Study Avodah Zarah folio 2A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
מתני׳ לפני אידיהן של גוים שלשה ימים — אסור לשאת ולתת עמהם, להשאילן ולשאול מהן, להלוותן וללוות מהן, לפורען ולפרוע מהן. רבי יהודה אומר: נפרעין מהן, מפני שמיצר הוא לו. אמרו לו: אף על פי שמיצר הוא עכשיו, שמח הוא לאחר זמן.
Mishnah: On the 3 days before the festivals of non-Jews the following actions are prohibited, as they would bring joy to the non-Jew, who would subsequently give thanks to his object of idol worship on his festival: It is prohibited to engage in business with them; to lend items to them or to borrow items from them; to lend money to them or to borrow money from them; and to repay debts owed to them or to collect repayment of debts from them. R' Yehuda says: One may collect repayment of debts from them because this causes the non-Jew distress. The Rabbis said to R' Yehuda: Even though he is distressed now, when he repays the money, he is happy afterward that he is relieved of the debt, and therefore there is concern that he will give thanks to his object of idol worship on his festival.
גמ׳ רב ושמואל, חד תני ״אידיהן״, וחד תני ״עידיהן״. מאן דתני ״אידיהן״ לא משתבש, ומאן דתני ״עידיהן״ לא משתבש.
Talmud: Rav and Shmuel disagree with regard to the correct version of the text of the Mishnah. One teaches the term meaning: Their festivals, as eideihen, spelled with an alef as the first letter, and one teaches eideihen with an ayin as the first letter. The Talmud comments: The one who teaches eideihen with an alef is not mistaken, and the one who teaches eideihen with an ayin is not mistaken, as there is support for each version of the term.
מאן דתני ״אידיהן״ לא משתבש, דכתיב: ״כי קרוב יום אידם״, ומאן דתני ״עידיהן״ לא משתבש, דכתיב: ״יתנו עדיהם ויצדקו״.
The Talmud elaborates: The one who teaches eideihen with an alef is not mistaken, as it is written: “For the day of their calamity [eidam] is at hand” (Deuteronomy 32:35), and the future downfall mentioned in the verse is partly due to the festivals of idol worshippers. The term there is spelled with an alef. And likewise, the one who teaches eideihen with an ayin is not mistaken, as it is written: “Let them bring their witnesses [eideihem], that they may be justified” (Isaiah 43:9), i.e., the festivals will serve as witnesses against non-Jew sinners, proving that they engaged in idol worship. The term there is spelled with an ayin.