Avodah Zarah 36b

עבודה זרה ל״ו ע״ב

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Topic

The decrees on non-Jews' bread, oil, wine and daughters: their link to עבודה זרה, the layers of the bans on relations and ייחוד, and the impurity of a non-Jewish boy.

Overview

The גמרא first finishes a source from a פסוק in מלאכי: a decree needs the acceptance of 'the whole nation.' It then goes back to רב's statement that the bans on non-Jews' bread, oil, wine and daughters belong to the י״ח דבר. The decree about 'daughters' means non-Jewish girls are treated as נידות from the cradle. A second report says all these decrees were made because of עבודה זרה, in a chain: bread and oil because of wine, wine because of daughters, and daughters because of עבודה זרה. The גמרא then asks what the decree on daughters added beyond the תורה. Each answer it gives is pushed back by an earlier source: the court of שם, a הלכה למשה מסיני, the court of the חשמונאים, and the court of דוד. In the end it sorts out layers of the ייחוד ban: a married woman (תורה), an unmarried woman (דוד), and a non-Jewish woman (students of שמאי and הלל). Last, it explains the final link: a non-Jewish boy was made impure like a זב to prevent משכב זכור. A story about רבי shows this impurity starts at nine years and one day.

Opening lines

The steps (30)

1. ProofA verse shows a decree needs the whole nation
2. StatementBread, oil, wine and daughters are part of the eighteen decrees
3. QuestionWhat was the decree about their daughters?
4. ResponseThey are treated as נידות from the cradle
5. StatementA second view: all four were decreed because of עבודה זרה
6. ProofSupport from רבי יצחק: bread was banned because of oil
7. ChallengeWhy would oil be more serious than bread?
8. ResolutionThe correct chain: bread and oil, then wine, then daughters, then עבודה זרה
9. ChallengeIsn't the ban on their daughters already from the Torah?
10. ResolutionThe Torah covers only the seven nations
11. ChallengeBut רבי שמעון בן יוחי says the Torah covers all nations
12. ResolutionThe Torah forbids marriage; the rabbis added casual relations
13. ChallengeCasual relations were already banned by the court of שם
14. ResolutionThe Torah covers a non-Jewish man; the rabbis added a non-Jewish woman
15. ChallengeThis ban already comes from Sinai
16. ResolutionSinai covers public acts; the rabbis added private ones
17. ChallengeThe חשמונאים already banned private acts
18. Proofרב דימי's report of the חשמונאים' decree
19. Proofרבין's version: נשג"ז
20. ResolutionThe court of the חשמונאים banned relations, the later rabbis banned being alone
21. ChallengeBut דוד's court already banned being alone
22. Proofרב יהודה's report that דוד's court banned being alone
23. Resolutionדוד's court banned being alone with a Jewish woman only
24. ChallengeBeing alone with a Jewish woman is already a Torah law
25. ProofThe hint for being alone from the verse about the enticing brother
26. ResolutionThree layers of the ייחוד ban
27. QuestionWhat does 'something else because of something else' mean?
28. ResponseA non-Jewish boy is made impure like a זב
29. Proofרבי זירא's hard question: from what age?
30. Conclusionרבי takes back his answer and accepts רבי חייא's