Avodah Zarah, Daf Yod Daled, Part 1

 

Introduction

This section begins to explain some of the details that were in the mishnah.

 

מאי איצטרובלין? תורניתא.

ורמינהו הוסיפו עליהן אלכסין ואיצטרובלין מוכססין ובנות שוח ואי סלקא דעתך איצטרובלין תורניתא תורניתא מי איתא בשביעית והתנן זה הכלל כל שיש לו עיקר יש לו שביעית וכל שאין לו עיקר אין לו שביעית.

 

GEMARA. What is an itztroblin? Cedar wood.

But this is contradicted [by the following]: To these have been added Alexandrian nuts, iztroblin, cordia myxa and bnot-shuah. Now should you think that iztroblin is cedar wood, is cedar wood subject to laws of the sabbatical year? Has it not been taught: This is the general rule: Everything which has a [perennial] root is subject to the laws of the sabbatical Year but anything that has no [perennial] root is not subject to the law of the Sabbatical Year.

 

The Talmud begins by identifying itzroblin with an Aramaic named plant called turnita. Rashi defines this as a type of cedar. Other rishonim argue with this definition. The problem is that a baraita lists the itzroblin as subject to the laws of the sabbatical year, despite the fact that the cedar does not have the type of root that should make it subject to the sabbatical year. [This is where Rashi s interpretation seems to be problematic, for the cedar certainly does have a perennial root. The Ra avad reads the baraita as referring to trees that have parts that are edible when young and then become non-edible later in the tree s development. If the tree has a root it has parts that are inedible when the young shoots are edible. These young shoots are considered fruit and they are subject the laws of the sabbatical year. If it does not have a root then the entire tree consists of parts that are edible and then later become inedible. Thus there is no tree and fruit. The cedar would belong to this latter category.

 

אלא אמר רב ספרא פירי דארזא

וכן כי אתא רבין א"ר אלעזר פירי דארזא:

 

Rather R. Safra said: It means fruit of the cedar.

So also when Rabin came [from Eretz Yisrael] he said in the name of R. Elazar [It means] fruit of the cedar.

 

The Talmud resolves that it means fruit of the cedar and not the turnita (which Rashi identified as cedar wood).

 

בנות שוח: אמר רבה בר בר חנה אמר רבי יוחנן תאיני חיוראתא:

Bnot Shuah: Rabbah b. Bar-Hana said in the name of R. Yohanan: White figs.

 

This is the next item on the list of the mishnah.

 

ופטוטרות: אמר רבה בר בר חנה אמר רבי יוחנן בפטוטרותיהן שנו:

 

Stems: Rabbah b. Bar-Hana said in the name of R. Yohanan: They taught with their stems.

 

The mishnah did not meant to teach that one cannot sell stems to idolaters. Rather, the word modifies the earlier words these items may not be sold with their stems.

לבונה: אמר רבי יצחק אמר ר"ש בן לקיש לבונה זכה .

 

Frankincense. R. Yitzchak said in the name of R. Shimon b. Lakish: Pure frankincense.

 

It is forbidden to sell to idolaters only pure frankincense.

 

תנא ומכולן מוכרין להן חבילה.

וכמה חבילה? פירש ר’ יהודה בן בתירא אין חבילה פחותה משלשה מנין

וליחוש דלמא אזיל ומזבין לאחריני ומקטרי

אמר אביי אלפני מפקדינן אלפני דלפני לא מפקדינן:

A tanna taught: But of any of these they may sell them a package.

And how much is a package? R. Judah b. Batera explained: A package is no less than three manehs.

But we should be concerned lest he goes and sells it to others who will burn it [before idols]? Abaye said: We are commanded not to [place a stumbling-block] before [the blind] but we are not commanded not to place one before one who may place it before the blind.

 

A baraita explains that one may sell a large package of the goods listed in the mishnah to an idolater. The assumption is that the idolater is purchasing it for a sale and not for direct use in idolatry. As Abaye explains, a Jew may not directly abet idol worship. But a Jew is not commanded to avoid indirectly abetting it. In reality, this would be basically impossible to avoid.