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Avodah Zarah 43a

עבודה זרה מ״ג ע״א

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Topic

Forbidden figures: the דרקון, cancelling a found idol, and making images of the heavenly bodies and the בית המקדש

Overview

The גמרא first shows that making a דרקון figure is not forbidden, so the דרקון part of רב ששת's ruling must be about finding one, just like our משנה. אביי accepts that the ruling mixes finding and making cases. רבא instead says the whole ruling is about finding, and its stricter middle part follows רבי יהודה, who also forbids figures of a nursing woman and סר אפיס. A ברייתא defines a דרקון as a figure with ציצין between its neck joints, and the הלכה follows רבי שמעון בן אלעזר. The story of רבי אלעזר הקפר and a found דרקון ring teaches three laws about how a גוי can cancel an idol's status. אביי explains that an owner who gives up on a lost idol does not give up on its being worshipped. The גמרא then asks how רבן גמליאל could keep pictures of the moon. אביי answers that only things that can truly be copied are forbidden, and supports this with a ברייתא about copies of the בית המקדש and the מנורה. A new challenge from "לא תעשון אתי" begins, and אביי's answer continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

הָנֵי — אִין,

These, yes, they are forbidden to make,

צוּרַת דְּרָקוֹן — לָא!

but a dragon figure, no, it is not!

אֶלָּא פְּשִׁיטָא בְּמוֹצֵא, וּכְדִתְנַן:

Rather, it is obvious that it is about one who finds, as we learned in the משנה:

הַמּוֹצֵא כֵּלִים וַעֲלֵיהֶם צוּרַת חַמָּה.

One who finds vessels with a figure of the sun on them.

The steps (21)

  1. RejectionOnly the heavenly figures are forbidden to make, not a dragon
  2. ConclusionThe dragon part must be about finding, like the משנה
  3. ChallengeCan the ruling switch between finding and making?
  4. Resolutionאביי agrees the ruling does switch
  5. Resolutionרבא: the whole ruling is about finding
  6. Proofרבי יהודה's extra forbidden figures
  7. QuestionWhat counts as a dragon figure?
  8. ResponseScales between the joints
  9. ConclusionThe halacha follows רבי שמעון בן אלעזר
  10. StatementThe story of the dragon ring
  11. ConclusionThree laws learned from the story
  12. Challengeרבי חנינא asks why a cancellation was needed if the owner gave up
  13. Resolutionאביי: giving up the item is not giving up its worship
  14. Statementרבן גמליאל's pictures of the moon
  15. ChallengeHow could he make pictures of the moon?
  16. Resolutionאביי: Only things that can truly be copied are forbidden
  17. ProofA ברייתא: no exact copies of the בית המקדש or its vessels
  18. Statementרבי יוסי בר יהודה: Not even a wooden מנורה
  19. RejectionThe חכמים reject the proof from the חשמונאים
  20. ChallengeAre images of attendants that cannot be copied really allowed?
  21. Resolutionאביי begins his answer