Avodah Zarah, Daf Samekh Gimmel, Part 5

 

Introduction

The Talmud continues to relate to the baraita about the employer. For ease of reference, I am replicating the relevant clause here:

 

Go out and eat and I will pay you back, go out and drink and I will pay you back, he must be concerned [about their eating and drinking the produce of] the Sabbatical year or tithe or yayin nesek

 

Rava had said that this clause refers to a case where the employer paid the storekeeper in advance.

 

אמר רב כהנא אמריתה לשמעתא קמיה דרב זביד מנהרדעא א"ל אי הכי אדתני צאו ואכלו צאו ושתו ואני פורע צאו ואכלו צאו ושתו ואני מחשב מיבעי ליה א"ל תני צאו ואני מחשב

R. Kahana said: I stated this teaching in the presence of R. Zevid of Nehardea. He said to me: If that were so, then instead of the words Go out and eat and drink and I will pay, it should have said Go out and eat and drink and I will reckon with him !

[R. Kahana] said to him: Read, Go out and I will reckon with him.

 

The problem with Rava s reading of the baraita is that the employer says and I will pay which makes it sound like he is actually giving money to the storekeeper for the first time. So R. Kahana emends the baraita such that it reads Go out and I will reckon with him thereby implying that the employer already paid.