Avodah Zarah 49a — the Talmud in English

For it was taught:

Rabbi Yosei concedes ![](pamud.bmp "

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that if he planted and layered

and grafted—

it is permitted.

it is permitted.

And it is difficult: Is it not proven that Rabbi Yosei holds: “This and this cause it—it is permitted”?

And if you would say,

perhaps you would wish to answer that

Rabbi Yosei distinguishes between other prohibitions

such as orla, where he permits,

and

between

idolatry,

where he prohibits, since the prohibition of deriving benefit from idolatry is more stringent than other prohibitions of the Torah, because concerning deriving benefit from idolatry the Torah said: “And nothing of the condemned property shall cling to your hand.”

It is impossible to say this, for—

Does he,

that is,

distinguish between them?!

And was it not taught

we learned in a beraita:

A field that was fertilized with fertilizer of idolatry, and likewise a cow that was fattened with carob-pods

[animal feed] that were offered before

idolatry

or that were worshipped—

And the conclusion of the beraita was stated in two versions, which are two beraitot—

One teaches

in one of them we learned:

The field may be sown,

even though it was fertilized with fertilizer of idolatry.

The cow may be slaughtered,

even though it was fattened with carob-pods of idolatry.

And another was taught,

and in the second beraita we learned:

The field must be plowed,

he must leave it fallow, and he may not sow it until all the benefit that the fertilizer increased in it has been exhausted.

And the cow must be fattened,

since idolatry caused them to increase.

And seemingly the beraitot contradict one another—

Is it not

that we shall reconcile them as follows:

This,

the beraita permitting the sowing of the field and the slaughtering of the animal, was taught according to the view of

Rabbi Yosei,

who holds concerning orla: “This and this cause it—it is permitted.” Therefore, it is permitted to sow the field, and although the fertilizer causes a prohibition, in any event it is not the sole cause of the growth of the produce, for the natural ground, which is permitted, also causes the growth of the produce. And likewise, the fattening of the cow was not done with carob-pods of idolatry alone, for it had eaten several and several meals of permitted food beforehand.

And if we explain it thus, it is proven that Rabbi Yosei did not distinguish between idolatry and other prohibitions, and concerning both he holds: “This and this cause it—it is permitted.”

And this,

the beraita prohibiting the sowing of the field and the slaughtering of the animal, was taught according to the view of

the Rabbis,

who hold concerning grinding idolatry that one may not destroy it by scattering it to the wind, because it becomes fertilizer; it is proven that they hold: “This and this cause it—it is prohibited.” [And as for what they permitted in our Mishna, to sow beneath an asheira during the rainy season, we already reconciled it by saying that what he gains from the falling leaves he loses through the shade.] Therefore, the beraita said that it is prohibited to sow the field and slaughter the animal until the increase has been exhausted.

Thus, Rabbi Yosei permits even in the case of idolatry.

And the question returns: What is the reason that Rabbi Yosei in our Mishna prohibits sowing beneath it because of the falling leaves?

And we reject this:

No!

There is no necessity to establish the two beraitot as a dispute between Rabbi Yosei and the Sages, and to say that Rabbi Yosei permits “this and this cause it” even concerning idolatry. Rather, Rabbi Yosei always holds that “this and this cause it” is prohibited concerning idolatry, because of the stringency of idolatry [and what he permitted concerning grinding and scattering to the wind was because it goes to destruction, as the Gemara answered above]. But concerning orla he holds that “this and this cause it—it is permitted.”

And the beraita permitting the sowing of a field fertilized with fertilizer of idolatry and the slaughtering of a cow fattened with carob-pods of idolatry is not according to Rabbi Yosei, for concerning idolatry he concedes to the Sages that “this and this cause it is prohibited.” Rather, other tannaim disagree concerning the matter:

This,

the beraita holding that “this and this cause it is prohibited” was taught according to the words of

Rabbi Eliezer. And this

the beraita holding that it is “permitted” is according to the words of

the Rabbis.

And the Gemara discusses:

Which,

where do we find that

Rabbi Eliezer and the Rabbis

disagree concerning the law of “this and this cause it”?

