Avodah Zarah 11b — the Talmud in English

The one who cuts off,

saws and cuts

its hooves

of the

animal,

may do so only if he cuts them

from the knee-joint [the bone in the animal’s leg]

the bone in the animal’s leg]

and below,

because when cutting as far as there, it does not become a tereifa, whereas when cutting above the knee-joint, it becomes a tereifa.

And from the fact that the beraita distinguishes between whether it becomes a tereifa or does not become a tereifa, it is proven that it is speaking of a pure animal, fit for eating. And this is difficult: for a pure animal is not ordinarily used for riding, and it is not an implement of a king’s service?

And the Gemara answers:

Rav Pappa interpreted it,

he explained the beraita as speaking

of a wagon

drawn by cattle,

pulling a carriage

in which the king sits. And such is the way of a wagon, which is a pure animal, and indeed it is considered an implement of the king’s service.

We learned in our Mishna:

But the day of shaving his beard and his forelock.

The Gemara discusses the interpretation of the words of the Mishna, “and his forelock.” What did the gentiles do to the forelock, on account of which they make this day a day of idolatry?

They raised a dilemma before them

the members of the academy were uncertain.

How is it taught

how is the Mishna recited? Is it:

the day of shaving his beard and leaving his forelock

when he leaves his hair behind his neck for the sake of idol worship?

Or perhaps,

the meaning of the words of the Mishna is:

the day of shaving his beard and removing his forelock,

as it was their custom to shave only the forelock at the end of the year?

Come and hear:

the Gemara resolves that both are true: they make a day of idolatry both on the day of leaving the forelock and on the day of removing it.

For both were taught,

for we learned the two forms in two distinct baraitot: in one of them it is stated:

the day of shaving his beard and leaving his forelock.

And in the second it is stated:

the day of shaving his beard and removing his forelock.

And the Gemara cites another festival that the Romans were accustomed to observe, which is not mentioned in our Mishna.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: There is also

another festival

different,

which is a day of idolatry,

there is

for them

in Rome,

which is not taught in the Mishna.

Once

every seventy years

they bring a whole person and mount him upon a lame person.

A whole person alludes to Esau, and a lame person alludes to Jacob, concerning whom it is stated, “and he was limping upon his thigh.” And they intend to allude that Esau still rides upon and rules over Jacob.

And they dress him

the whole person

in the garments of the first man,

and these are the splendid garments that belonged to Esau,

and they place upon his head

the

skull-skin

the skin of the face

of Rabbi Yishmael

son of Elisha, the High Priest, one of the Ten Martyrs [when he was killed, the emperor’s daughter desired him because of his beauty, and they stripped off the skin of his face and embalmed it with balsam so that it would endure and not change, and it still lies in the treasuries of Rome].

And they hang it upon his neck,

and they hang around his neck a very precious stone, which is

of the weight of

the weight of

four

gold coins,

that is, “paz” weighing the weight of four gold coins, and it is a very precious stone that is not found in the world.

And they cover

they conceal

the marketplaces [the

thighs]

with ‘einakh,’

a precious stone so called.

And they proclaim before him:

a.

The reckoning

the account

of Kiri,

the officer—

is falsehood

it is false!

That is, they proclaim that Jacob’s prophecy, when he summoned his sons and prophesied to them that in the end of days they would be redeemed, is falsehood.

b.

His brother of our lord,

the brother of our master Esau—

is a forger,

he is a forger!”

They proclaim concerning this that Jacob deceived Esau, their master, and took his blessing, and thought to take the blessing in order to be a master over his brother.

c.

Who sees—

sees.

Whoever now sees this joy, conducted once every seventy years, sees it.

And whoever does not see

and whoever does not see it now

does not see,

he will not see it again, because this joy will not be performed until another seventy years pass.

d.

What benefit came

what gain came

to the trickster

to Jacob

through his trickery,

through what he did by deceiving Esau,

and to the forger through his forgery.

And they conclude with this,

and thus they conclude the proclamation:

e.

Woe to that one,

woe to Esau,

when judgment arises,

when Jacob arises.

Rav Ashi said: The mouths of the wicked caused them to stumble,

these wicked men stumbled in their speech!

For

if they had said

if they had said in this wording,

“The forger, the brother of our master,”

he is a forger, the brother of our master,

as they say,

the meaning of this expression would have been that Jacob is the forger.

But

now

now

that they say

that they say:

“Our master is a forger,”

the meaning of this expression is that

our master himself,

our master personally,

is a forger!

He is the forger.

And the Gemara raises an objection:

But our tanna

the tanna of our Mishna,

for what reason does he not count this one

why does he not count this festival, which is a day of idolatry, in the Mishna?

And the Gemara answers: Festivals

that exist

that they celebrate

every single year

year after year,

he counts,

the tanna counts them. But this festival,

which does not exist every single year,

which does not take place every year, but only once every seventy years,

he does not count,

he does not count it.

And the Gemara discusses:

These,

these festivals that were taught in our Mishna, are only festivals

of the Romans,

of the Romans in the period when the Mishna was taught.

And those of the Persians—

what

what are the days of idolatry of the Persian gentiles?

