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Avodah Zarah 55a

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Babylonian Talmud · folio map

Avodah Zarah 55a

Avodah Zarah 55a. The full printed text of this folio side — 12 numbered segments, about 352 words — with the classic commentaries printed on the page.

Original text

Segment 1

״אָסֹף אָסֵף כֹּל מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה נְאֻם ה׳, אָסֵף אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה אָסֵף עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּדְגֵי הַיָּם וְהַמַּכְשֵׁלוֹת אֶת הָרְשָׁעִים [וְגוֹ׳]״, וְכִי מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָרְשָׁעִים נִכְשָׁלִים בָּהֶן יְאַבְּדֵם מִן הָעוֹלָם? וַהֲלֹא לְאָדָם הֵן עוֹבְדִין, ״וְהִכְרַתִּי אֶת הָאָדָם מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה [וְגוֹ׳]״.

“Shall I utterly consume all things from off the face of the earth? says the Lord. Shall I consume man and beast? Shall I consume the fowls of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the stumbling blocks of the wicked, and shall I cut off man from off the face of the earth? says the Lord” (Zephaniah 1:2–3). Should God remove objects of idol worship from the world due to the fact that the wicked stumble because of them? If so, He would have to destroy all of humanity as well, as do not idol worshippers also worship people? This is expressed in the continuation of the verse: “And shall I cut off man from off the face of the earth? says the Lord.”

Segment 2

שָׁאַל אַגְרִיפַּס שַׂר צָבָא אֶת רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל: כְּתִיב בְּתוֹרַתְכֶם: ״כִּי ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵשׁ אֹכְלָה הוּא אֵל קַנָּא״, כְּלוּם מִתְקַנֵּא אֶלָּא חָכָם בְּחָכָם, וְגִבּוֹר בְּגִבּוֹר, וְעָשִׁיר בְּעָשִׁיר?

§ Agrippas the general asked Rabban Gamliel: It is written in your Torah with regard to idol worship: “For the Lord your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24). Doesn’t jealousy arise only in the following cases: A wise man might be jealous of another wise man, and a mighty man might be jealous of another mighty man, and a rich man might be jealous of another rich man? If so, why is God jealous of objects of idol worship, which are not gods?

Segment 3

אָמַר לוֹ: אֶמְשׁוֹל לְךָ מָשָׁל, לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה? לְאָדָם שֶׁנָּשָׂא אִשָּׁה עַל אִשְׁתּוֹ, חֲשׁוּבָה מִמֶּנָּה — אֵין מִתְקַנְּאָה בָּהּ, פְּחוּתָה מִמֶּנָּה — מִתְקַנְּאָה בָּהּ.

Rabban Gamliel said to Agrippas: I will relate a parable to you. To what is this matter comparable? It can be compared to a person who married a second wife in addition to his first wife. If the second wife is more distinguished than the first wife, the first wife is not jealous of her, and she does not feel anger toward her husband. But if the second wife is less distinguished than the first wife, she is jealous of her.

Segment 4

אֲמַר לֵיהּ זוּנִין לְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא: לִבִּי וְלִבָּךְ יָדַע דַּעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה לֵית בַּהּ מְשָׁשָׁא, וְהָא קָחָזֵינַן גַּבְרֵי דְּאָזְלִי כִּי מְתַבְּרִי וְאָתוּ כִּי מְצַמְּדִי! מַאי טַעְמָא?

Zunin said to Rabbi Akiva: Both my heart and your heart know that there is no substance to idol worship. Nevertheless, don’t we see people who go with broken limbs to worship idols and come back when they are whole? What is the reason for this?