If you say,

if it is said that

Rabbi Eliezer and the Rabbis

concerning leaven—

leaven—

Teruma is nullified in one hundred and one. That is, one se'a of teruma, which is prohibited to non-koanim, became mixed with one hundred seahs of non-sacred produce; it is nullified and the mixture is permitted to non-koanim. But if it became mixed with fewer than one hundred, everything is prohibited to non-koanim.

And concerning the “leavener”—that which causes the dough to rise—it is not nullified even in one hundred or more, because of its importance. Therefore, one who leavens non-sacred dough with leavener of teruma, even though there is in the non-sacred dough more than one hundred times the amount corresponding to the teruma leavener, the entire dough is prohibited to non-koanim.

For we learned

we learned a Mishna concerning the laws of teruma:

Leavener

that leavens dough—

of non-sacred produce and

leavener

of teruma that fell into the dough

of non-sacred produce,

not this

leavener

alone

in the measure

sufficient to leaven

this dough

and not this one sufficient to leaven,

but since

they joined together and leavened—

Rabbi Eliezer says: I follow the last one

the one that fell last

I come,

if the non-sacred one fell last, it nullified the first one and the dough is permitted to non-koanim; and if the teruma one fell last, it is prohibited to non-koanim, because the last one caused the leavening.

And the Sages say: Whether the prohibition fell initially

[another version:

at the beginning]

or whether the prohibition fell at the end—

it is not prohibited until there is in it

in the prohibition alone

enough to leaven.

And Abaye said: They taught only

the words of Rabbi Eliezer, that I follow the last one, and when the last one is non-sacred it is permitted—

when he removed the prohibition beforehand

before the permitted substance fell; and since when the permitted substance fell it did not join with the prohibition to constitute together the measure needed to prohibit, the prohibition itself does not have the measure needed to prohibit. And although the prohibition had already given prohibited leavening power to the dough, and without it the dough would not have been leavened, nevertheless, since it alone does not have the power to leaven, one cannot say “this and this cause it,” and the last one nullified the first one,

but

if

he did not remove the prohibition beforehand,

and both perform the act of leavening—

it is prohibited

because “this and this cause it—it is prohibited.”

And the Sages disagree and hold: “This and this cause it—it is permitted.”

And the two beraitot: the first, which permits, was taught according to the words of the Sages, and the second according to the words of Rabbi Eliezer.

And the Gemara raises an objection:

And from where

and from where do you know

that the reason of Rabbi Eliezer

is

as

they

explained

it

—Abaye?

Perhaps

it is possible to say:

The reason of Rabbi Eliezer is: because he

holds

I follow the last one

and it performs the completion of the act;

if it finishes with the prohibition—

it is prohibited, and if it finishes with the permitted substance—

they are permitted,

and we follow the last one

whether he removed it or whether he did not remove it?

And indeed, if both fell simultaneously, and there is no last cause, Rabbi Eliezer holds that the dough is permitted, because “this and this cause it—it is permitted.”

And the Gemara answers:

Rather,

we find elsewhere that Rabbi Eliezer holds: “This and this cause it—it is prohibited.”

And that is:

Rabbi Eliezer and the Rabbis

who disagreed with him in the Mishna

concerning wood —

for we learned,

we learned in the following Mishna:

If he took from it

from the asheira

wood—

the wood

is prohibited

[in the Mishna the version is:

it is prohibited]

for deriving benefit.

If he heated with it

with them

the oven,

if the oven is

new—

it must be demolished,

because the wood of substances prohibited for deriving benefit made it and strengthened it, and it was built from substances prohibited for deriving benefit. And if the oven is

old—

it must be cooled,

and he may not bake with this heating, and may not benefit from the wood of an asheira.

If he baked bread in it

in a new oven, and did not demolish it, but cooled it and heated it with permitted wood—

it is prohibited,

the bread

for deriving benefit,

and although the oven is not the sole cause of the baking of the bread, and there is also permitted wood that causes the baking—

And likewise, in an old oven and with prohibited wood, although the wood is not the sole cause of the baking of the bread, and a permitted oven also causes the baking, the bread is prohibited, because “this and this cause it—it is prohibited.”

And if the bread

became mixed with others

[another version:

[with other loaves]

with other permitted bread—

all of them are prohibited for deriving benefit.

These are the words of the Sages.

