Study Avodah Zarah folio 13A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
אבל מהנה שרי. ורבי יוחנן אמר: אפילו מעוטרות בפירות נמי אסור, קל וחומר: נהנה — אסור, מהנה — לא כל שכן!
but it is permitted to cause benefit. Although by buying from the store one indirectly supports idol worship, as a portion of the sales are given to support idol worship, this is not prohibited by Torah law. And R' Yoḥanan says: Even if the stores are adorned only with fruit one is also prohibited from buying from them. This is derived by an a fortiori inference: If it is prohibited to derive benefit from idol worship, is it not all the more so prohibited to cause benefit to idol worship?
מיתיבי, רבי נתן אומר: יום שעבודה זרה מנחת בו את המכס, מכריזין ואומרים: כל מי שנוטל עטרה ויניח בראשו ובראש חמורו לכבוד עבודה זרה — יניח לו את המכס, ואם לאו — אל יניח לו את המכס.
The Talmud raises an objection to Reish Lakish’s opinion from a baraita. R' Natan says: On the day in which a reduction is made from the tax in honor of idol worship, they announce and say: Anyone who takes a wreath of roses and places it on his head and on the head of his donkey in honor of the object of idol worship, his tax will be reduced. And if one does not place a wreath on one’s head, his tax will not be reduced.
יהודי שנמצא שם מה יעשה? יניח — נמצא נהנה, לא יניח — נמצא מהנה.
What should a Jew who is present there do? If he places the wreath on his head and on the head of his donkey, he will be found to derive benefit from idol worship. And if he does not place the wreath on his head, he will be found to cause benefit to idol worship, through the tax that he pays.
מכאן אמרו: הנושא ונותן בשוק של עבודה זרה, בהמה תיעקר, פירות כסות וכלים ירקבו, מעות וכלי מתכות יוליכם לים המלח, ואיזהו עיקור? המנשר פרסותיה מן הארכובה ולמטה.
From here the rabbis stated: One who conducts business in a market of idol worship will be forced either to benefit from or cause benefit to idol worship. Therefore, any animal he bought there should be destroyed, any produce, clothing or vessels should be left to decompose, and with regard to any money or metal vessels, which would not decompose on their own, one should take them and cast them into the Dead Sea. And what constitutes destroying the animal? One cuts off the hooves of the animal from the knee and below.