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Avodah Zarah 21b

עבודה זרה כ״א ע״ב

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Topic

Renting a bathhouse or a field to a גוי or a כותי: when onlookers will suspect the Jewish owner of having forbidden work done on שבת, יום טוב, or חול המועד.

Overview

The גמרא first finishes the earlier point: the unnamed ruling in the משנה about renting houses follows רבי מאיר, because רבי יוסי allows renting houses everywhere. Then it quotes the next line of the משנה, which says a person may never rent out his bathhouse to a גוי. A ברייתא from רבן שמעון בן גמליאל explains why. The bathhouse is known by the owner's name, so when the גוי runs it on שבת and יום טוב, people will think the Jew is having it done. Renting to a כותי is allowed, because he would only work on חול המועד, when Jews run bathhouses too. Renting a field to a גוי is also allowed, because everyone knows a sharecropper works for his own share, while nobody sharecrops a bathhouse. Next, a ברייתא of רבי שמעון בן אלעזר forbids renting a field to a כותי, since he will work it on חול המועד. The גמרא infers that a גוי is allowed because of the sharecropper reasoning, and then asks why the same reasoning does not allow a כותי too. The answer comes on the next amud.

Opening lines

וּסְתָמָא כְּרַבִּי מֵאִיר,

And the unattributed ruling is like Rabbi Meir,

דְּאִי רַבִּי יוֹסֵי,

for if it were Rabbi Yosei,

בְּכׇל דּוּכְתָּא מוֹגְרִי.

in every place one may rent out.

וּבְכׇל מָקוֹם לֹא יִשְׂכּוֹר וְכוּ׳.

And in every place one may not rent out, etc.

The steps (13)

  1. ConclusionThe unnamed ruling follows רבי מאיר
  2. StatementQuoting the משנה on renting a bathhouse
  3. Statementרבן שמעון בן גמליאל explains the reason
  4. QuestionWhat about renting to a כותי?
  5. ChallengeBut the כותי might work there on חול המועד
  6. ResolutionJews also run bathhouses on חול המועד
  7. QuestionWhat about renting a field to a גוי?
  8. ResponseA sharecropper works for his own share
  9. ChallengeWhy not say the same about a bathhouse?
  10. ResolutionNobody sharecrops a bathhouse
  11. StatementDo not rent a field to a כותי
  12. QuestionSo renting to a גוי is permitted
  13. ChallengeWhy not say the same about a כותי?