{"id":13213,"date":"2010-09-16T18:44:12","date_gmt":"2010-09-16T18:44:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/production.ou.org\/life\/other\/masechet_shevuot_34a40b\/"},"modified":"2016-11-30T06:07:46","modified_gmt":"2016-11-30T11:07:46","slug":"masechet_shevuot_34a40b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/masechet_shevuot_34a40b\/","title":{"rendered":"Masechet Avodah Zarah 34a-40b"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>The Coming Week&#8217;s Daf Yomi by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This essay is based upon the insights and chidushim (original ideas) of Talmudic scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, as published in the Hebrew version of the Steinsaltz Edition of the Talmud.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Avodah Zara 34a-b: Rabbinic travels<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#gemara\">Gemara<\/a> relates that when <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=1033&amp;letter=A\">Rabbi Akiva <\/a>traveled to Ginzak, the community presented him with three questions that he could not answer \u2013<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Can someone accept upon himself a private fast for a number of hours rather than for an entire day?<\/li>\n<li>Can storage jars belonging to non-Jews be used or not?<\/li>\n<li>What clothing did Moshe wear when he was bringing sacrifices and playing the role of High Priest during the seven days of the dedication of the Tabernacle?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Since he could not answer these questions, he raised them in the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=957&amp;letter=B\">bet midrash<\/a><\/em> \u2013 the Rabbinic study hall, where he received answers to all of the questions \u2013<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A person is allowed to accept a fast of a number of hours; should he complete the fast he prays as according to the traditions of someone who fasted.<\/li>\n<li>Storage jars belonging to non-Jews can be used after twelve months, as we assume that whatever forbidden taste may have been in them has been nullified.<\/li>\n<li>Moshe, who was not a <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/jl.htm#kohen\">kohen<\/a><\/em>, did not wear the priestly garments, rather he wore a simple white cloak with no hem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We find the city of <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ganzak\">Ganzak<\/a>, located in North Western Persia \u2013 in the area then known as <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Medes\">Maddai<\/a> \u2013 mentioned in sources from the time of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/m.htm#mishna\">Mishnah<\/a>. We cannot be certain of its location, as some suggest that it was near <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lake_Urmia\">Lake Urmia <\/a>while others place it further north.<\/p>\n<p>While it is possible that Rabbi Akiva, who traveled widely in his lifetime, reached this city, which was far from the Jewish population centers in Babylon, nevertheless, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/rashi.htm\">Rashi<\/a> in <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/m.htm#masechet\">Masechet<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.steinsaltz.org\/learning.php?pg=Daf_Yomi&amp;articleId=502\">Ta&#8217;anit<\/a><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.steinsaltz.org\/learning.php?pg=Daf_Yomi&amp;articleId=512\">11b<\/a>) notes that it is difficult to uphold the reading that we find in our Gemara that attributes this story to Rabbi Akiva, since it is unlikely that one of the greatest Sages of Mishnaic times could not respond to these questions on his own. He suggests that the text should be amended to read &#8220;Mar Ukva&#8221; instead of Rabbi Akiva.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"><u>Avodah Zara 35a-b: Kosher milk and bakery bread<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/m.htm#mishna\">Mishnah<\/a> on today&#8217;s <em>daf<\/em> mentions a number of things that were forbidden by the Sages if a Jewish person was not involved in its production. For example, when an animal is milked without a Jewish person watching, or when bread is baked by a non-Jew \u2013 even if we are certain that there are no non-kosher ingredients \u2013 it is forbidden.<\/p>\n<p>Regarding milk, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#gemara\">Gemara<\/a> asks why there should be any concern since there is a distinctive difference in the color of kosher and non-kosher milk that we can recognize. The Gemara concludes that there may be small amounts of non-kosher ingredients added that are not obvious. Although the ruling of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=905&amp;letter=M\">Rambam<\/a> and the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/s.htm#shulchanaruch\">Shulchan Aruch<\/a><\/em> is that milk is only kosher if a Jew supervises the milking, given that the only concern is that there may be forbidden additives placed in the milk, there are contemporary <em>responsa<\/em> that permit the use of milk that has reliable government supervision.