Avodah Zarah, Daf Yod Gimmel, Part 1

 

Introduction

Today s daf begins with a new mishnah.

 

מתני׳ עיר שיש בה עבודת כוכבים והיו בה חנויות מעוטרות ושאינן מעוטרות זה היה מעשה בבית שאן ואמרו חכמים המעוטרות אסורות ושאינן מעוטרות מותרות:

 

A city in which an idolatrous festival is taking place, some of its shops being decorated and some not decorated this was the case with Beth-Shean, and the Sages said: in the decorated stores it is forbidden [to buy] but in the undecorated ones it is permitted.

 

This mishnah is addressed to the Jew who is already located in the non-Jewish city on the day of their celebration. We might have thought that he is not to distinguish at all between non-Jews and that it is forbidden to conduct business with any of them. In this section we learn that the prohibition is limited to those actually demonstrating that they are celebrating the holiday. A storekeeper who does not decorate his store is evidently not celebrating, and therefore it is permitted to conduct business with him. We should note that in this case the Rabbis are lenient even though it is not totally clear that this non-Jew will not celebrate later on. In other words, although there is a chance that later the non-Jew will offer sacrifices to his god for the transaction with the Jew, since this is unlikely it is permitted.

 

גמ׳ אמר רשב"ל לא שנו אלא מעוטרות בוורד והדס דקא מתהני מריחא אבל מעוטרות בפירות מותרות מאי טעמא דאמר קרא (דברים יג, יח) לא ידבק בידך מאומה מן החרם נהנה הוא דאסור

אבל מהנה שרי.

 

GEMARA. R. Shimon b. Lakish: This refers only to [shops] decorated with roses and myrtle, for he will enjoy the odor, but if they are decorated with produce, it is permissible [to buy in them]. What is the reason? The verse says, Nothing of that which is proscribed should cleave to your hand (Deuteronomy 13:18). It is prohibited to derive benefit, but it is not prohibited to provide benefit.

 

Resh Lakish offers a startling limitation of the prohibition in the mishnah. It is prohibited to enter the store only if he will directly benefit from the decorations by smelling them. But if he goes into a store where he will not smell the idolatrous decorations he may purchase items, even though the storekeepers will use the proceeds for idolatrous purposes. I should note that this is a radical reinterpretation of the mishnah, one that does not easily accord with tannaitic literature. It is a topic I will address at greater length in a forthcoming book.

 

ורבי יוחנן אמר אפילו מעוטרות בפירות נמי אסור ק"ו נהנה אסור מהנה לא כ"ש

 

But R. Yohanan said: Even if they are decorated with other types of produce they are also forbidden. For this is an a fortiori argument. If deriving benefit is prohibited, all the more so it is prohibited to provide benefit.

 

R. Yohanan offers a more straightforward reading of the mishnah. It is prohibited to enter any store which is participating in idolatrous activities for this would be providing benefit to idolatry.