Avodah Zarah, Daf Nun, Part 5

 

Introduction

Today s section continues to deal with the unsolved baraita we began to discuss yesterday. For ease of reference I am placing it back here in full:

 

We may remove worms [from a tree] and place manure [on a cut branch] during the Sabbatical year, but we may not remove worms [from a tree] and place manure [on a cut branch] during the [intermediate days of] a festival. On both these occasions we may not prune, but we may smear oil on the place of pruning both during the festival and during the Sabbatical year.

 

ואלא זיהום אגיזום קא קשיא ליה מ"ש זיהום דשרי ומ"ש גיזום דאסור

מי דמי זיהום אוקומי אילנא ושרי גיזום אברויי אילנא ואסור

 

Perhaps the difficulty is in connection with placing manure and pruning why is placing manure permitted but pruning forbidden? But are they the same? Placing manure is to preserve the tree and is permitted, but pruning is to strengthen the tree is prohibited!

 

The Talmud now suggests that the difficulty is why placing manure is permitted while pruning is prohibited. But this too can be easily explained. It is permitted to preserve a tree during hol hamoed and the sabbatical year. One need not let the tree die and evidently placing manure on cuts in the tree is meant to prevent them from dying. But pruning strengthens the tree and is therefore prohibited.

 

ואלא זיהום אזיהום קא קשיא ליה דקתני מתליעין ומזהמין בשביעית ורמינהי מזהמין את הנטיעות וכורכין אותן וקוטמין אותן ועושין להם בתים ומשקין אותן עד ר"ה עד ר"ה אין בשביעית לא

 

Perhaps the difficulty is in the contradiction about placing the manure as it was taught, We may remove worms [from a tree] and place manure [on the bark] during the Sabbatical year ; and against this we cast the following: We may place manure on saplings, wrap them [to the trunk], cut off their tops, make supports for them, and water them up to the New Year up to the New Year this is permissible but not in the Sabbatical year itself!

 

The next possible difficulty is that our baraita that permits placing manure on the tree during the Sabbatical year contradicts another baraita that allows this only during the time leading up to the Sabbatical year. During the Sabbatical year itself, it is forbidden.

ודלמא כדרב עוקבא בר חמא דאמר רב עוקבא בר חמא תרי קשקושי הוו חד לאברויי אילנא ואסור וחד לסתומי פילי ושרי ה"נ תרי זיהמומי הוי חד לאוקומי אילני ושרי וחד לאברויי אילני ואסור

 

Perhaps [the contradiction might be solved] according to the statement of R. Ukba b. Hama who said: There are two kinds of hoeing; one to strengthen the tree and this is prohibited [in the Sabbatical year] and the other to close up cracks and this is permitted. Similarly here there are two kinds of placing manure; one is to preserve the tree and is permitted and the other to strengthen the tree and is prohibited!

 

This difficulty also may be solved. There may be two different kinds of placing manure on the branch one is to strengthen the tree, and this is prohibited. The other is to preserve the tree and is permitted.

 

ואלא סיכה אסיכה קא קשיא ליה דקתני סכין שמן לגזום בין במועד ובין בשביעית ורמינהי סכין את הפגין ומנקבין ומפטמין אותן עד ר"ה עד ר"ה אין בשביעית לא

מי דמי הכא אוקומי אילנא ושרי התם פטומי פירא ואסור

Perhaps the difficulty is in the contradiction about smearing oil, for it was taught: We may smear oil on the place of pruning either during hol hamoed or during the Sabbatical year ; and against this I quote: We may smear fig and perforate them and fatten them [with oil] up to the New Year up to the New Year this is permissible but not in the Sabbatical year itself! But are the two cases analogous; here the purpose is to preserve the tree and is permitted, whereas there it is to fatten the fruit and is prohibited!

 

Again, the Talmud tries to claim that our baraita, which allows smearing oil on the tree, contradicts another baraita which allows smearing oil on unripe figs but only before the Sabbatical year, not on the Sabbatical year itself. But again, this is not really a difficulty. In our case the oil is being smeared on the tree to preserve it after it was pruned. Again, preserving the tree is permitted. But smearing oil on unripe figs is to fatten them up and it is prohibited.

 

 

א"ל רב סמא בריה דרב אשי לרבינא בר ירמיה סיכה דמועד אזיהום דמועד קא קשיא ליה מכדי האי אוקומי והאי אוקומי מאי שנא האי דשרי ומאי שנא האי דאסור היינו דקא"ל לית נגר ולא בר נגר דיפרקינה

 

R. Sama the son of R. Ashi said to Ravina: The son of Yirmiyah s difficulty was comparing placing oil on the festival with placing manure on the festival. Since the purpose of both is to preserve the tree, why is one permitted and the other prohibited?

That is why he said, There was no carpenter or carpenter s son who could explain it.

 

Finally we get an answer as to what the difficulty is. It is forbidden to place manure on the tree on the festival while it is permitted to smear oil. But both actions are for preserving the tree so why is one permitted and the other forbidden?

There is no answer to this question the baraita remains unsolved.