Avodah Zarah, Daf Vav, Part 5

 

Introduction

Today s section explains why the mishnah needed to forbid engaging in business, lending and borrowing articles, lending and borrowing money and paying and reclaiming a debt. Why did it need to state the same thing so many times?

 

וצריכי: דאי תנא לשאת ולתת עמהן משום דקא מרווח להו ואזיל ומודה אבל לשאול מהן דמעוטי קא ממעט להו שפיר דמי

 

And all [the instances in the Mishnah] are necessary; for if it mentioned only transacting business with them, I might have said [it is forbidden] because it profits them and they will go and thank [their god], but to borrow from them, which deprives them, would be permitted.

 

If the mishnah had taught only that business was prohibited, I might have thought that it is permitted to borrow from them. Business causes both sides to profit. But borrowing items does not give the lender a profit. Therefore, the mishnah had to teach that it too is prohibited.

ואי תנא לשאול מהן משום דחשיבא ליה מילתא ואזיל ומודה אבל ללוות מהן צערא בעלמא אית ליה אמר תוב לא הדרי זוזי.

 

If [on the other hand] it had taught borrowing articles from them, I might have thought it is because the importance that he attaches to it, and he would go and offer thanksgiving for it, but borrowing money from him causes anxiety, as he might say, My money may not be returned again.

 

To borrow an item from someone is to acknowledge their importance. Therefore, the idolater might go thank his god. But borrowing money is just a business transaction and might cause the idolater to worry that he will not recover his money. Therefore, we might think it is permitted. The mishnah teaches that it is not.

 

ואי תנא ללוות מהן משום דקאמר בעל כרחיה מיפרענא והשתא מיהא אזיל ומודה אבל ליפרע מהן דתו לא הדרי זוזי אימא צערא אית ליה ולא אזיל ומודה צריכא

 

And if it had taught the case of lending money [I might have thought this is prohibited] because he might say, I can enforce payment, and now he would go and offer thanksgiving, but to recover from them money which will never return to the lender we might regard this as painful to him, and he would not go offer thanks for it.

Hence all the instances are necessary.

 

We might have thought that since he can get his money back when he lends, the idolater would still go and thank his god. But why would he thank his god for repaying a debt. That is simply losing money and causes pain to the one repaying the debt. Therefore, the mishnah needed to teach that even this type of economic interaction is prohibited. In essence, all economic interaction is prohibited.