Avodah Zarah Daf 5 עבודה זרח דַף 5

On the previous Daf, Rebbe Yehoshua ben Levi said: לא עשו ישראל את העגל אלא ליתן פתחון פה לבעלי תשובה – Yisroel only made the Golden Calf to give “an opening of the mouth” (i.e., encouragement) to those who do teshuvah. A passuk describes that generation’s great spiritual strength, and only a Divine decree caused them to sin, to teach future generations that תשובה is accepted. Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai says: לא דוד ראוי לאותו מעשה – Dovid was not fit for “that deed” with בת שבע, since Dovid said that his יצר הרע died within him. Dovid and Klal Yisroel only did these deeds to teach: שאם חטא יחיד – that if an individual sins, we tell him: כלך אצל יחיד – “Go follow the example of the individual, Dovid, whose תשובה was accepted,” ואם חטאו צבור – and if a community sins, we tell them: לכו אצל צבור – “Go follow the example of the community, Klal Yisroel, whose תשובה for the עגל was accepted.”

Each example teaches a novelty, because regarding a יחיד, לא מפרסם חטאיהו – his sin is not publicized (and does not desecrate Hashem’s Name), and regarding a צבור, נפישי רחמייהו – [Hashem’s] love towards them is great.

Reish Lakish said: בואו ונחזיק טובה לאבותינו – Come, let us show gratitude to our forefathers who worshipped the עגל, שאלמלא הן לא חטאו אנו לא באנו לעולם – for if they had not sinned, we would not have come not the world. The passuk says they were like מלאכים, and as such, would not have had children, but after they sinned, concludes: אכן כאדם תמותון – but like men you shall die (and, likewise, have children). The Gemara proves that people would have had children, and therefore explains that it would be כמי שלא באנו לעולם – as if we did not come into the world, for if they would have lived forever, we would have been utterly insignificant relative to them.

This assertion that they would have lived forever is also challenged from a Baraisa teaching that Hashem said: לבטל מהם מלאך המות אי אפשר – to eliminate the מלאך המות is impossible, שכבר נגזרה גזרה – for the decree of death has already been issued. Rather, Yisroel accepted the Torah כדי שלא תהא אומה ולשון שולטת בהן – so that no nation or people should rule over them. The Gemara answers that Reish Lakish follows Rebbe Yose, who says that Yisroel accepted the Torah so the מלאך המות should not rule over them.

The Mishnah forbids doing business with idolators within three days before idolatrous festivals, out of a concern that they are purchasing the animals for sacrifices. The Gemara objects that a Mishnah teaches that on four days of the year (the day before שמיני עצרת, erev Pesach, erev Shavuos, and erev Rosh Hashanah), when many people purchase animals for meat, a seller must notify the purchaser if he sold that animal’s mother or offspring that day, so he will know not to shecht this animal until the day after (because the prohibition of אותו ואת בנו). This proves one only buys an animal one day before he needs it!?

The Gemara answers that where the animal is purchased for consumption, one day suffices, but animals for sacrifices might be purchased up to three days before. Although one must learn the laws of Pesach thirty days (or two weeks) prior to Pesach in order to prepare their korban pesach, that is because מומין are common for us, since even דוקין שבעין – a cataract disqualifies a korban. Idolators only disqualify an animal missing a limb (based on their law for bringing korbanos to Hashem).