Rabbi Eliezer says: He shall take the benefit

the value of the wood

to the Dead Sea

and destroy its value there, and it will be found that he did not benefit from them, and then the bread will be permitted for deriving benefit .

They said to him

the Sages to Rabbi Eliezer: Taking the benefit to the Dead Sea will not help, because

there is no redemption for idolatry,

and the bread remains in its prohibition.

And according to Rabbi Eliezer, as long as he does not take the benefit to the Dead Sea, the bread is prohibited; it is proven that he holds: “This and this cause it—it is prohibited.”

And the beraita that said: “A field shall lie fallow and a cow shall be fattened” was taught in accordance with the words of Rabbi Eliezer.

And the Gemara discussed: From now,

who are the Rabbis who disagree with Rabbi Eliezer,

who are the Sages who permit “zeh ve-zeh gorem,” and they taught the beraita: “A field shall be sown and a cow shall be slaughtered”?

If you say

if you say,

the Rabbis who

disagreed with Rabbi Eliezer concerning

wood—

the Gemara wonders: On the contrary,

they are more stringent;

for they too prohibit the bread, in accordance with the words of Rabbi Eliezer, and hold: “zeh ve-zeh gorem—forbidden,” except that they are stringent and do not permit [the wood] to be carried to the Dead Sea?!

Rather, the Rabbis of the leaven

who hold that even if the forbidden substance fell in last, and all the more so if they fell simultaneously, the dough is permitted, on account of “zeh ve-zeh gorem.”

And the Gemara wonders:

Say that you heard the Rabbis being lenient

when did we hear them being lenient—

with leaven

that is, concerning the prohibition of teruma and other prohibitions—

but

with idolatry—

who is lenient

do we have clear proof that they are lenient? And from where is there proof to establish the lenient beraita as also referring to idolatry, in accordance with their position?

And we conclude:

Rather,

let us answer as we answered:

this one is Rabbi Yosei and that one is the Rabbis—

and Rabbi Yosei is the tanna who holds “zeh ve-zeh gorem—permitted” even with idolatry. Therefore, he holds “he grinds it and scatters it to the wind,” and all the more so with other prohibitions; therefore, concerning orla, he holds: “If one planted, layered, and grafted, it is permitted,” and he is the tanna of the beraita in which it was said: “A field shall be sown and a cow shall be slaughtered.”

Whereas the Sages disagree with him and hold “zeh ve-zeh gorem—forbidden”; therefore, they hold that it is forbidden to scatter it to the wind—

And

what is difficult for you: If so, why does Rabbi Yosei prohibit sowing vegetables during the rainy season because of the fallen leaves?

We shall answer: Indeed, Rabbi Yosei does not prohibit it, but—

Rabbi Yosei said this according to the words of the Rabbis

he says this [for the purpose of the dispute] according to the view of the Sages:

When Rabbi Yosei heard that the Sages prohibit [sowing] during the summer because of the shade, he said to them:

For me

it is permitted even during the summer, and even though he benefits from the shade, nevertheless, “

this and this cause—

permitted,”

and since the ground also causes the vegetables to grow, it is permitted—

But—says Rabbi Yosei—

according to you,

according to your words, that you prohibited [it] during the hot season,

that you say

that you hold: “

this and this cause—

forbidden,”

for what reason did you permit [it] during the rainy season?

At least concede to me

that, according to my reasoning, the fallen leaves cause the prohibition, and prohibit

even vegetables during the rainy season!

And the Rabbis

hold: Indeed, the fallen leaves cause growth, but they do not cause prohibited benefit,

as

in what

Rav Mari son of Rav Kahana said: What improves through the fallen leaves is impaired by the shade.

And we conclude:

And we conclude:

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: The halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Yosei,

who holds “zeh ve-zeh gorem—permitted.”

And the Gemara relates an incident:

That certain garden

that garden

that was fertilized

that they fertilized

with fertilizer of idolatry

that came from the blood of bulls and calves slaughtered for idolatry, and the blood is prohibited for benefit by the law of an offering of idolatry—

Rav Amram sent

to clarify the status of the vegetables that grew in it, whether they are permitted—

before

before

the

amora

Rav Yosef.

He said to him

Rav Yosef:

So said Rav Yehuda that Shmuel said: The halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Yosei,

and the vegetables are permitted.