## Avodah Zarah Daf 2b

###### Avodah Zarah 2b:1
[Avodah Zarah 2b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:1)

וְסוֹפְרֶיהָ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְיֵאָסְפוּ לְאֻמִּים״, וְאֵין ״לְאוֹם״ אֶלָּא מַלְכוּת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וּלְאֹם מִלְּאֹם יֶאֱמָץ״. וּמִי אִיכָּא עִרְבּוּבְיָא קַמֵּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא? אֶלָּא כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלָא לִיעַרְבְּבוּ אִינְהוּ [בַּהֲדֵי הֲדָדֵי], דְּלִישְׁמְעוּ מַאי דְּאָמַר לְהוּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**with their scholars, as it is stated: “And let the peoples [*le’umim*] be assembled”** (Isaiah 43:9); **and** the term ***le’om*** means **nothing other than kingdom, as it is stated: “And the one kingdom [*ule’om*] shall be stronger than the other kingdom [*mile’om*]”** (Genesis 25:23). The Gemara asks: **But is** it possible for **there** to be **intermingling before the Holy One, Blessed be He,** that it should be necessary for each nation to stand and be addressed separately? **Rather,** the nations are instructed to stand separately **so that they will not become intermingled with each other** in order **that they will** each **hear what He says to them.**


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:2
[Avodah Zarah 2b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:2)

[מִיָּד] נִכְנְסָה לְפָנָיו מַלְכוּת רוֹמִי תְּחִלָּה. מַאי טַעְמָא? מִשּׁוּם דַּחֲשִׁיבָא. וּמְנָלַן דַּחֲשִׁיבָא? דִּכְתִיב: ״וְתֵאכֻל כׇּל אַרְעָא וּתְדוּשִׁנַּהּ וְתַדְּקִינַּהּ״. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: זוֹ רוֹמִי חַיֶּיבֶת שֶׁטִּבְעָהּ יָצָא בְּכׇל הָעוֹלָם.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Immediately, the Roman Empire enters first before Him.** The Gemara asks: **What is the reason** that the Roman Empire enters first? It is **because** the Roman Empire is the most **important** of all of the nations. **And from where do we** derive **that it is** the most **important? As it is written** in the book of Daniel with regard to the fourth empire that will rule over the world: **“And it shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces”** (Daniel 7:23), and **Rabbi Yoḥanan says: This** empire that will devour the earth is **the wicked Roman** Empire, **whose name spread throughout the world.**


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:3
[Avodah Zarah 2b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:3)

וּמְנָא לַן דְּמַאן דַּחֲשִׁיב עָיֵיל בְּרֵישָׁא? כִּדְרַב חִסְדָּא, דְּאָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: מֶלֶךְ וְצִבּוּר — מֶלֶךְ נִכְנָס תְּחִלָּה לְדִין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״לַעֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפַּט עַבְדּוֹ וּמִשְׁפַּט עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹ׳״. וְטַעְמָא מַאי? אִיבָּעֵית אֵימָא: לָאו אוֹרַח אַרְעָא לְמֵיתַב מַלְכָּא מֵאַבָּרַאי, וְאִיבָּעֵית אֵימָא: מִקַּמֵּי דְּלִיפּוֹשׁ חֲרוֹן אַף.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And from where do we** derive **that whoever is** more **important enters first?** This is **in accordance with** a statement **of Rav Ḥisda, as Rav Ḥisda says:** When **a king and a community** are brought before God for judgment, the **king enters for judgment first, as it is stated: “That He make the judgment of His servant and the judgment of His people Israel,** as every day shall require” (I Kings 8:59). **And what is the reason** that it is important for the king to enter first? **If you wish, say** that it is **not proper conduct for the king to stand outside** and wait for the trial of his subjects to end. **And if you wish, say** instead that the king is brought in first so that he may be judged **before** God’s **anger intensifies** due to the sins of the community.


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:4
[Avodah Zarah 2b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:4)

אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: בְּמַאי עֲסַקְתֶּם? אוֹמְרִים לְפָנָיו: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, הַרְבֵּה שְׁוָוקִים תִּקַנְּינוּ, הַרְבֵּה מֶרְחֲצָאוֹת עָשִׂינוּ, הַרְבֵּה כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב הִרְבֵּינוּ, וְכוּלָּם לֹא עָשִׂינוּ אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְעַסְּקוּ בְּתוֹרָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara returns to its narration of the future judgment. First, the members of the Roman Empire enter. **The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them: With what did you occupy yourselves? They say before Him** in response: **Master of the Universe, we have established many marketplaces, we have built many bathhouses,** and **we have increased much silver and gold. And we did all** of this **only for** the sake of **the Jewish people, so that they would** be free to **engage in Torah** study.


