Thursday 8 March 2018

Avodah Zara 52: Vessels, Idols, Ritual Purity, Changing Status

Brief points from today's daf:

  • the rabbis compare vessels and their status of ritual purity when they belong to Gentiles with idols
  • they discuss when the vessel/idol becomes forbidden, where the vessels/idols are located compared to the mountains (up high) and closeness to "the gods", whether one is cursed from the time that s/he fashioned the vessel/idol, etc.
  • the rabbis discuss the importance of a learned judge hearing these cases
  • they wonder what should happen if one finds pieces of a broken idol
  • they discuss who owned the idol before it was broken, its status when reassembled
  • does the state of ritual purity of an idol ever change?
  • the rabbis wonder if a vessel that might have been used for idolatry can be later used in the Temple
  • these vessels are compared with other things that might be forbidden in the Temple including stones, rocks and coins
  • can idols that were nullified be used in the Temple?  Could they be reannoited with oil?
  • the rabbis assert that Gentiles can nullify their own or another Gentile's idolatry
  • no one human being can nullify a Jew's idolatry

No comments:

Post a Comment