Segment 5

אָמַר לוֹ: אֶמְשׁוֹל לְךָ מָשָׁל, לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה? לְאָדָם נֶאֱמָן שֶׁהָיָה בָּעִיר, וְכׇל בְּנֵי עִירוֹ הָיוּ מַפְקִידִין אֶצְלוֹ שֶׁלֹּא בְּעֵדִים, וּבָא אָדָם אֶחָד וְהִפְקִיד לוֹ בְּעֵדִים. פַּעַם אֶחָד שָׁכַח וְהִפְקִיד אֶצְלוֹ שֶׁלֹּא בְּעֵדִים, אָמְרָה לוֹ אִשְׁתּוֹ: בּוֹא וְנִכְפְּרֶנּוּ, אָמַר לָהּ: וְכִי מִפְּנֵי שֶׁשּׁוֹטֶה זֶה עָשָׂה שֶׁלֹּא כַּהוֹגֶן אָנוּ נְאַבֵּד אֶת אֱמוּנָתֵינוּ?

Rabbi Akiva said to Zunin: I will relate a parable to you. To what is this matter comparable? It can be compared to a trusted person who was in a certain city, and all the residents of his city would deposit items and money with him, even not in the presence of witnesses. And there was one man who did not trust him, who came and specifically deposited money with him in the presence of witnesses. On one occasion, that person forgot and deposited money with him not in the presence of witnesses. The trusted man’s wife said to him: Come, let us deny that he deposited the money with us, as there are no witnesses. The man said to her: Should we lose our credibility and act deceitfully just because this fool acted improperly and did not require the presence of witnesses?

Segment 6

אַף כָּךְ יִסּוּרִין, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁמְּשַׁגְּרִין אוֹתָן עַל הָאָדָם, מַשְׁבִּיעִין אוֹתָן: שֶׁלֹּא תֵּלְכוּ אֶלָּא בְּיוֹם פְּלוֹנִי, וְלֹא תֵּצְאוּ אֶלָּא בְּיוֹם פְּלוֹנִי וּבְשָׁעָה פְּלוֹנִית, וְעַל יְדֵי פְּלוֹנִי וְעַל יְדֵי סַם פְּלוֹנִי. כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעַ זְמַנָּן לָצֵאת, הָלַךְ זֶה לְבֵית עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, אָמְרוּ יִסּוּרִין: דִּין הוּא שֶׁלֹּא נֵצֵא, וְחוֹזְרִין וְאוֹמְרִים: וְכִי מִפְּנֵי שֶׁשּׁוֹטֶה זֶה עוֹשֶׂה שֶׁלֹּא כַּהוֹגֶן אָנוּ נְאַבֵּד שְׁבוּעָתֵנוּ?

So too, with regard to different forms of suffering, at the time when they are sent to afflict the person, an oath is administered to them as follows: Take an oath that you shall not go and afflict the person except on such and such a day. And you shall not leave him except on such and such a day, at such and such an hour, by means of so-and-so, a specific doctor, and by means of such and such a medicine. When the time came for the suffering to leave him, this sick man went to a temple of idol worship. The forms of suffering said: By right we should not leave him. But then they say: Should we lose the fulfillment of our oath just because this fool is acting improperly?

Segment 7

וְהַיְינוּ דְּאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: מַאי דִּכְתִיב ״וׇחֳלָיִם רָעִים וְנֶאֱמָנִים״? רָעִים בִּשְׁלִיחוּתָן, וְנֶאֱמָנִים בִּשְׁבוּעָתָן.

And this is consistent with that which Rabbi Yoḥanan says: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Then the Lord will make your plagues wonderful, and the plagues of your seed, even great plagues and faithful, and evil and faithful sicknesses” (Deuteronomy 28:59)? The term “evil” does not mean that the agent of sickness is in itself evil. Rather, this is referring to its mission, which is to cause harm. The term “and faithful sicknesses” indicates that the illnesses are faithful to their oath and adhere to the times designated for the affliction.

