Study Avodah Zarah folio 65A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
לאבידרנא ביום אידם, אמר: ידענא ביה דלא פלח לעבודה זרה. אמר ליה רב יוסף: והתניא: איזהו גר תושב? כל שקיבל עליו בפני שלשה חברים שלא לעבוד עבודה זרה! כי תניא ההיא — להחיותו.
to a non-Jew named Avidarna on their festival day. Rav Yehuda said: I know of him that he does not worship idols, so he is not considered a non-Jew with regard to the prohibition against giving a gift to a non-Jew on their festival. Rav Yosef said to him: But isn’t it taught in a baraita: Who is a ger toshav? It is anyone who has accepted upon himself before 3 ḥaverim to not worship idols. Avidarna had not accepted this upon himself before 3 Jews. Rav Yehuda replied to him: When that baraita is taught, it is with regard to the mitzva to sustain him.
והאמר רבה בר בר חנה אמר רבי יוחנן: גר תושב שעברו עליו שנים עשר חדש ולא מל, הרי הוא כמין שבאומות! התם כגון שקיבל עליו למול ולא מל.
Rav Yosef further objected: But doesn’t Rabba bar bar Ḥana say that R' Yoḥanan says: A ger toshav for whom 12 months passed without him circumcising himself is considered as a heretic of the non-Jews, and certainly this Avidarna is not circumcised. Rav Yehuda replied: There, R' Yoḥanan is referring to a case where the non-Jew who desired to become a ger toshav took it upon himself to become circumcised, but he recanted and did not circumcise himself, and in such a case it is assumed that he did not circumcise himself due to apostasy. Generally, in the case of a ger toshav who did not take this upon himself, this is not required of him.
רבא אמטי ליה קורבנא לבר שישך ביום אידם. אמר: ידענא ביה דלא פלח לעבודה זרה. אזל אשכחיה דיתיב עד צואריה בוורדא, וקיימן זונות ערומות קמיה. אמר ליה: אית לכו כהאי גוונא לעלמא דאתי? אמר ליה: דידן עדיפא טפי מהאי. אמר ליה: טפי מהאי מי הוה? אמר ליה: אתון איכא עלייכו אימתא דמלכותא, אנן לא תיהוי עלן אימתא דמלכותא. אמר ליה: אנא מיהא מאי אימתא דמלכותא איכא עלי?
The Talmud relates: Rava brought a gift to a minister named bar Sheshakh on their festival day. Rava said: I know of him that he does not worship idols. Rava went to him and found him sitting up to his neck in rose water, and naked prostitutes were standing before him. Bar Sheshakh said to him: Do you have anything as fine as this in the World-to-Come? Rava said to him: Ours is better than this. Bar Sheshakh said to him: Is there anything finer than this? Rava said to him: You have the fear of the government upon you; we will not have the fear of the government upon us in the World-to-Come. Bar Sheshakh said to him: As for me, in any event, what fear of the government is there upon me? I am a powerful man.