<\/p>\n<p>The concern with bread is not the ingredients \u2013 which must be kosher \u2013 but the possibility that joining with non-Jews at meals may lead to intermarriage and assimilation. The Gemara itself suggests that there may be situations where the bread is commercially baked where no such concern exists. Nevertheless, the simple reading of the Gemara seems to indicate that the Rabbinic injunction against non-Jewish bread that is brought in the Mishnah could not be removed.<\/p>\n<p>The Rambam, however, rules that in many places where bread baked by Jews was not readily available, people traditionally purchased commercially baked bread from non-Jews. The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=366&amp;letter=I\">Rama<\/a> attests to the fact that in the Ashkenazi communities it was commonplace to purchase such bread even if bread baked by Jews was available. This ruling is based on the fact that many <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/r.htm#rishon\">rishonim<\/a><\/em> (e.g. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/bc.htm#baaleitosafot\">Tosafot<\/a> and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=772&amp;letter=M\">Mordechai<\/a>) believe that this rabbinic injunction never became widespread and was not accepted by the masses, so there was no need to formally rescind it.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"><u>Avodah Zara 36a-b: Non-Jewish oil<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/m.htm#mishna\">Mishnah<\/a> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.steinsaltz.org\/learning.php?pg=Daf_Yomi&amp;articleId=2083\">38b<\/a>), in addition to non-Jewish milk and bread (see the discussion on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.steinsaltz.org\/learning.php?pg=Daf_Yomi&amp;articleId=2080\">yesterday&#8217;s <em>daf<\/em>, or page<\/a>), one of the things that was forbidden by the Sages was oil produced by non-Jews. The Mishnah, however, adds that the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/bc.htm#beitdin\">bet din<\/a><\/em> \u2013 the Jewish court \u2013 of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=601&amp;letter=J\">Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi<\/a> permitted the use of non-Jewish oil.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#gemara\">Gemara<\/a> on today&#8217;s <em>daf<\/em> deals with two issues relating to this law \u2013<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Who established the original Rabbinic prohibition?<\/li>\n<li>What gave later Sages the ability to abrogate this ruling?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With regard to the first question, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=127&amp;letter=A\">Rav<\/a> claims that the original prohibition stems from the time of Daniel, for we find in <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/s.htm#sefer\">Sefer<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#daniel\">Daniel<\/a><\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mechon-mamre.org\/p\/pt\/pt3401.htm#8\">1:8<\/a>) that he accepted upon himself to refrain from participating in the feasts and parties in Nebuchadnezzar&#8217;s palace. This is understood to mean that he refrained from both wine and oil that were served. While Rav views this story as the source of the prohibition, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=204&amp;letter=S\">Shmuel<\/a> argues that it was only a personal decision, but was not meant to apply to others. According to Shmuel, the prohibition against using non-Jewish oil originally was based on a concern that remnants of forbidden liquids had been absorbed by the vessels that held the oil, and that we fear that they will leach into the oil.<\/p>\n<p>Shmuel argues that according to his explanation, we can well understand why Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi later permitted this, since at a later time it became accepted to rule that <em>noten ta&#8217;am lefgam<\/em> \u2013 something with a negative taste \u2013 is not considered significant in contributing a forbidden taste to a mixture. According to Rav, however, we need to find an explanation as to how later Sages could undo a prohibition established by Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>Two related explanations are presented by the Gemara to explain this. The Gemara relates that the Sages first investigated and found that the prohibition against the use of non-Jewish oil was not kept by the majority of the Jewish community, and they relied on the ruling of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=732&amp;letter=S\">Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel<\/a> and Rabbi Elazar bar Tzadok that a Rabbinic ordinance that is beyond the capability of the majority of the people cannot be established as law.