Avodah Zarah 2b

עבודה זרה ב׳ ע״ב

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Topic

The future judgment of the nations: רומי, פרס and the others claim credit for helping ישראל learn תורה, and their excuses are rejected

Overview

The גמרא continues its story of the future judgment, when the nations come to claim reward for תורה. Each nation enters separately with its scholars, so that each can hear what God says to it. רומי enters first because it is the most important kingdom, and the גמרא proves both its importance and the rule that the important one goes first. רומי claims it built markets, bathhouses and wealth for ישראל's sake. God shows it was all for itself, and since רומי has no תורה, it leaves disappointed. פרס follows with the same kind of claim about bridges, cities and wars, and is turned away the same way, and so is every other nation. The nations then argue that they never got the תורה, then that they never accepted it, then that God never forced them with a mountain as He did with ישראל. God answers that they did not even keep the seven מצוות they accepted. The amud ends as the גמרא asks whether the nations gained by being released from those מצוות, and מר בריה דרבינא begins an answer that continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (46)

1. ProofEach nation enters with its scholars, proven from a verse
2. ChallengeCan anything be jumbled before God?
3. ResolutionThe separation is for the nations, so they can hear
4. Statementרומי enters first
5. QuestionWhy does רומי go first?
6. ResponseBecause רומי is the most important
7. QuestionHow do we know רומי is the most important?
8. ResponseThe kingdom that devours the whole earth is רומי
9. QuestionHow do we know the important one goes first?
10. Responseרב חסדא: the king is judged before the community
11. QuestionWhy should the king be judged first?
12. ResponseTwo reasons the king goes first
13. StatementGod asks רומי what it did
14. Statementרומי claims it built everything for ישראל's sake
15. RejectionGod rejects רומי's claim of doing it all for ישראל
16. ProofNone of you can claim to have studied תורה
17. Conclusionרומי leaves disappointed
18. Statementפרס enters after רומי
19. QuestionWhy does פרס come second?
20. Responseפרס is the next most important
21. QuestionHow do we know פרס is second?
22. Proofדניאל's second beast, the bear, is פרס
23. StatementGod asks Persia what it did
24. Statementפרס claims its bridges, cities and wars were for ישראל
25. Rejectionה׳ shows that פרס acted only for itself
26. Statementפרס has no תורה to show, so they leave disappointed
27. QuestionWhy does פרס try after seeing רומי fail?
28. Responseפרס thinks it has a better claim than רומי
29. StatementThe same happens with every nation
30. QuestionWhy do the other nations try after the first ones failed?
31. ResponseThe other nations think they are innocent
32. QuestionWhy are only רומי and פרס named?
33. Responseרומי and פרס rule until משיח comes
34. StatementThe nations claim they never received the תורה
35. ChallengeThe פסוקים show ה׳ came to שעיר and תימן
36. QuestionWhat was ה׳ doing in שעיר and פארן?
37. Responseה׳ offered the תורה to every nation
38. ResolutionThe nations' claim restated: we never accepted and then broke it
39. ChallengeTheir own words defeat them
40. ResolutionThe nations' final claim: you never forced us
41. ProofSource for the mountain held over Israel
42. Rejectionה׳ answers: you didn't even keep the seven מצוות
43. QuestionHow do we know the nations did not keep their seven מצוות?
44. Proofרב יוסף's reading of the פסוק‎: ה׳ saw and released them
45. ChallengeDoes a sinner gain from his sin?
46. Resolutionמר בריה דרבינא steps in to answer