Gittin 45B

מפני תיקון העולם.

for the betterment of the world, so as not to cause an increase in the theft of sacred Jewish ritual objects in order to sell them for large sums of money.

גמ׳ אמר ליה רב בודיא לרב אשי: יתר על כדי דמיהן הוא דאין לוקחין, הא בכדי דמיהן ⁠– לוקחין; שמע מינה ספר תורה שנמצא ביד גוי ⁠– קורין בו? דילמא לגנוז.

Talmud: Rav Budya said to Rav Ashi that one could infer the following from the Mishnah: It is for more than their actual monetary value that one may not purchase them; however, for their precise value, one may purchase them. Can one learn from the Mishnah that with regard to a Torah scroll that is found in the possession of a non-Jew, one can read from it after obtaining it from the non-Jew, and there is no concern that perhaps the non-Jew wrote it and it is unfit? Rav Ashi answered: Perhaps this does not mean that the Torah scroll is purchased in order to read from it, but rather in order to inter it and not to use it; however, it is nevertheless purchased so that it will not be desecrated by the non-Jews.

אמר רב נחמן, נקטינן: ספר תורה שכתבו מין ⁠– ישרף, כתבו גוי ⁠– יגנז. נמצא ביד מין ⁠– יגנז. נמצא ביד גוי ⁠– אמרי לה יגנז, ואמרי לה קורין בו.

Rav Naḥman says: We have a tradition that a Torah scroll that was written by a heretic should be burned; a Torah scroll written by a non-Jew should be interred; a Torah scroll found in the possession of a heretic, and it is not clear who wrote it, should be interred. With regard to a Torah scroll found in the possession of a non-Jew, some say it should be interred and some say that one may read from it.

ספר תורה שכתבו גוי ⁠– תני חדא: ישרף, ותניא אידך: יגנז, ותניא אידך: קורין בו!

The Talmud asks: With regard to a Torah scroll that was written by a non-Jew, it is taught in one baraita: It should be burned, and it is taught in another baraita: It should be interred, and it is taught in another baraita: One may read from it. There is a 3-fold contradiction concerning the halakha of a Torah scroll written by a non-Jew.