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"><u>Avodah Zara 37a-b: Kosher insects<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As a tangent to a different discussion the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#gemara\">Gemara<\/a> brings a <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=247&amp;letter=B&amp;search=baraita\">baraita<\/a><\/em> that quotes <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=429&amp;letter=J\">Yossi ben Yo&#8217;ezer<\/a> as ruling that an <em>el kamtzah<\/em> is kosher.<\/p>\n<p>An <em>el kamtzah <\/em>is a type of locust. The word <em>kamtzah<\/em> in Aramaic means locust, and the expression <em>el kamtzah<\/em> &#8211; a &#8220;ram locust&#8221; &#8211; probably refers to the fact that this particular type of locust had a head and antennae that appeared similar to ram&#8217;s horns (in many languages we find that beetles and insects are called by names of larger animals, e.g. the Hebrew word for a lady bug is <em>parat Moshe Rabbeinu<\/em> &#8211; Moses&#8217; cow).<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/torah.htm\">Torah<\/a> lists a number of locusts that are <em>tahor<\/em> &#8211; they are kosher and permissible to eat (see <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/tw.htm#vayikra\">Vayikra<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mechon-mamre.org\/p\/pt\/pt0311.htm#21\">11:21-22<\/a>). Since the Torah not only offers bodily indications of <em>kashrut<\/em>, but also gives the names of the locusts that are kosher, the Sages insisted that locusts could only be identified as kosher if there were additional signs that they fell into a kosher category. In many cases there was also an existing tradition with regard to their status. From its description in the Talmud, it appears that the <em>el kamtzah<\/em> had a different appearance than other kosher locusts, which is why there was a specific need for testimony that would establish its <em>kashrut<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Yossi ben Yo&#8217;ezer ish Tzreda was the first head of the pairs of scholars who are mentioned at the beginning of <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/m.htm#masechet\">Masechet<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/np.htm#pirkei\">Avot<\/a><\/em>, a student of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=1581&amp;letter=A\">Antigonos ish Sokho<\/a>. At that time, scholars were not given titles and were simply called by their names. According to the Talmud, Yossi ben Yo&#8217;ezer, who was a <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/jl.htm#kohen\">kohen<\/a><\/em>, lived during the period when the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem was made up of <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hellenists\">Hellenists<\/a>. He was put to death by his nephew Alkiyos, who was an evil <em>kohen<\/em>, and died a martyr&#8217;s death.<\/p>\n<p>He was known as the <em>chasid she-bakehunah<\/em> &#8211; the righteous among the priests &#8211; because he was particularly strict about issues of ritual purity. It was he who instituted the Rabbinic ordinance declaring the lands of the Diaspora to be considered ritually defiled. Although he was known for his strict positions in this area of <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#halachah\">halacha<\/a><\/em>, in other fields he was known to be lenient &#8211; so much so that he is sometimes referred to <em>Yossi sharya<\/em> &#8211; &#8220;Yossi, the one who permits.&#8221;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"><u>Avodah Zara 38a-b: <em>Bishul Akum<\/em> \u2013 Non-Jewish cooking<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/m.htm#mishna\">Mishnah<\/a> (38b), in addition to non-Jewish milk, oil and bread (see the discussions on <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.steinsaltz.org\/learning.php?pg=Daf_Yomi&amp;articleId=2080\">daf, or page 35<\/a><\/em> and <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.steinsaltz.org\/learning.php?pg=Daf_Yomi&amp;articleId=2081\">daf 36<\/a><\/em>), there were other problematic situations related to eating food prepared by non-Jews. One of the specific things that are mentioned are <em>shelakot<\/em> \u2013 cooked vegetables. This is the source for the general prohibition against eating <em>bishul akum<\/em> \u2013 food cooked by non-Jews.<\/p>\n<p>While the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#gemara\">Gemara<\/a> first associates this prohibition with a passage in the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/torah.htm\">Torah<\/a> \u2013 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=810&amp;letter=H\">Rabbi Chiya bar Abba<\/a> quotes <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=357&amp;letter=J\">Rabbi Yochanan <\/a>as teaching that this is based on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#devarim\">Devarim<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mechon-mamre.org\/p\/pt\/pt0502.htm#28\">2:28<\/a>, where Moshe offered to purchase limited types of food and water from the nations in the desert as the Children of Israel passed through their land \u2013 nevertheless the Gemara concludes that it is a prohibition of Rabbinic origin.