Study Avodah Zarah folio 16B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
ואליבא דרבי יהודה. רב אשי אמר: סתם ארי שבור הוא אצל מלאכה.
and this is in accordance with the opinion of R' Yehuda in the Mishnah on 14b, that it is permitted to sell to a non-Jew large livestock that are damaged. Yet, it is prohibited to sell large undamaged animals, just as one may not sell large undamaged livestock. Rav Ashi says: It is not necessary to explain that the Mishnah is referring to such a specific case. Rather, an ordinary lion is considered damaged with regard to labor, as lions are not generally used to perform labor. Therefore there is no concern that a lion will be used to perform prohibited labor on Shabbat.
מיתיבי: כשם שאין מוכרין להן בהמה גסה, כך אין מוכרין להן חיה גסה, ואפילו במקום שמוכרין להן בהמה דקה — חיה גסה אין מוכרין להן. תיובתא דרב חנן בר רבא, תיובתא.
The Talmud raises an objection from a baraita: Just as one may not sell large livestock to non-Jews, so too one may not sell large animals to them. And even in a place where the people were accustomed to sell small livestock to non-Jews; nevertheless, one may not sell large animals to them. The Talmud concludes: The refutation of the opinion of Rav Ḥanan bar Rava is a conclusive refutation.
רבינא רמי מתניתין אברייתא ומשני, תנן: אין מוכרין להן דובין ואריות ולא כל דבר שיש בו נזק לרבים, טעמא דאית ביה נזק, הא לית ביה נזק — מוכרין.
The Talmud presents a different version of this discussion. Ravina raises a contradiction between the Mishnah here and a baraita and resolves the contradiction. We learned in the Mishnah: One may not sell bears, or lions, or any item that can cause injury to the public, to non-Jews. Ravina analyzes the Mishnah: The reason an animal such as a lion cannot be sold to non-Jews is that it can cause injury to the public, from which it may be inferred that with regard to another beast, which does not cause injury to the public, one may sell it to non-Jews.