Avodah Zarah, Daf Yod Gimmel, Part 3

 

Introduction

Yesterday s section ended with a statement attributed to R. Yohanan according to which all rabbis agree that providing benefit to idolatry is prohibited. Today s section begins by questioning that assumption.

 

ולא פליגי! והא תניא הולכין ליריד של עובדי כוכבים ולוקחין מהם בהמה עבדים ושפחות בתים ושדות וכרמים וכותב ומעלה בערכאות שלהן מפני שהוא כמציל מידם

 

But do the rabbis not disagree? Was it not taught: One may attend a fair of idolaters and buy from them cattle, slaves, maidservants, houses, fields and vineyards; one may even write the necessary documents and bring them to their courts because this is like rescuing from their hands.

 

This baraita proves that there are rabbis who allow one to buy property from idolaters, even though this will cause them to profit. One can even take the document to court to have it verified to ensure one s claim.

 

ואם היה כהן מטמא בחוצה לארץ לדון ולערער עמהם וכשם שמטמא בחוצה לארץ כך מטמא בבית הקברות

בבית הקברות סלקא דעתך! טומאה דאורייתא היא! אלא בית הפרס דרבנן

 

If he is a priest he may be defiled by going outside the Land for the purpose of arguing the matter with them and have it tried in court. And just as he may defile himself [by going] outside the Land, so he may become defiled by walking on a burial ground.

A burial ground ! Do you really think that? This is biblical defilement! Rather a field that is a doubtful burial ground.

 

The baraita now continues with cases where a person may suspend a law in order to recover property from idolaters. Generally, a priest should not leave the land of Israel because the rabbis say that the very land outside of Israel defiles. But he may do so in order to go to court to recover property from them.

Similarly, a priest may be defiled by entering a burial ground in order to save property from idolaters. The Talmud is quick to correct the baraita. It does not refer to an actual burial ground the Torah prohibits a priest from entering there. Rather it refers to a bet haperas a field in which a body may have been buried. Entering such a field is only a rabbinic prohibition because we are unsure if there is even a body buried there.

 

ומטמא ללמוד תורה ולישא אשה

א"ר יהודה אימתי בזמן שאין מוצא ללמוד אבל בזמן שמוצא ללמוד אינו מטמא

רבי יוסי אומר אפילו בזמן שמוצא ללמוד יטמא לפי שאין אדם זוכה ללמוד מכל

א"ר יוסי מעשה ביוסף הכהן שהלך אחר רבו לצידן ללמוד תורה

 

And one may be defiled for the sake of studying Torah or marrying a woman.

R. Judah said: This only applies when he cannot find [a place elsewhere] to learn, but when he can find elsewhere to learn he may not be defiled;

But R. Yose said: Even when he can find elsewhere to learn he may defile himself, for a person may not be able to learn from everyone.

R. Yose said: It happenned that Joseph the Priest went after his master to Zidon.

 

The baraita continues by discussing other cases in which a priest may defile himself to learn Torah or to marry a woman. These seem to be the two most important mitzvoth in rabbinic thinking. R. Judah and R. Yose argue over whether this is limited to a case where he cannot learn Torah without defiling himself. R. Yose says that even if he could, he is still allowed to learn Torah from his preferred teacher for not every person can learn from every teacher. The teacher-disciple relationship is very individual.

 

ואמר רבי יוחנן הלכה כרבי יוסי

אלמא פליגי.

 

And R. Yohanan said: The halakhah is according to R. Jose. Hence the Sages do disagree!

 

R. Yohanan is cognizant of this baraita and rules according to R. Yose. Thus he too seems to be aware of the fact that the rabbis disagree and do allow one to provide benefit to idolatry. This is the end of the difficulty on R. Yohanan.

 

אמר לך רבי יוחנן לעולם לא פליגי ולא קשיא כאן בלוקח מן התגר דשקלי מיכסא מיניה כאן בלוקח מבעל הבית דלא שקלי מיכסא מיניה

 

R. Yohanan could answer you: The rabbis indeed do not disagree [with R. Natan], yet there is no difficulty here: The one case refers to purchasing from a dealer, from whom the tax is exacted, the other case refers to purchasing from a private individual from whom the tax is not exacted.

 

R. Yohanan could resolve the two baraitot and still maintain that providing benefit to idolatry is prohibited. The baraita that seems to allow it refers only to buying from an individual from whom taxes are not collected. One is not allowed to buy from the dealer, for that will provide benefit to idolatry.