<\/p>\n<p>In the Mishnah, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/rashi.htm\">Rashi<\/a> explains that the underlying reason for this prohibition was similar to that of the prohibitions against the use of non-Jewish milk and bread \u2013 a concern lest it lead to a close relationship that would lead to marriage and assimilation. Nevertheless, Rashi on our <em>daf<\/em> offers an alternative explanation \u2013 that we are afraid that eating food prepared by non-Jews will lead to a situation where the non-Jew may put non-kosher ingredients into the food.<\/p>\n<p>There are two limitations brought by the Gemara to this prohibition in the name of Rav Shmuel bar Rav Yitzhak quoting <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=127&amp;letter=A\">Rav<\/a> \u2013<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sura_Academy\">Sura<\/a> they taught that anything that is eaten raw does not fall into this category<\/li>\n<li>In <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pumbedita_Academy\">Pumbedita<\/a> they taught that anything that is not important enough to be served at the king&#8217;s table is not included in this category.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Both of these limitations are accepted as the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#halachah\">halacha<\/a><\/em>, so only food that is important enough to be served at a royal table and is not eaten raw will be forbidden if cooked by a non-Jew with no direct participation of a Jewish person. Today it is common practice for the <em>kashrut<\/em> supervisor to turn on the ovens at the beginning of the work day in order to ensure that the food is considered <em>bishul yisrael<\/em>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"><u>Avodah Zara 39a-b: Non-Jewish foods that are permitted<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Following discussions of foods prepared by non-Jews that are forbidden, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/m.htm#mishna\">Mishnah<\/a> on today&#8217;s <em>daf<\/em> (=page) enumerates products prepared by non-Jews that are permitted.<\/p>\n<p>In this list we find, among other things \u2013<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Milk that was milked by a non-Jew in the presence of a Jewish person<\/li>\n<li>Honey<\/li>\n<li>Clusters of juicy grapes<\/li>\n<li>Pickled food that does not ordinarily have wine or vinegar as one of its ingredients<\/li>\n<li>A leaf of the <em>hiltit<\/em> plant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#gemara\">Gemara<\/a> discusses each of these cases.<\/p>\n<p>Milk. Although the Mishnah appears to require that the Jewish person watch the milking process, the Gemara quotes a <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=247&amp;letter=B&amp;search=baraita\">baraita<\/a><\/em> that permits the milk as long as the Jewish person was in the vicinity, even if he was not watching. The Gemara explains that the very presence of the Jew will frighten the non-Jew and keep him from placing anything non-kosher in the milk. As we have already learned, some contemporary rabbis permit the use of milk that has government inspection guaranteeing the purity of the milk.<\/p>\n<p>Honey. The Gemara explains that the laws of <em>bishul akum<\/em> will not apply, since honey is eaten in its raw state (see <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.steinsaltz.org\/learning.php?pg=Daf_Yomi&amp;articleId=2083\">daf 38<\/a><\/em>), and any additives will ruin it, so there is no reason for concern.<\/p>\n<p>Clusters of juicy grapes. Although juice from the grapes may be squeezed out, it is not considered to be wine. Therefore there is no concern with a non-Jew having touched the juice.<\/p>\n<p>Pickled food.\u00a0 Although some pickled food commonly contains wine or wine-vinegar, which would make it forbidden, other foods that are pickled in a manner that does not include the use of wine or vinegar are permitted; the Sages did not establish a blanket prohibition on all pickled products.<\/p>\n<p>A leaf of the <em>hiltit<\/em> plant. The previous Mishnah (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.steinsaltz.org\/learning.php?pg=Daf_Yomi&amp;articleId=2080\">35b<\/a>) taught that drops of the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Asafoetida\">Ferula assafoetida<\/a><\/em> plant are forbidden, and the Gemara (39a) explained that this is because the bark may have been cut with a knife that had been used for non-kosher things. Regarding a leaf from the plant, there is no such concern.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"><u>Avodah Zara 40a-b: Statues and idols<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/torah.htm\">Torah<\/a> forbids deriving benefit from idols, and requires that such idols be destroyed at every opportunity (see, for example, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/di.htm#devarim\">Devarim<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mechon-mamre.org\/p\/pt\/pt0507.htm#25\">7:25-26<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mechon-mamre.org\/p\/pt\/pt0512.htm#2\">12:2-3<\/a>). Given that pagans prayed to many different things &#8211; including the sun and the moon, hills and valleys, rivers and seas &#8211; it is clear that these things cannot all become forbidden.