1)

(a)Rebbi Nasan in a Beraisa says that, on the 'day of tax relief', they would announce that anybody who would place a crown on his own head or on that of his donkey - would be granted tax relief.

(b)A Jew who happens to be there, would be faced with the problem that - Mah Nafshach, if he complied, he would be benefiting from the Avodah-Zarah, whereas if he didn't, he would be causing it to benefit.

(c)Rebbi Nasan therefore ruled that whoever purchased ...

1. ... an animal - had to perform Ikur (which we will explain shortly).

2. ... fruit, clothes or destructible goods - had to let it rot.

3. ... money or metal goods - had to throws them into the Yam ha'Melach.

(d)Ikur entails - cutting off the leg (or the tendon) of the animal from below the knee (as we already learned).

2)

(a)This Beraisa poses a Kashya on Resh Lakish (who permits selling to Nochrim on their festivals) - inasmuch as it specifically forbids it 'because the seller will cause the Avodah-Zarah to benefit'.

(b)Rav Mesharshaya b'rei de'Rav Idi bar Avin answers that - the Beraisa is the opinion of Rebbi Nasan exclusively, whereas Resh Lakish, holds like the Rabbanan.

(c)According to Rebbi Yochanan however - the Rabbanan do not argue with Rebbi Nasan.

3)

(a)Another Beraisa - permits ...

1. ... purchasing animals, Avadim ... houses, fields and vineyards in the market from Nochrim, and ...

2. ... certifying the sale in Nochri courts ...

(b)... in spite of the fact that the Nochrim will go and give thanks to their gods for the esteem in which we hold them - because by authenticating one's sale, one spares oneself a potential loss (which is permitted, as opposed to making a gain, which is not).

(c)He also permits the owner, even if he is a Kohen, to travel ...

1. ... to Chutz la'Aretz for this purpose - in spite of the Din of Tum'as Meis that the Chachamim declared on the ground of Chutz la'Aretz.

2. ... through a Beis ha'Kevaros, if need be ...

(d)... though this is a problem - since the Isur involved is d'Oraysa, which the Rabbanan do not have a mandate to waive.

(e)The Beraisa must therefore be referring - to traversing a 'Beis ha'Pras' (a hundred Amos radius of a grave which was dug up whilst plowing), which is only an Isur de'Rabbanan.

4)

(a)The Tana also permits a Kohen to transgress the last two Isurim de'Rabbanan - if he wants to study Torah or to find a wife.

(b)Rebbi Yehudah qualifies the Heter to transgress in order to study Torah, confining it to where he has no other Rebbe from whom to learn. Rebbi Yossi permits it - even if he does ...

(c)... because sometimes one is destined to learn more from one Rebbe than from another.

(d)Rebbi Yossi proves his point from Yosef ha'Kohen - who followed his Rebbe to Tzidon (which was considered Chutz la'Aretz) together with his Rebbe (even though he could have learned with another Rebbe in Eretz Yisrael).

(e)Rebbi Yochanan ruled - like Rebbi Yossi.

5)

(a)The Tana (of the Beraisa) supports Resh Lakish - inasmuch as he permits the purchase of animals from Nochrim on market day.

(b)We know that Rebbi Yochanan was aware of the Beraisa - because he ruled like Rebbi Yossi in the Seifa.

(c)To reconcile Rebbi Yochanan with the Beraisa, he (Rebbi Yochanan) establishes ...

1. ... the Beraisa - where he bought from a private person (from whom the priests did not claim a tax).

2. ... our Mishnah - where he purchased from a storekeeper.

6)

(a)Another Beraisa - prohibits being Makdish, Machrim (declaring an object Cherem) or Ma'arich (undertaking to pay someone's 'value' to Hekdesh) nowadays.

(b)If someone did declare something Hekdesh, the Tana makes the same three distinctions between the various kinds of commodities as it did in the previous Beraisa. However, this Tana defines 'Ikur' - as confining the animal to its stable to die by itself, by locking the door in front of it.

(c)Abaye explains that this Tana disagrees with the previous Tana's definition of 'Ikur' ('cutting off the leg below the knee') - because of 'Bizayon Kodshim' (it is disrespectful to do that to Kodshim).

(d)Neither can we allow the animal to be Shechted - because then it will cause a Takalah (someone may inadvertently come to eat it).

7)

(a)According to Abaye, we cannot simply cut the animal in two because the Torah writes in Re'ei "ve'Nitatztem es Mizbechosam ... Lo Sa'asun Kein la'Hashem Elokeichem" (prohibiting wanton destruction of any form of Hekdesh). Rava explains - that it is forbidden to do so because 'Nir'eh ke'Matil Mum' (it looks like making a blemish on Kodshim).

