Avodah Zarah 17a

עבודה זרה י״ז ע״א

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Topic

Staying far from מינות and sin: רבי אליעזר's arrest, the danger of מינות, and the power of תשובה in the story of רבי אלעזר בן דורדיא

Overview

This amud finishes the story of רבי אליעזר, who was arrested for מינות. He admits that he enjoyed a clever teaching of ישו הנוצרי about using אתנן זונה for a bathroom for the כהן גדול. He links his punishment to the פסוק 'Keep your way far from her', which is read as warning against מינות, the government, or a זונה. רב חסדא sets the distance at four אמות, and the גמרא notes that רבי פדת and עולא's own conduct see 'coming near' differently. The גמרא then explains פסוקים about the leech's two daughters, who are מינות and the government, and about those who go to 'her' and never return. This leads to a back-and-forth on whether people who leave מינות or sin must die, using the story of a woman who came to רב חסדא. The גמרא also tells the story of רבי אלעזר בן דורדיא, whose tearful תשובה ended in his death and a place in עולם הבא, and רבי weeps at the power of one moment of תשובה. The amud ends as רבי חנינא and רבי יונתן reach a fork between a path past עבודה זרה and a path past a בית זונות. That story continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (31)

1. Statementרבי עקיבא finishes his guess about why רבי אליעזר was punished
2. Statementרבי אליעזר remembers the question he was asked in the market of צפורי
3. StatementThe heretic's answer: what came from filth goes back to filth
4. Conclusionרבי אליעזר admits he enjoyed it and names the verse he broke
5. StatementA second reading of the verse: heresy and government, then a prostitute
6. QuestionHow far must one keep away?
7. Responseרב חסדא: four אמות
8. QuestionHow do the רבנן read 'from the payment of a prostitute'?
9. Responseרב חסדא: a prostitute who is hired ends up hiring others
10. Statementרבי פדת limits 'do not come near' to actual relations
11. Statementעולא kisses his sisters
12. Challengeעולא's practice clashes with his own ruling
13. QuestionWhat does 'give, give' mean?
14. Responseמר עוקבא: two daughters crying from גיהנם
15. ResponseThe two daughters are מינות and the government
16. StatementAnother version: גיהנם calls for the two daughters
17. ChallengeIf they never return, how could they reach life?
18. ResolutionEven if they return, they do not reach life
19. ChallengeA woman left heresy but did not die
20. ResolutionShe did not repent properly
21. ChallengeAnother version: a woman repented from sin and died
22. ResolutionShe died because of heresy too
23. ChallengeCan repenting from sin also bring death?
24. ProofThe prostitute tells him he cannot repent
25. ProofHe begs all of creation to pray for him, and they all refuse
26. ProofHe cries until his soul leaves him, and a בת קול welcomes him to עולם הבא
27. ChallengeBut he sinned with an עבירה and still died
28. ResolutionHis deep attachment to the sin made it like מינות
29. Statementרבי weeps over the power of a single moment of תשובה
30. StatementTwo rabbis reach a fork with two dangerous paths
31. StatementOne rabbi suggests the path past the idol worship