Mutrady and Turiskey, Mohranky and Mohrin.

These are the names of the Persian days of idolatry, fixed every year.

And the Gemara continues to discuss:

These

these are their festivals

of the Persians and the Romans,

of the Persians and the Romans;

of the Babylonians—

what

what are the days of idolatry of the Babylonian gentiles?

Mohranky and Aknitya, Bechoneni, and the tenth

on the tenth day that

in

the month of

Adar.

Rav Chanan bar Rav Chisda said in the name of Rav, and some say

that

there is one who transmitted this report in this form,

Rav Chanan bar Rava said in the name of Rav: There are five permanent houses of idol worship

in the world, in which idols are worshipped throughout all the days of the year and sacrifices are offered, and engaging in business with them is prohibited forever.

These are

the five houses of idol worship:

the house of Bel in

the land of

Babylonia; the house of Nebo in Kursi; Terata in Mefag; Tzerifa in Ashkelon; Neshera in Arabia.

When

when

Rav Dimi

arrived from the Land of Israel to Babylonia,

he said: They added

the Sages

to them

two more. And they are:

the fair in “Ein Bekhi,” and Nadbekha in “Akko.”

Some say

and some say:

Nidbara in “Akko.”

Rav Dimi of Nehardea taught them in reverse,

he recited them in reverse:

the fair in “Akko,” and Nadbekha in “Ein Bekhi.”

And the Gemara explains the meaning of “they are permanent.”

Rav Chanan bar Rav Chisda said to Rav Chisda: What

is the meaning of

“they are permanent”?

He said to him

Rav Chisda said to his son Rav Chanan:

Thus,

so

said your mother’s father,

your mother’s father:

They are permanent forever.

Idol worshippers are found there constantly,

all year continually

always, throughout the entire year,

they worship it,

they worship this idol.

Shmuel said: In the Diaspora,

in our exile, in which we are among the gentiles,

it is not prohibited

for three days before them

but only on the day of their idolatry,

because we cannot refrain from conducting business with them, since we dwell among them and earn our livelihood from them. And also because we fear them.

And the Gemara raises an objection:

And their day of idolatry

itself

also, is it

and is it, in our exile,

prohibited?!

But

yet

Rav Yehuda permitted him

he permitted

Rav Bruna to sell wine,

to sell them wine,

and

he likewise permitted

Rav Gidel to sell wheat

to sell them wheat

at the festival of the merchants,

on the day of idolatry of the merchants who gather one day a year to eat, drink, and celebrate for the sake of idol worship.

It follows that in our exile it is permitted even on the day of idolatry itself?

And the Gemara answers: He therefore permitted it even on the day of idolatry, because

the festival of the merchants is different,

that festival of the merchants is different,

for it is not fixed,

since it is not a fixed festival, as they themselves are not particular to hold it every year.

Mishna:

The Mishna continues with the law concerning the prohibition of conducting business on their days of idolatry.

A city in which there is

for the inhabitants of the city

idol worship,

and the inhabitants of that city observe a day of idolatry, it is prohibited to conduct business only with the inhabitants of the city itself, but with the people living

outside it, it is permitted

to conduct business with them, because they do not belong to the idol worship of the inhabitants of the city. For such is the custom of the gentiles: each one worships his idol, this one worships his, and that one his, and the days of idolatry of these are not the days of idolatry of those.

And likewise, if

there was

for the inhabitants

outside it idol worship,

and the inhabitants outside the city worship it on their day of idolatry, then the inhabitants of the city who are

within it are permitted

to conduct business with them.

And the Mishna explains:

What does it mean, to go there?

Is it permitted to go from one city to a city in which today is a day of idolatry, when his going is not for the purposes of conducting business with the inhabitants of that city, but in order to speak with one of the inhabitants of the city?

When the road is designated for that place,

that is, it is clear that one who goes from his city to that city intends to go only to it and not to another city, because from that city there is no other road continuing to another city, but the road between the two cities is designated only as the road between these two cities—

it is prohibited

to go there, because of suspicion, as it appears that he is going to worship idols there on the day of idolatry taking place there.

And if he could travel on it,

on this paved road

to another place

where there is no day of idolatry,

it is permitted.

Because he will not be suspected of going to worship idols; rather, he is going on his way to another city by way of this city.

Gemara:

And the Gemara discusses:

What are the circumstances of “outside it”?

What is the distance of the marketplace outside the city from the city, such that it is permitted to conduct business with them there?

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said in the name of Rabbi Chanina: For example,

the distance of

Etluzu

the meat market [the marketplace for animals]

of Gaza,

from the city of Gaza.

This distance was known in the days of the Sages of the Gemara, and it was very close; nevertheless, the law was stated that it does not belong to the city, and when the day of idolatry is within the city, it is not prohibited along with it; and likewise, if the day of idolatry is outside it, the city is not prohibited.

Some say,

there is one who transmitted this report in another formulation:

He asked him,

he asked

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish of Rabbi Chanina: Etluzu of Gaza,

which is very close to the city of Gaza—

what is the law?

Did the Mishna permit conducting business with them on the day of idolatry that is within the city, or not?