Study Avodah Zarah folio 6B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
מנין שלא יושיט אדם כוס של יין לנזיר, ואבר מן החי לבני נח? תלמוד לומר: ״ולפני עור לא תתן מכשל״; והא הכא, דכי לא יהבינן ליה, שקלי איהו, וקעבר משום ״לפני עור לא תתן מכשל״!
From where is it derived that a person may not extend a cup of wine to a nazirite, who is prohibited from drinking wine, and that he may not extend a limb severed from a living animal to descendants of Noah? The verse states: “And you should not put a stumbling block before the blind” (Leviticus 19:14). But here, in both cases, if one does not give it to him, he can take it himself, and yet the one who provides it to him transgresses due to the prohibition: “You should not put a stumbling block before the blind.”
הכא במאי עסקינן? דקאי בתרי עברי נהרא. דיקא נמי, דקתני ״לא יושיט״ ולא קתני ״לא יתן״, שמע מינה.
The Talmud answers: Here we are dealing with a case where they are standing on the two sides of a river, and therefore the recipient could not have taken it himself. Since his help was instrumental, the one who conveyed the item has violated the prohibition of putting a stumbling block before the blind. The Talmud adds: The language of the baraita is also precise, as it teaches: A person may not extend, and it does not teach: One may not give. Learn from the usage of the term extend that the baraita is referring to one located on one side of a river, who extends the item to the one on the other side.
איבעיא להו: נשא ונתן — מאי? רבי יוחנן אמר: נשא ונתן — אסור. ריש לקיש אמר: נשא ונתן — מותר. איתיביה רבי יוחנן לריש לקיש: אידיהן של גוים נשא ונתן — אסורין, מאי לאו לפני אידיהן? לא, אידיהן דוקא.
§ A dilemma was raised before the rabbis: If one ignored the injunction of the Mishnah and engaged in business with non-Jews before their festival, what is the status of the profit that he earned? R' Yoḥanan says: If he engaged in business, it is prohibited to derive benefit from his profits. Reish Lakish says: If he engaged in business, it is permitted to derive benefit from his profits. R' Yoḥanan raised an objection to Reish Lakish from a baraita: With regard to the festivals of non-Jews, if one engaged in business, these profits are prohibited. What, is it not referring to one who engages in business with non-Jews before their festivals? Reish Lakish responded: No, the baraita is referring to business conducted specifically during their festivals.