Avodah Zarah, Daf Yod Het, Part 4
תנו רבנן ההולך לאיצטדינין ולכרקום וראה שם את הנחשים ואת החברין בוקיון ומוקיון ומוליון ולוליון בלורין סלגורין הרי זה מושב לצים ועליהם הכתוב אומר (תהלים א, א) אשרי האיש אשר לא הלך וגו’ כי אם בתורת ה’ חפצו הא למדת. שדברים הללו מביאין את האדם לידי ביטול תורה.
Our Rabbis taught: Those who visit stadiums or a sieges and witness there [the performance] of sorcerers and enchanters, or of bukion and mukion, lulion and mulion, blurin or salgurin, behold this is a gathering of the scornful, and about them Scripture says, Happy is the man that has not walked in the counsel of the wicked . . . nor sat in the gathering of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord (Psalms 1:1). From these things cause one to neglect the Torah.
The baraita here opens a new topic warning Jews not to visit stadiums or other places where sorcerers or various types of clowns and other entertainers perform. The meaning of the words that I have italicized is not certain. Rashi says that they are all clowns, but probably the meaning is broader than the modern word for clown.
ורמינהי [הולכין] לאיצטדינין מותר מפני שצווח ומציל ולכרקום מותר מפני ישוב מדינה ובלבד שלא יתחשב עמהם ואם נתחשב עמהם אסור
קשיא איצטדינין אאיצטדינין קשיא כרקום אכרקום
They contrasted the above with the following: It is permitted to go to stadiums, because by shouting one may save [the victim]. [It is also permitted to go] to a siege camp because of those who dwell there, as long as he does not conspire [with the Romans]. But if it is for the purpose of conspiring, it is forbidden.
There is thus a contradiction between [the laws relating to]stadiums as well as between [those relating to] siege camps!
This baraita allows a Jew to go to both a stadium and a siege camp because he may do some good there. At the stadium he could shout and try to save the victim. At the siege camp he may be able to save the Jews under siege. The only thing he is not allowed to do there is to participate in the siege itself by consulting with the Romans.
בשלמא כרקום אכרקום ל"ק כאן במתחשב עמהן כאן בשאין מתחשב עמהן
אלא איצטדינין אאיצטדינין קשיא
It makes sense that there is no contradiction between those relating to camps, because the one may refer to where he conspires with them, and the other to where he does not; but the laws relating to stadiums are surely contradictory!
We can resolve the contradictions concerning the siege camps he may go as long as he does not conspire with them. But it is difficult to resolve the contradiction with regard to the stadiums. One baraita unconditionally allows a Jew to go to the stadium while the other does not.
תנאי היא דתניא אין הולכין לאיצטדינין מפני מושב לצים
ור’ נתן מתיר מפני שני דברים אחד מפני שצווח ומציל ואחד מפני שמעיד עדות אשה להשיאה
They represent the differing opinions of tannaim. For it has been taught: One should not go to stadiums because [they are] a gathering of the scornful. But R. Natan permits it for two reasons: first, because by shouting one may save [the victim], secondly, because one might be able to give evidence [of death] for the wife [of a victim] and so enable her to remarry.
There is indeed a dispute among tannaim about whether one may go to a stadium. The first opinion holds that despite the fact that he might do some good there, it remains prohibited. But R. Natan allows a Jew to go to the stadium because he might have the opportunity to save the victim and even if he cannot, he will be able to serve as a witness to allow the man s wife to remarry.