Avodah Zarah 22b (כב:) — the Talmud in English

We learned in our Mishna: One may not place an animal in the inns of star worshippers!

Gemara:

The Gemara raises a contradiction to this ruling:

But we raise a contradiction,

as we learned in a Tosefta [chapter 2]—

one may purchase

buy

from them

from gentiles

an animal for a sacrifice, and there is no concern

regarding any of the following concerns:

a.

Not because it may be one that mated,

meaning, if the animal is male, there is no concern that a woman mated with the animal.

b.

And

there is no concern

because it may have been mated with,

lest this animal was mated with by a person. c.

Nor

is there concern

because it may have been set aside,

lest the gentile designated this animal to offer it to idolatry.

d.

Nor

is there concern

because it may have been worshipped,

lest this animal had already been worshipped as an idol!

If so, it is difficult, for this beraita indicates that there is no defect in an animal that had been in the possession of a star worshipper, whereas our Mishna teaches that it is prohibited to leave animals with a gentile.

Granted

with regard to the concern of

an animal set aside and one that was worshipped,

there is no concern, because

if it is so that he designated it,

if the gentile indeed designated the animal to offer it to idolatry,

and

likewise

if it is so that he worshipped it,

if he indeed worshipped this animal—

he would not have sold it,

he would not have sold it!

Rather,

regarding the concern that this animal may be

one that mated or was mated with—

should one be concerned,

and refrain from taking it as a sacrifice!?

Rather, it is proven that there is no concern for this, contrary to what is stated in our Mishna?

The Gemara answers:

Rav Taḥlifa said that Rav Sheila bar Avina said in the name

of

Rav: A gentile takes care of his animal

and does not mate with it, so

that it will not become barren.

It should not be injured and become barren through the mating. Therefore, there is no impediment to purchasing it from him for a sacrifice.

However, he does not take care of a Jewish-owned animal that is staying at his inn, and he may mate with it. Therefore, one may not place an animal in a gentile's inn.

The difficulty nevertheless remains:

This works

with regard to

female

animals; indeed, there is no concern that the gentile will mate with them, since he takes care lest his animal become barren.

But with regard to

male animals, what can be said?

There is no concern of castration in their case, as there is with females. If so, there should be concern lest the gentile mate with them. Once again, it is difficult: How can one purchase animals from them for sacrifices?

Rav Kahana said:

Even regarding males there is no concern lest they mated with them,

since

through the mating

they become emaciated

in their animals

in their flesh.

It follows that even with regard to males, the gentile takes care and does not mate with them.

Rather,

the difficulty is from

that which was taught: One may purchase an animal from their shepherd.

And why

should one be concerned

should we be concerned

lest

the shepherd

mated with it,

the animal? The shepherd does not take care lest it become barren, since he is selling it.

The Gemara answers:

Their shepherd is afraid

to mate with it

because of the loss of his wages.

Since if it becomes known that he mated with it and injured it, he will lose his wages.

However, this reasoning is difficult:

But that which was taught: One may not

a Jew

entrust an animal to their shepherd

of the gentiles—why should he not entrust it?

Let us say

that

their shepherd is afraid because of the loss of his wages?

The Gemara answers: A distinction must be made between a Jewish owner of the animal and a gentile owner.

The distinction is as follows:

They,

the gentiles,

who know one another

and recognize such practices—

are afraid!

They are concerned about this and the shepherd will not do such things to another person's animal, because if the owner notices, he will demand compensation from the shepherd for the damage he caused it.

However,

we

we Jews

who do not know them,

who do not know or recognize such practices and cannot discern whether the animal was mated with—

are not feared.

The shepherds do not fear us and do not refrain from doing this to our animals. Therefore, one may not entrust an animal to their shepherd.

Rabba said: This is what people mean when they say

this is what people say:

A chisel makes a mark in marble.

Just as marble fears the chisel [which is an instrument for engraving and inscribing in marble], because the marble “recognizes” it and knows that it is made to cut into it,

so

one sinner recognizes his fellow—

he knows.

So a talebearer and a wicked person [and other transgressors] recognize and identify people like themselves who commit transgressions.

