Avodah Zarah 41b
עבודה זרה מ״א ע״ב
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Topic
An idol that broke by itself: the מחלוקת of רבי יוחנן and ריש לקיש, and the rule that a ספק cannot override a ודאי
Overview
The גמרא first asks why the משנה forbids a hand-shape or foot-shape, when broken pieces of idols are permitted. שמואל answers that the משנה means shapes standing on their own base, so they were made that way and are not broken pieces. Next comes a מחלוקת about an idol that broke by itself. רבי יוחנן forbids it because nobody did ביטול. ריש לקיש permits it because the owner surely gave up on an idol that could not even save itself. רבי יוחנן challenges ריש לקיש from the story of דגון and from the משנה about found statue fragments, and ריש לקיש answers both. The גמרא then defends רבי יוחנן. An idol was certainly worshipped, and a ספק of ביטול cannot override that ודאי. It tests this rule against the case of a חבר who died and left produce, and answers in two ways. Finally it begins another challenge to the rule from a story told by רבי יהודה, which continues on the next amud.
Opening lines
וְהָא שְׁבָרִים נִינְהוּ!
But aren't they fragments!
תַּרְגְּמַהּ שְׁמוּאֵל:
Shmuel interpreted it:
בְּעוֹמְדִין עַל בְּסִיסָן.
Where they stand on their pedestals.
אִתְּמַר: עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּבְּרָה מֵאֵילֶיהָ,
It was stated: an idol that broke by itself,
The steps (14)
- ChallengeAren't these just broken pieces?
- ResolutionThey stand on their own base
- StatementAn idol that broke by itself
- StatementThe reasons on each side
- Challengeרבי יוחנן challenges from the story of דגון
- RejectionThe פלשתים moved their worship to the threshold
- ChallengeChallenge from the משנה about found statue fragments
- ResolutionReading the משנה as following רבי מאיר
- ChallengeLearning the רבנן's view from רבי מאיר
- ResolutionStatues are doubtful, but an idol was certainly worshipped
- ChallengeChallenge from a חבר's produce: a doubt does override a certainty
- ResolutionA חבר certainly tithes, so it is certainty against certainty
- ResolutionSecond answer: maybe the produce was never untithed at all
- ChallengeNew challenge: a ברייתא where a doubt seems to override a certainty