Avodah Zarah 3:4
When does an idol own the bathhouse?
砖讗诇 驻专讜拽诇讜住 讘谉 驻诇讜住驻讜住 讗转 专讘谉 讙诪诇讬讗诇 讘注讻讜, 砖讛讬讛 专讜讞抓 讘诪专讞抓 砖诇 讗驻专讜讚讬讟讬, 讗诪专 诇讜, 讻转讜讘 讘转讜专转讻诐, 讜诇讗 讬讚讘拽 讘讬讚讱 诪讗讜诪讛 诪谉 讛讞专诐. 诪驻谞讬 诪讛 讗转讛 专讜讞抓 讘诪专讞抓 砖诇 讗驻讚讜讚讬讟讬. 讗诪专 诇讜, 讗讬谉 诪砖讬讘讬谉 讘诪专讞抓. 讜讻砖讬爪讗 讗诪专 诇讜, 讗谞讬 诇讗 讘讗转讬 讘讙讘讜诇讛, 讛讬讗 讘讗转 讘讙讘讜诇讬. 讗讬谉 讗讜诪专讬诐 谞注砖讛 诪专讞抓 诇讗驻专讜讚讬讟讬 谞讜讬, 讗诇讗 讗讜诪专讬诐, 谞注砖讛 讗驻专讜讚讬讟讬 谞讜讬 诇诪专讞抓. 讚讘专 讗讞专, 讗诐 谞讜转谞讬谉 诇讱 诪诪讜谉 讛专讘讛, 讗讬 讗转讛 谞讻谞住 诇注讘讜讚讛 讝专讛 砖诇讱 注专讜诐 讜讘注诇 拽专讬 讜诪砖转讬谉 讘驻谞讬讛, 讜讝讜 注讜诪讚转 注诇 驻讬 讛讘讬讘 讜讻诇 讛注诐 诪砖转讬谞讬谉 诇驻谞讬讛. 诇讗 谞讗诪专, 讗诇讗 讗诇讛讬讛诐. 讗转 砖谞讜讛讙 讘讜 诪砖讜诐 讗诇讜讛, 讗住讜专. 讜讗转 砖讗讬谞讜 谞讜讛讙 讘讜 诪砖讜诐 讗诇讜讛, 诪转专.
Proklos, son of Plosphos asked Rabban Gamliel a question in Akko, where he was washing in Aphrodite鈥檚 bathhouse. He said to [Rabban Gamliel], 鈥淚sn鈥檛 it written in your Torah (Deut. 13:18), 鈥榙o not allow any banned items [from idol worshippers] to stick to your hand鈥�? How then do you bathe in Aphrodite鈥檚 bathhouse?鈥� He replied, 鈥淥ne does not respond [to religious questions] in the bath.鈥� Once he exited, [Rabban Gamliel] said to him, 鈥淚 did not enter her domain, but she entered mine. [Further], people don鈥檛 say, 鈥榣et鈥檚 make a bath as a decoration for Aphrodite.鈥� Rather, they say, 鈥榣et鈥檚 make a statue of Aphrodite as a decoration for our bath.鈥欌�� Another reason: Even if someone paid you lots of money, you wouldn鈥檛 commence your idol worship if you were naked or sticky*, nor would you urinate before [your sacred object]. But this [statue of Aphrodite] stands over the sewer and everyone urinates before it. The verse 鈥渢hese are your gods鈥� (Exod. 32:4) is not said about this case. If a [statue] is treated as a god, then it is forbidden, but if it is not treated as a god, then it is permitted [to be in its presence].
Comments
Our ancestors lived in a diverse society where many of their neighbors worshipped idols. Public institutions like the bathhouse might be decorated with pagan imagery鈥攃ould Jews continue to use them? This mishnah reflects ambivalence about the participation in general society. Rabban Gamliel鈥檚 policy seems to be designed to maximize his freedom to participate in the broader society.
*Sticky is my translation of ba鈥檃l keri, which refers to a man who has ejaculated and not had the opportunity to immerse in the mikveh. In early rabbinic society, such men were not allowed to worship or study Torah, but this restriction was dropped as impracticable.
Question
Even today, pagan mythology has great appeal in popular literature, film, and art. What precautions are appropriate to avoid the impression that the gods are being venerated?
