Avodah Zarah, Daf Yod Daled, Part 3

 

Introduction

Today s section continues to discuss selling a white rooster to an idolater.

 

עובד כוכבים שעשה משתה לבנו או שהיה לו חולה בתוך ביתו מותר

והתניא עובד כוכבים שעשה משתה לבנו אינו אסור אלא אותו היום ואותו האיש בלבד אותו היום ואותו האיש מיהא אסור

אמר רב יצחק בר רב משרשיא בטווזיג תנן

 

An idolater who gives a banquet for his son or has a sick person in his house it is permitted [to sell him a white rooster even if he asks for a white rooster].

But have we not learned If an idolater gives a banquet for his son it is prohibited to sell only on that day and to that man alone, but in any case, that man and that day are prohibited!

R. Yitzchak son of R. Mesharsheya said: That refers to an ordinary party.

 

One baraita allows one to sell a white rooster to an idolater if he is putting on a banquet or if he has a sick person who might need a white rooster (evidently, they re pretty good for you). The other baraita prohibits selling to a person throwing a banquet who asks for the white rooster, at least on that day.

R. Yitzchak resolves the difficulty by stating that if the banquet was for an ordinary meal of friends, not a celebratory banquet, it is permitted. At an ordinary meal they do not offer up sacrifices so it is permitted to sell them a white rooster. It is only prohibited if the banquet was for a major celebration such as a wedding, where sacrifices might indeed occur.

 

ושאר כל הדברים סתמן מותר ופירושן אסור.

מאי סתמן ומאי פירושן? אילימא סתמא דקאמר חיטי חוורתא פירושן דקאמר לעבודת כוכבי? לא סתמן צריכא למימר דמזבנינן ולא פירושן צריכא למימר דלא מזבנינן

 

We have learned: As for other things, if they are not specified their sale is permitted, but if specified it is forbidden.

Now what is meant by specified and by unspecified ? If we say that unspecified means if he asks [for example] for white wheat, and specified means he states that [he requires it] for idolatry?

In that case it is neither necessary to state that the unspecified may be sold, nor is it necessary to state that the specified may not be sold.

 

The Talmud returns to analyzing R. Zevid s statement allowing a Jew to sell an idolater a white rooster if they just ask for a rooster. The mishnah ruled that with regard to normal objects if the idolater specifies what they want, one may not sell to them, but if they do not specify, then one may sell to them. If specify means that they intend to use it for idolatry then obviously one may not sell it to them. And if unspecified means he just asks for white wheat then why should it be prohibited. These are, after all, not objects used in idolatry.

 

אלא סתמן דקאמר חיטי פירושן דקאמר חוורתא מכלל דתרנגול אפי’ סתמן נמי לא אמרי

 

Rather, unspecified means if he asks for wheat and specified when he asks for white wheat. This implies that in the case of a rooster it is forbidden even when unspecified!

 

Specified must therefore mean that he asks for a certain type of wheat. In this case, we are concerned that he wants to use it in idolatry. Unspecified means he just asks for wheat. In this case, the Jew can sell him wheat because wheat is not used in idolatry. But white roosters are used in idolatry, and therefore, even if he asks him for an unspecified rooster the Jew may not sell him a white rooster. This is a difficulty on R. Zevid.

 

לעולם סתמן דקאמר חיטי חוורתא פירושן דקאמר לעבודת כוכבים ופירושן אצטריכא ליה סד"א האי גברא לאו לעבודת כוכבים קא בעי אלא מיבק הוא דאביק בעבודת כוכבים וסבר כי היכי דההוא גברא אביק ביה כ"ע נמי אביקו אימא הכי כי היכי דליתבו לי קמ"ל

 

We may indeed say that unspecified is when he asks for white wheat, and specified is when he states [that it is required] for idolatry; yet it is necessary to state that the specified is forbidden lest I say that that man does not really require it for idolatry. Rather, he is attached to idolatry, and he thinks to himself that just I am attached to it everyone is attached to it, and therefore I will say this so that they might readily give it to me. It is therefore necessary to state [that its sale is forbidden].

 

The Talmud now returns to the original interpretation of specified the idolater says explicitly that he needs it for idol worship. Why would we think that it should be permitted to sell it to him? Well, maybe he stated that it was for idol worship only as a strategy to get the seller to depart with it. We might therefore have thought that this is permitted. The Mishnah therefore needs to teach that it is not.