Avodah Zarah, Daf Nun Gimmel, Part 6
Introduction
This section deals with the next part of the mishnah, about the pedastals built for kings.
בימוסיאות של מלכים הרי אלו מותרות: וכי מפני שמעמידין אותה בשעה שהמלכים עוברין מותרין
אמר רבה בר בר חנה אמר רבי יוחנן ה"ק מפני שמעמידין אותן בשעה שהמלכים עוברין ומלכים מניחין דרך זו והולכין בדרך אחרת
Pedestals of kings are permitted. Because they set them up at the time the kings pass by they are permitted! Rabbah b. Bar Hanah said in the name of R. Yohanan: This is what it means because they set them up at the time kings pass by and the kings abandon that road and go on another road.
R. Yohanan explains why the pedestals set up for kings on the side of the roads are permitted. These are only temporary pedestals. As soon as the king takes another road, the old pedestal is abandoned, and thereby annulled.
כי אתא עולא יתיב אבימסא פגימא
א"ל רב יהודה לעולא והא רב ושמואל דאמרי תרוייהו בימוס שנפגם אסור ואפי’ למ"ד אין עובדים לשברים ה"מ עבודת כוכבים דזילא ביה מלתא למפלח לשברים אבל האי לא איכפת ליה
When Ulla came he sat on a damaged pedestal. Rav Judah said to him: Did not both Rav and Shmuel declare that a damaged pedestal is prohibited; and even according to him who said that they do not worship fragments [of idols], that applies only to an idol because it is degrading to worship fragments but with this [pedestal] one does not care!
Ulla sits on a broken pedestal, not one set up for kings on the roads, but a normal pedestal used for idolatry. Rav Judah attacks him for doing so. Rav and Shmuel, earlier authoritative amoraim, both agreed that broken pedestals remain prohibited. Even the position that holds that broken pieces of idols are permitted would agree that broken pedestals are prohibited. So Ulla get off that pedestal!
א"ל מאן יהיב לן מעפרא דרב ושמואל ומלאינן עיינין הא רבי יוחנן ור"ל דאמרי תרוייהו בימוס שנפגם מותר ואפי’ למ"ד עובדין לשברים ה"מ עבודת כוכבים דכיון דפלחה זילא ביה מילת’ לבטולה אבל הני שקלי להאי ומייתו בימוס אחרינא
He replied to him: Who would give me some of the dust [from the bodies] of Rav and Samuel that I might fill my eyes with it!
Behold both R. Yohanan and R. Shimon b. Lakish declared that a damaged pedestal is permitted; and even according to him who said that they do worship fragments, that applies only to an idol because from the fact that they worship it, it would be degrading to annul it; but as for these [pedestals] they take this one away and bring another.
Ulla graphically disagrees with R. Judah, quoting, not incidentally, a tradition ascribed to two Eretz Yisraeli sages. According to both of them, even those who hold that broken fragments of idols are prohibited, this is because they do not annul idols even when broken. But pedestals are not themselves worshipped, so when a pedestal breaks, they just throw it away and get another one.
תניא כוותיה דר’ יוחנן ור"ל בימוס שנפגם מותר מזבח שנפגם אסור עד שינתץ רובו
It was taught in accordance with R. Yohanan and R. Shimon b. Lakish: A damaged pedestal is permitted; a damaged altar is prohibited until the greater part of it is demolished.
The baraita accords with R. Yohanan and Resh Lakish a broken pedestal is permitted.
ה"ד בימוס ה"ד מזבח
א"ר יעקב בר אידי אמר ר’ יוחנן בימוס אבן אחת מזבח אבנים הרבה
אמר חזקיה מאי קרא (ישעיהו כז, ט) בשומו כל אבני מזבח כאבני גיר מנופצות לא יקומו אשרים וחמנים אי איכא כאבני גיר מנופצות לא יקומון אשרים וחמנים אי לאו יקומו
What constitutes a pedestal and what an altar?
R. Ya akov b. Idi said in the name of R. Yohanan: A pedestal consists of a single stone, an altar of several stones.
Hezekiah said: What is the verse? When he makes all the stones of the altar as limestones that are beaten into pieces, so that the asherim and the sun images shall rise no more –if [the altar] becomes like limestones that are shattered, then the asherim and the sun-images shall rise no more, otherwise they will rise again.
An altar has more than one stone, whereas a pedestal has only one.
Hezekiah cites a verse that proves that an altar has multiple stones and that in order for it to be annulled it must be completely shattered. The verse refers to how the iniquity of Jacob can be expiated.