<\/p>\n<p>The third <em>perek<\/em> (=chapter) of <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/m.htm#masechet\">Masechet<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.steinsaltz.org\/learning.php?pg=Daf_Yomi&amp;articleId=2046\">Avodah Zara<\/a>, Perek Kol ha-Tzelamim<\/em>, which begins on today&#8217;s <em>daf<\/em> (=page), deals with the questions that evolve from this reality. What is included in the command to destroy pagan idols? Under what circumstances may idols remain intact?<\/p>\n<p>The first <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/m.htm#mishna\">Mishnah<\/a> in the <em>perek<\/em> teaches that according to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=343&amp;letter=M\">Rabbi Meir<\/a>, all publicly displayed statues are forbidden \u2013 i.e. one cannot derive benefit from them \u2013 since they are worshipped once a year. The <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/about\/judaism\/bc.htm#chacham\">Chachamim<\/a><\/em>\u00a0rule that this is only the case if the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.steinsaltz.org\/Idol_grasping_staff.php\">statue grasps in his hand a staff<\/a>, a bird or a ball.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=732&amp;letter=S\">Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel <\/a>extends this to idols that are portrayed with anything in their hands.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Menachem_Meiri\">Meiri<\/a> explains that this Mishnah is not referring to cases where the statues are in a pagan house of prayer, because it is obvious in that case that all statues would be forbidden. This is talking about statues that are spread out in different places in the city. Since many idols had a specific day on the calendar when they were worshipped \u2013 according to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/view.jsp?artid=905&amp;letter=M\">Rambam<\/a>, the date was based on astronomical calculations \u2013 Rabbi Me&#8217;ir forbade all similar statues, as well.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Me&#8217;iri, the only statues that are of concern are those in human form, but other forms are not assumed to be worshipped. This appears to be the simple reading of the Mishnah. Nevertheless, the Rambam rules that any statue may be used in worship, and therefore the discussion in the Mishnah relates to all types of statues.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>In addition to his monumental translation and commentary on the Talmud, Rabbi Steinsaltz has authored dozens of books and hundreds of articles on a variety of topics, both Jewish and secular. For more information about Rabbi Steinsaltz&#8217;s groundbreaking work in Jewish education, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.steinsaltz.org\/\">www.steinsaltz.org<\/a> or contact the Aleph Society at 212-840-1166.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Coming Week&#8217;s Daf Yomi by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz This essay is based upon the insights and chidushim (original ideas) of Talmudic scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, as published in the Hebrew version of the Steinsaltz Edition of the Talmud. Avodah Zara 34a-b: Rabbinic travels The Gemara relates that when Rabbi Akiva traveled to Ginzak, the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":32003,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-torah","series-steinsaltz-daf-yomi"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Masechet Avodah Zarah 34a-40b - OU Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Coming Week&#039;s Daf Yomi (Avodah Zarah 34a-40b) by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz based upon insights &amp; chidushim published in the Steinsaltz Edition of the Talmud\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/masechet_shevuot_34a40b\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Masechet Avodah Zarah 34a-40b - OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Coming Week&#039;s Daf Yomi (Avodah Zarah 34a-40b) by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz based upon insights &amp; chidushim published in the Steinsaltz Edition of the Talmud\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/masechet_shevuot_34a40b\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-09-16T18:44:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-11-30T11:07:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/cheese-300x202.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"202\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/masechet_shevuot_34a40b\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/torah\/masechet_shevuot_34a40b\/\",\"name\":\"Masechet Avodah Zarah 34a-40b - 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