Segment 8

אֲמַר לֵיהּ רָבָא בַּר רַב יִצְחָק לְרַב יְהוּדָה: הָאִיכָּא בֵּית עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה בְּאַתְרִין, דְּכִי מִצְטְרִיךְ עָלְמָא לְמִטְרָא, מִתְחֲזֵי לְהוּ בְּחֶלְמָא וְאָמַר לְהוּ: שַׁחֲטוּ לִי גַּבְרָא וְאַיְיתֵי מִטְרָא — שָׁחֲטוּ לַהּ גַּבְרָא וְאָתֵי מִטְרָא!

Rava bar Rav Yitzḥak said to Rav Yehuda: Isn’t there a temple of idol worship in our locale, where, when the world is in need of rain, the idol appears to them in a dream, and it says to them: Slaughter a man as an offering to me, and I will bring rain. They then slaughter a man for it, and the rain comes.

Segment 9

אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הַשְׁתָּא (אִי הֲוַי) [אִיכּוֹ] שָׁכֵיבְנָא, לָא אֲמַרִי לְכוּ הָא מִלְּתָא, דְּאָמַר רַב: מַאי דִּכְתִיב ״אֲשֶׁר חָלַק ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֹתָם לְכֹל הָעַמִּים״? מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהֶחְלִיקָן בִּדְבָרִים, כְּדֵי לְטוֹרְדָן מִן הָעוֹלָם.

Rav Yehuda said to Rava bar Rav Yitzḥak: Now, were I dead I would not have been able to tell you the explanation of this matter. It is therefore good that you reminded me of this matter while I am alive. The explanation is as Rav says: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And lest you lift up your eyes to the heavens, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, even all the host of heavens, you are drawn away and worship them, and serve them, which the Lord your God has allotted [ ḥalak ] to all the nations under the whole heaven” (Deuteronomy 4:19). The verse teaches that God allowed the nations to be misled [ sheheḥelikan ] by matters that seemingly indicate that idol worship is effective in order to expel the nations from the world due to their decision to engage in idol worship.

Segment 10

וְהַיְינוּ דְּאָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: מַאי דִּכְתִיב ״אִם לַלֵּצִים הוּא יָלִיץ וְלַעֲנָוִים יִתֶּן חֵן״? בָּא לִטַּמֵּא — פּוֹתְחִין לוֹ, בָּא לִטָּהֵר — מְסַיְּיעִין אוֹתוֹ.

And this is consistent with that which Reish Lakish says: What is the meaning of that which is written: “If it concerns the scornful, He scorns them, but to the humble He gives grace” (Proverbs 3:34)? One who comes in order to become impure, i.e., to sin, they, in Heaven, provide him with an opening to do so, and he is not prevented from sinning. If one comes in order to become purified, not only is he allowed to do so, but they, in Heaven, assist him.

Segment 11

מַתְנִי׳ לוֹקְחִין גַּת בְּעוּטָה מִן הַנׇּכְרִי, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֵל בְּיָדוֹ וְנוֹתֵן לַתַּפּוּחַ, וְאֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה יֵין נֶסֶךְ עַד שֶׁיֵּרֵד לַבּוֹר. יָרַד לַבּוֹר — מַה שֶּׁבַּבּוֹר אָסוּר, וְהַשְּׁאָר מוּתָּר.

MISHNA: One may purchase from a gentile a winepress in which the grapes have been trodden on, despite the fact that the gentile takes grapes in his hand from the winepress and places them on the pile that remains to be trodden on. And the gentile’s touch does not render the juice of the grapes into wine used for a libation in idol worship, which is forbidden, until it descends into the collection vat, because until then it does not have the status of wine. Once the wine descended into the collection vat, that which is in the vat is prohibited, and the rest, which did not yet descend into the vat, is permitted.

Segment 12

דּוֹרְכִין עִם הַנׇּכְרִי בַּגַּת,

One may tread on grapes together with the gentile in the winepress,

Avodah Zarah 55a

Avodah Zarah 55a

Rashi

Tosafot

Rabbeinu Chananel

Rashba

Ritva

Meiri

Maharsha (Chidushei Halachot)

Maharam

Gilyon HaShas

Ben Yehoyada

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