Avodah Zarah, Daf Tet Vav, Part 4

 

Introduction

The sugya continues discussing selling pack animals to idolaters.

 

רבה זבין ההוא חמרא לישראל החשיד למכור לעובד כוכבים

א"ל אביי מ"ט עבד מר הכי?

א"ל אנא לישראל זביני.

א"ל והא אזיל ומזבין ליה לעובד כוכבים

לעובד כוכבים קא מזבין לישראל לא קא מזבין

 

Rabbah once sold a donkey to a Jew who was suspected of selling to idolaters.

Abaye said to him: Why have you acted thus?

He replied, I sold it to a Jew.

He said back, He will go and sell it to an idolater!

[He replied], He will sell it to an idolater and he won t sell it to a Jew.

 

Rabbah defends his sale of a donkey to a Jew known to sell to idolaters by pointing out that it is not certain that the Jew will sell it to an idolater. He might sell it to a Jew.

 

איתיביה מקום שנהגו למכור בהמה דקה לכותים מוכרין שלא למכור אין מוכרין.

מ"ט אילימא משום דחשידי ארביעה ומי חשידי והתניא אין מעמידין בהמה בפונדקאות של עובדי כוכבים זכרים אצל זכרים ונקבות אצל נקבות ואין צ"ל נקבות אצל זכרים וזכרים אצל נקבות ואין מוסרין בהמה לרועה שלהן ואין מייחדין עמהם ואין מוסרין להם תינוק ללמדו ספר וללמדו אומנות אבל מעמידין בהמה בפונדקאות של כותים זכרים אצל נקבות ונקבות אצל זכרים ואין צ"ל זכרים אצל זכרים ונקבות אצל נקבות ומוסרין בהמה לרועה שלהן ומייחדין עמהם ומוסרין להם תינוק ללמדו ספר וללמדו אומנות

אלמא לא חשידי

 

He [Abaye] objected to him [from the following baraita]: In a place where it is the custom to sell small cattle to Samaritans, one may sell, but where they do not sell, one may not sell. What is the reason [for the prohibition]? If we say because they are suspected of bestiality, are they to be suspected? Has it not been taught: One may not place cattle in inns kept by idolaters even male-cattle with men and female-cattle with women, and it is needless to say that female-cattle with men and male-cattle with women [are forbidden]; nor may one hand over cattle to one of their shepherds; nor may one be alone with them; nor may one entrust a child to them to be educated, or to be taught a trade.

One may however place cattle in inns kept by Samaritans even male-cattle with women and female-cattle with men, and it goes without saying that males with males and females with females are permitted; so also may one hand over cattle to one of their shepherds and be alone with them, or hand over a child to them to be educated or to be taught a trade.

This shows indeed that they are not to be suspected.

 

Abaye uses this long baraita as a (somewhat convoluted) difficulty on Rabbah. The baraita shows that Samaritans are not suspected of bestiality, nor are they suspected of a few other crimes. But nevertheless, there is a custom not to sell them small animals. And when it comes to large animals, the law is always stricter, as we saw in the Mishnah. Abaye thinks it is prohibited to sell large animals to Samaritans because they would sell it to idolaters. So how can Rabbah sell an animal to a Jew known to sell to idolaters?

Abaye s difficulty continues in tomorrow s section.