taught it once. By teaching it twice, the implication is that the rule applies there and nowhere else. Therefore, even without the word it we know that this rule does not apply to orlah and mixed seeds.
עבודת כוכבים הא דאמרן שביעית דכתיב (ויקרא כה, יב) כי יובל היא קדש תהיה לכם מה קדש תופס את דמיו ואסור אף שביעית תופסת את דמיה ואסורה
As regards idolatry it is as we have stated.
As regards the Sabbatical year, it is written, For it is a Jubilee, it shall be sacred to you (Leviticus 25:12) just as a sacred object transfers [its sanctity] onto the money and is prohibited, similarly Sabbatical year [produce] transfers [its sanctity] onto the money and is prohibited.
One may not sell Sabbatical year produce. If one does, the money used to buy it now has the same restrictions that applied to the produce itself. This is the same as with idolatry if one sells an idol and buys an animal, and then exchanges that animal for another animal, the last animal is also prohibited.
אי מה קדש תופס את דמיו ויוצא לחולין אף שביעית תופסת את דמיה ויוצאה לחולין ת"ל תהיה בהוייתה תהא
If [this conclusion is correct], then just as the holiness affects its redemption money and [the object which is redeemed] becomes non-holy, similarly the Sabbatical year should affect its money and [the produce which had been sold] become non-holy! Scripture says, It shall be [holy], it shall remain in its state.
When one redeems a holy object, for instance something dedicated to the Temple, the money becomes holy but the object redeemed is desacralized. This is not true for Sabbatical year produce. The Sabbatical year produce remains holy even after it is sold. In essence it cannot be redeemed.
הא כיצד לקח בפירות שביעית בשר אלו ואלו מתבערין בשביעית לקח בבשר דגים יצא בשר נכנסו דגים בדגים יין יצאו דגים נכנס יין ביין שמן יצא יין ונכנס שמן הא כיצד אחרון אחרון נתפס בשביעית ופרי עצמו אסור
How is it, then? If he bought meat with fruits grown in the Sabbatical year, both must be removed during the Sabbatical year.
But if he bought fish with that meat, the meat ceases to be holy and the fish becomes holy; if he then bought wine with the fish, the fish ceases to be holy and the wine becomes holy; if he then bought oil with the wine, the wine ceases to be holy and the oil becomes holy.
How is it, then? It is the last thing [in the series of exchanges] which is affected by the Sabbatical year and the fruit itself is prohibited.
This baraita explains how exchanges with Sabbatical year produce work. The produce always remains holy as does the last item that was exchanged.
Sabbatical year produce must be removed from the home when it ceases to grow in the field. This rule will also apply to whatever is exchanged for the produce.
ואידך קסבר שני כתובין הבאין כאחד מלמדין ואיצטריך הוא למעוטינהו:
And the other opinion? He holds that two texts that come as one can be used to derive and therefore it is needed to exclude them.
The other opinion uses the word it to exclude orlah and mixed seeds because he holds that even if there are two texts that come as one additional halakhot could be derived. Therefore, we might have learned that orlah and mixed seeds do make any item exchanged for them prohibited. Therefore the word it in the phrase, that you should become accursed like it is necessary to exclude them.