Study Avodah Zarah folio 2B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
וסופריה, שנאמר: ״ויאספו לאמים״, ואין ״לאום״ אלא מלכות, שנאמר: ״ולאם מלאם יאמץ״. ומי איכא ערבוביא קמי הקדוש ברוך הוא? אלא כי היכי דלא ליערבבו אינהו [בהדי הדדי], דלישמעו מאי דאמר להו.
with their scholars, as it is stated: “And let the peoples [le’umim] be assembled” (Isaiah 43:9); and the term le’om means nothing other than kingdom, as it is stated: “And the one kingdom [ule’om] should be stronger than the other kingdom [mile’om]” (Genesis 25:23). The Talmud asks: But is it possible for there to be intermingling before God that it should be necessary for each nation to stand and be addressed separately? Rather, the nations are instructed to stand separately so that they will not become intermingled with each other in order that they will each hear what He says to them.
[מיד] נכנסה לפניו מלכות רומי תחלה. מאי טעמא? משום דחשיבא. ומנלן דחשיבא? דכתיב: ״ותאכל כל ארעא ותדושנה ותדקינה״. אמר רבי יוחנן: זו רומי חייבת שטבעה יצא בכל העולם.
Immediately, the Roman Empire enters first before Him. The Talmud asks: What is the reason that the Roman Empire enters first? It is because the Roman Empire is the most important of all of the nations. And from where do we derive that it is the most important? As it is written in the book of Daniel with regard to the 4th empire that will rule over the world: “And it should devour the whole earth, and should tread it down, and break it in pieces” (Daniel 7:23), and R' Yoḥanan says: This empire that will devour the earth is the wicked Roman Empire, whose name spread throughout the world.
ומנא לן דמאן דחשיב עייל ברישא? כדרב חסדא, דאמר רב חסדא: מלך וצבור — מלך נכנס תחלה לדין, שנאמר: ״לעשות משפט עבדו ומשפט עמו ישראל וגו׳״. וטעמא מאי? איבעית אימא: לאו אורח ארעא למיתב מלכא מאבראי, ואיבעית אימא: מקמי דליפוש חרון אף.
The Talmud asks: And from where do we derive that whoever is more important enters first? This is in accordance with a statement of Rav Ḥisda, as Rav Ḥisda says: When a king and a community are brought before God for judgment, the king enters for judgment first, as it is stated: “That He make the judgment of His servant and the judgment of His people Israel, as every day should require” (I Kings 8:59). And what is the reason that it is important for the king to enter first? If you wish, say that it is not proper conduct for the king to stand outside and wait for the trial of his subjects to end. And if you wish, say instead that the king is brought in first so that he may be judged before God’s anger intensifies due to the sins of the community.