(b)Rava refers to 'Nir'eh ke'Matil Mum' (and not of factually blemishing them) - because nowadays, when there is no Beis Hamikdash, and there is no Mitzvah to bring them, there is no Isur of blemishing them either.

(c)According to one Tana in Bechoros - the Torah forbids even creating a blemish on Kodshim that are already blemished.

(d)Nevertheless, Rava forbids it only because on account of 'Nir'eh ... ', because a Ba'al-Mum at least, can be redeemed and the money remains Hekdesh, whereas Kodshim nowadays, are not fit even for that.

8)

(a)When Rebbi Yonah once found Rebbi Ila'i standing by the gate of Tzur, he asked him whether Rebbi Nasan's Din 'Beheimah Te'aker' will apply to an Eved that one purchased at the Nochri market or not - with reference to an Eved Cana'ani.

(b)Rebbi Ila'i replied with a Beraisa, which rules that - if Ovdei-Kochavim and shepherds of small animals (see Tosfos DH 've'ha'Ro'in') fall into a deep pit, one is not obligated to rescue them, though one is not permitted to throw them there in the first place.

(c)The significance of shepherds of small animals is that - they are established Gazlanim, since they allow their animals to graze in other people's fields (see Tosfos DH 've'ha'Ro'in').

(d)This ruling resolves Rebbi Yonah's She'eilah - inasmuch as we see from here that one is not even permitted to kill (or maim) a Nochri (and certainly not an Eved Cana'ani [see M'lo ha'Ro'im]).

9)

(a)The Rabbanan of Rebbi Nasan permit the purchase of 'Beheimah, Avadim u'Shefachos' from Nochrim (in spite of the tax). Rebbi Yirmiyah asked Rebbi Zeira - whether 'Avadim' referred to Avadim Ivrim, or Avadim Cana'anim.

(b)Rebbi Zeira established the Beraisa by Avadim Ivrim - since, he claimed, there is no logical reason to permit the purchase of Avadim Cana'anim (seeing as it does not involve the least Mitzvah).

10)

(a)When Ravin arrived from Eretz Yisrael, he cited Resh Lakish who disagreed with Rebbi Zeira. In his opinion - it is a Mitzvah to remove the Eved Cana'ani from his Nochri master, and bring him under the wings of the Shechinah.

(b)Rav Ashi refuted that reason however, from the very Beraisa itself - which also permits the purchase of animals (where this reason does not apply).

(c)He therefore attributet the concession of buying animals and Avadim Cana'anim from the Nochrim to the fact that - one diminishes the Nochri's property (thereby diminishing his power and influence).

11)

(a)Rebbi Ya'akov purchased shoes from a Nochri; Rebbi Yirmiyah purchased bread.

(b)Neither sinned, based on a statement by Rebbi Aba brei de'Rebbi Chiya bar Aba - who confines the prohibition of purchasing from a Nochri to purchasing from a storekeeper, who will receive a tax-reprieve in return (for which he will go and thank his god), but permits purchasing from a private person, who will not ...

(c)... and Rebbi Ya'akov and Rebbi Yirmiyah asked each other whether his Rebbe would have done what he did - on the mistaken belief that he had made his purchase from a storekeeper.

(d)Rebbi Aba brei de'Rebbi Chiya bar Aba however, was not happy with his own concession. He commented that Rebbi Yochanan would not have permitted even buying from a private individual - because it seems, they began extending the tax relief to private individuals too.

(e)In light of that, we will have to explain that - Rebbi Ya'akov and Rebbi Yirmiyah must have purchased from temporary residents, from whom no tax was claimed in the first place.

12)

(a)Our Mishnah - forbids the sale of Itztrublin and B'nos-Shu'ach, P'totros, Levonah (which will all be explained in the Sugya) and a white rooster ...

(b)... because they are all used in connection with Avodah-Zarah.

(c)Rebbi Yehudah qualifies the last item on the list - by permitting it as long as one sells it mixed in a batch of chickens.

(d)The Tana advises someone who wants to sell a single white rooster to a Nochri - to cut off its claws (because a Nochri is forbidden to bring a sacrifice that is missing a limb).

13)

(a)With regard to other things, the Tana Kama concludes, 'S'taman Asur u'Perushan Mutar'. Rebbi Meir - forbids selling 'Dekel Tav, Chatzav ve'Niklav' to a Nochri (All of this will be explained later).