Avodah Zarah, Daf Yod, Part 5

 

כל יומא הוה משמש לרבי מאכיל ליה משקי ליה.

כי הוה בעי רבי למיסק לפוריא הוה גחין קמי פוריא

א"ל סק עילואי לפורייך

אמר לאו אורח ארעא לזלזולי במלכותא כולי האי

אמר מי ישימני מצע תחתיך לעולם הבא

 

Every day [he came] he would attend on Rabbi. He would give him food and drink.

When Rabbi wanted to get on his bed Antoninus crouched in front of the bed saying, Step on me to get into your bed.

Rabbi said, It is not proper to treat a king so cheaply.

Antoninus responded: Would that I would serve as a mattress for you in the world to come.

 

This conversation sets the notion that Antoninus, the Roman emperor, secretly acted like Rabbi s personal servant. Rabbi recognized that such behavior was not becoming. But Antoninus seems to have thought that this was his way to get into the world to come.

 

אתינא לעלמא דאתי?

א"ל אין.

א"ל והכתיב (עובדיה א, יח) "לא יהיה שריד לבית עשו"? בעושה מעשה עשו

תניא נמי הכי "לא יהיה שריד לבית עשו" יכול לכל ת"ל לבית עשו בעושה מעשה עשו.

 

Once he asked him, Will I enter the world to come?

He said back, Yes.

Antoninus replied, But is it not written, There will be no remnant to the house of Esau? (Obadiah 1:18).

That applies only to those who do the deeds of Esau

It was also taught in a baraita: There will be no remnant to the house of Esau. This might have been taken to apply to all, therefore Scripture says, To the house of Esau, those who do the deeds of Esau.

 

Antoninus is worried that he will not be allowed into the world to come. After all, the verse implies that anyone from the house of Esau will not be allowed into the world to come. Antoninus is Roman, and is therefore assumed to be from the house of Esau. But Rabbi relaxes him only those who actually act like Esau themselves will have no future in the world to come. This seems to me to be an important Jewish message in general. A person s place in the world to come is determined not by his genealogy, but by his deeds.

 

א"ל והכתיב (יחזקאל לב, כט) שמה אדום מלכיה וכל נשיאיה

א"ל מלכיה ולא כל מלכיה כל נשיאיה ולא כל שריה

תניא נמי הכי מלכיה ולא כל מלכיה כל נשיאיה ולא כל שריה מלכיה ולא כל מלכיה פרט לאנטונינוס בן אסוירוס

כל נשיאיה ולא כל שריה פרט לקטיעה בר שלום

 

Antonius said back, Is it not also written: There [in the nether world] is Edom, her kings, and all her princes (Ezekiel 32:29).

Rabbi explained, Her kings, but not all her kings; All her princes, but not all her officers.

This was also taught in a baraita: Her kings, but not all her kings; All her princes, but not all her officers. Her kings, but not all her kings excludes Antoninus the son of Severus; All her princes, but not all her officers excludes Keti’ah bar Shalom.

 

Again, Antoninus cites a verse that proves that all rulers from Edom are prevented from entering the world to come. But Rabbi puts him at ease by reading the verse midrashically. The verse does not mean that no Roman king will make it to the world to come. Indeed, Antoninus is promised a place there. As is Keti ah bar Shalom, the subject of tomorrow s sugya.