The lesson of this is as the Gemara stated above. A Jew does not recognize the practices of the gentile shepherd, who may mate with the animal. But the gentile knows and recognizes such practices, and therefore the shepherd is afraid to do this to a gentile's animal.

The Gemara discusses this:

If so,

if there is indeed no concern that the gentile seller will mate with the animal, since he fears that the female will become barren or that the flesh of the male will become emaciated,

then

male animals from female

gentile

animals may not be purchased,

and one should not purchase even from female sellers.

Because we are concerned

there is reason for concern

lest

the gentile woman

make him mate with her.

She makes the male animal mate with her, and there is no concern of financial loss in this, since a male animal that mates with a woman does not become emaciated. If so, it should be prohibited to purchase male animals from gentile women sellers?!

The Gemara answers: There is no concern that the women sellers will make the males mate with them.

Since

through this mating, in which she makes the male mate with her,

the male becomes aroused by her

and pursues her for this purpose. Therefore,

she is afraid.

The woman fears that her disgrace will become known publicly!

This is difficult:

But that which Rav

taught,

Rav

Yosef—

a widow

a widow

may not raise a dog

she may not keep a dog in her domain,

nor may she lodge a scholar in her inn

and likewise she may not host a Torah scholar, lest they come to commit a transgression.

The Gemara discusses this statement:

Granted:

indeed,

a bar rav:

a Torah scholar

is modest regarding it.

He is modest. And even if they were to come to sin, he would not publicize the matter, and consequently she has no fear of sinning with him. Therefore, she is forbidden to host him.

But a dog

—a dog, then,

since it is provoked by her,

being liable to become aroused by her mating and to pursue her [as we said above regarding an animal]] -

she will be afraid!

She will fear that it will mate with her,

and if so, there is no need to prohibit her from raising it, since there is no concern that she will come to sin.

The Gemara answers: A dog differs from other animals.

Since, when she throws it

when she throws toward it

a morsel

a small piece of meat,

and it follows after her,

and it is accustomed to pursue its owner so that she will give it more meat. Therefore, the woman reasons that

people will say

people will say:

this

the reason

that

this dog

follows after her

pursuing her -

is because of the morsel that it is following.

It is pursuing her in order to obtain meat [and not because of sexual desire], and consequently the woman will become heedless and come to have the dog mate with her; therefore, she is forbidden to raise it.

After all this, one must ask: We learned above [15b] that one may not seclude even female animals with gentile women.

And it is difficult: Female animals

with

gentile women

—why may we not seclude them,

since in this case there is no possible concern of mating?

Mar Ukva bar Hama said: Because gentiles frequent

the gentile

wives of their fellows,

in order to sin with them.

And sometimes he does not find her

the woman,

but finds the animal

and mates with it!

Therefore, it is forbidden even to seclude the woman with the animal, lest the man who comes to her mate with it.

Another way of explaining the matter:

Alternatively, even if he finds her

the gentile finds the woman -

he will also mate

with the animal!

For the Master said: Their animals are more beloved to them

to the gentiles

than their wives!

And how can this be? \-

For Rabbi Yohanan said:

When

the serpent came upon Eve, it cast into her

impurity!

Therefore, this animal, which is not descended from Eve, is preferable to them over their wives, who possess this impurity.

The Gemara raises an objection:

If so, the same should apply to Jews!

This impurity is present in Jewish women as well.

The Gemara answers:

The Jews who stood at Mount Sinai -

their impurity ceased, for

at the revelation at Mount Sinai they were healed of all their blemishes, and their impurity ceased . But the gentiles, who did not stand at Mount Sinai, \-

their impurity did not cease!

The question was raised before them: What is the law with regard to birds,

that is, do all these concerns also apply to birds?

The Gemara resolves the question:

Come and hear: For Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel in the name of

in the name of

Rabbi Hanina: I saw a gentile who took a goose from the marketplace. He mated with it, strangled it, roasted it, and ate it!

This proves that these acts are also performed with birds, and that, in this regard, their law is like that of animals.

And Rav Yirmeya of Difti said: I saw an Arab

who took a thigh of an animal from the marketplace and carved into it

a carving sufficient for

the amount needed for

the act of

mating,

and afterward

mated with it,

roasted it, and ate it!