Avodah Zarah, Daf Tet Vav, Part 5

 

Introduction

Abaye continues to rain down difficulties on Rabbah who was lenient and sold a donkey to a Jew known to sell to non-Jews.

 

ועוד תניא אין מוכרין להם לא זיין ולא כלי זיין ואין משחיזין להן את הזיין ואין מוכרין להן לא סדן ולא קולרין ולא כבלים ולא שלשלאות של ברזל אחד עובד כוכבים ואחד כותי. מ"ט? אי נימא דחשידי אשפיכות דמים ומי חשידי האמרת ומייחדין עמהן. אלא משום דאתי לזבונה לעובד כוכבים

 

And it has further been taught: One should not sell them either weapons or accessories of weapons, nor should one sharpen any weapon for them, not may one sell them either stocks or neck-chains or ropes, or iron chains neither to idolaters nor Samaritans.

What is the reason? We might say because they are suspected of murder? But are they suspected, seeing we have just said that one may be alone with them! Rather it is because he might sell it to an idolater.

 

Yesterday we learned that one can be alone with Samaritans. That means that they are not suspected of being murderers. Nevertheless, a Jew may not sell them weapons. The reason, according to Abaye, is that they will come to sell them to idolaters.

 

וכי תימא כותי לא עביד תשובה ישראל עביד תשובה והאמר רב נחמן אמר רבה בר אבוה כדרך שאמרו אסור למכור לעובד כוכבים כך אסור למכור לישראל החשוד למכור לעובד כוכבים

 

And if you think to say that whereas a Samaritan will not repent an Israelite will repent? But has R. Nahman not said in the name of Rabbah b. Abbuha: Just as it was said that it is forbidden to sell to an idolater, so is it forbidden to sell to a Jew who is suspected of selling it to an idolater!

 

You might think that a Samaritan will definitely not do teshuvah and stop selling weapons to non-Jews, but a Jew known to sell weapons (or other contraband) to non-Jews might stop doing so, and therefore it is permitted to sell weapons to non-Jews known to sell to idolaters. But there is yet another source in which R. Nahman explicitly states that any item that may not be sold to an idolater, may also not be sold to a Jew suspected of selling to an idolater. This is a clear rejection of Rabbah.

 

רהיט בתריה תלתא פרסי וא"ד פרסא בחלא ולא אדרכיה

 

He [Rabbah] ran three parasangs after the buyer (some say one parasang in sand) but failed to overtake him.

 

Rabbah tries very hard to get the donkey back but he failed. Poor Rabbah, but I guess he at least got some good exercise.

 

א"ר דימי בר אבא כדרך שאסור למכור לעובד כוכבים אסור למכור ללסטים ישראל

ה"ד? אי דחשיד דקטיל פשיטא היינו עובד כוכבים ואי דלא קטיל אמאי לא?

לעולם דלא קטיל והב"ע במשמוטא דזימנין דעביד לאצולי נפשיה

 

R. Dimi b. Abba said: Just as it is forbidden to sell to an idolater, so it is forbidden to sell to a robber who is an Israelite. What is the case? If he is suspected of murder, then this is obvious; he is the same as an idolater! If [on the other hand] he has never committed murder, why not [sell them to him]?

It refers indeed to one who has not committed murder; but we may be dealing here with a sneaky thief who is apt at times [when caught] to save himself [by committing murder].

 

R. Dimi b. Abba extends the prohibition of selling weapons to Jewish robbers. The Talmud explains that this refers even to a robber not known to murder. The robber referred to here is even one who is sneaky, more of a thief than a robber. The thief may not intend to murder, but if he gets caught, he might commit murder in order to save himself. Therefore, one should not sell weapons to them.