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Sanhedrin 62a

סנהדרין ס״ב ע״א

Learn Sanhedrin 62a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Unwitting עבודה זרה: רבא's view on worship out of love or fear, and whether several acts of עבודה זרה done in one העלם need one חטאת or many.

Overview

The amud opens by finishing a challenge to רבא, who holds that worshipping an idol out of love or fear of a person is פטור. He answers that the unwitting case in the ברייתא is a כהן who thinks idol worship is entirely permitted, which is different from העלם דבר. Next, רבי זכאי teaches that someone who did four kinds of עבודה זרה in one העלם brings only one חטאת. רבי יוחנן rejects this: 'Go teach it outside.' רבי אבא ties רבי זכאי's view to רבי יוסי, who says הבערה on שבת was singled out only to make it a plain לאו, not to divide the מלאכות. רב יוסף objects that רבי יוסי already learns the dividing of שבת labors from 'ועשה מאחת מהנה', so for עבודה זרה he might agree that השתחוואה comes to divide. The גמרא tries to apply that same פסוק to עבודה זרה. It works out a case of unknowing עבודה זרה, but then shows the פסוק belongs to ויקרא chapter 4, which cannot be about עבודה זרה, and the attempt is dropped. The amud ends as רב שמואל בר יהודה arrives with a new teaching.

Opening lines

וְאִי לָא קַבְּלֵיהּ עֲלֵיהּ בֶּאֱלוֹהַּ –

And if he did not accept him upon himself as a god –

לָא כְּלוּם הוּא.

it is nothing.

אֶלָּא לָאו, מֵאַהֲבָה וּמִיִּרְאָה?

Rather, is it not a case of love or fear?

וְרָבָא אָמַר לָךְ:

And Rava could say to you:

The steps (26)

  1. ChallengeThe only remaining case is bowing out of love or fear
  2. Resolutionרבא: the case is one who thinks idol worship is permitted
  3. ChallengeBut thinking it is permitted is just העלם דבר
  4. ResolutionEntirely permitted versus partly permitted
  5. Statementרבי זכאי's teaching: several acts of idol worship, one offering
  6. Rejectionרבי יוחנן rejects the teaching
  7. Statementרבי אבא links רבי זכאי's view to a dispute about kindling on שבת
  8. StatementBowing works like kindling
  9. ChallengeMaybe רבי יוסי divides from a different verse
  10. Proofרבי יוסי learns from 'one of them'
  11. Statementרבי יונתן explains רבי יוסי's source
  12. StatementPartial acts and offshoot labors are included
  13. StatementWhen one act counts as many, and many as one
  14. ChallengeWith idol worship, everyone may agree bowing was singled out to divide
  15. ChallengeWhy not learn the division of idol-worship acts from 'one of them'?
  16. ChallengeThe two cases of the פסוק applied to idol worship
  17. ChallengeWhat could 'not knowing about idol worship' mean?
  18. RejectionThe statue case does not work
  19. ResolutionWorshipping out of love or fear
  20. ChallengeThat only works for אביי, not רבא
  21. ResolutionHe thinks עבודה זרה is permitted
  22. ChallengeThen רבא's unanswered question would be answered
  23. ResolutionNo problem, let it answer the question
  24. ChallengeCan this verse even be about idol worship?
  25. ConclusionThe attempt is closed
  26. StatementIntroducing רב שמואל בר יהודה's statement