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:5
[Avodah Zarah 2b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:5)

אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: שׁוֹטִים שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם, כׇּל מַה שֶּׁעֲשִׂיתֶם לְצוֹרֶךְ עַצְמְכֶם עֲשִׂיתֶם, תִּקַּנְתֶּם שְׁוָוקִים לְהוֹשִׁיב בָּהֶן זוֹנוֹת, מֶרְחֲצָאוֹת לְעַדֵּן בָּהֶן עַצְמְכֶם, כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב שֶׁלִּי הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״לִי הַכֶּסֶף וְלִי הַזָּהָב נְאֻם ה׳ צְבָאוֹת״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them: Fools of the world!** Are you attempting to deceive Me? **Everything that you did, you did for your own needs. You established marketplaces to place prostitutes in them;** you built **bathhouses for your own enjoyment;** and as for the **silver and gold** that you claim to have increased, **it is Mine, as it is stated: “Mine is the silver, and Mine the gold, said the Lord of hosts”** (Haggai 2:8).


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:6
[Avodah Zarah 2b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:6)

כְּלוּם יֵשׁ בָּכֶם מַגִּיד זֹאת? שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״מִי בָכֶם יַגִּיד זֹאת״, וְאֵין ״זֹאת״ אֶלָּא תּוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְזֹאת הַתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר שָׂם מֹשֶׁה״. מִיָּד יָצְאוּ בְּפַחֵי נֶפֶשׁ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Is there no one among you who can declare** that they have studied **this** Torah? This is the meaning of the continuation of the verse from Isaiah, **as it is stated: “Who among them can declare this?”** (Isaiah 43:9). **And “this”** is referring to **nothing other than** the **Torah, as it is stated: “And this is the Torah that Moses set** before the children of Israel” (Deuteronomy 4:44), and whoever did not engage in its study does not receive reward. **Immediately,** the members of the Roman Empire **leave disappointed.**


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:7
[Avodah Zarah 2b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:7)

יָצָאת מַלְכוּת רוֹמִי, וְנִכְנְסָה מַלְכוּת פָּרַס אַחֲרֶיהָ. מַאי טַעְמָא? דְּהָא חֲשִׁיבָא בָּתְרַהּ. וּמְנָלַן? דִּכְתִיב: ״וַאֲרוּ חֵיוָא אָחֳרִי תִּנְיָנָא דָּמְיָא לְדֹב״, וְתָנֵי רַב יוֹסֵף: אֵלּוּ פַּרְסִיִּים, שֶׁאוֹכְלִין וְשׁוֹתִין כְּדוֹב, וּמְסוּרְבָּלִין [בָּשָׂר] כְּדוֹב, וּמְגַדְּלִין שֵׂעָר כְּדוֹב, וְאֵין לָהֶם מְנוּחָה כְּדוֹב.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**The Roman Empire leaves, and the Persian Empire enters after it. What is the reason** that the Persian Empire enters second? The reason is **that after** the Roman Empire it is the next most **important. And from where do we** derive this? **As it is written** in Daniel’s vision: **“And behold another beast, a second, like a bear”** (Daniel 7:5). **And Rav Yosef teaches: These are the Persians,** who are compared to a bear, **as they eat and drink** copious amounts **as** does **a bear, and they are fleshy like a bear, and they grow** their **hair** long **as** does **a bear, and they never rest, like a bear,** which is constantly on the move from one place to another.


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:8
[Avodah Zarah 2b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:8)

אֹמֵר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: בְּמַאי עֲסַקְתֶּם? אוֹמְרִים לְפָנָיו: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, הַרְבֵּה גְּשָׁרִים גָּשַׁרְנוּ, הַרְבֵּה כְּרַכִּים כָּבַשְׁנוּ, הַרְבֵּה מִלְחָמוֹת עָשִׂינוּ, וְכוּלָּם לֹא עָשִׂינוּ אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְעַסְּקוּ בַּתּוֹרָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them: With what did you occupy yourselves? They say before Him** in response: **Master of the Universe, we have built many bridges, we have conquered many cities,** and **we have fought many wars. And we did all** of this **only for** the sake of **the Jewish people, so that they would engage in Torah** study.


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:9
[Avodah Zarah 2b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:9)

אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: כׇּל מַה שֶּׁעֲשִׂיתֶם לְצוֹרֶךְ עַצְמְכֶם עֲשִׂיתֶם, תִּקַּנְתֶּם גְּשָׁרִים לִיטּוֹל מֵהֶם מֶכֶס, כְּרַכִּים לַעֲשׂוֹת בָּהֶם אַנְגַּרְיָא, מִלְחָמוֹת אֲנִי עָשִׂיתִי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״ה׳ אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה״, כְּלוּם יֵשׁ בָּכֶם מַגִּיד זֹאת? שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״מִי בָכֶם יַגִּיד זֹאת״, וְאֵין ״זֹאת״ אֶלָּא תּוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְזֹאת הַתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר שָׂם מֹשֶׁה״, מִיָּד יָצְאוּ מִלְּפָנָיו בְּפַחֵי נֶפֶשׁ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them: Everything that you did, you did for your own needs. You established bridges to collect taxes from** all who pass over **them.** You conquered **cities to use** their residents for **forced labor [*angareya*];** and with regard to fighting the **wars, I wage** wars, and your success is from Me, **as it is stated: “The Lord is a man of war”** (Exodus 15:3). **Is there no one among you who can declare** that they have studied **this** Torah? **As it is stated: “Who among them can declare this”** (Isaiah 43:9), **and “this”** is referring to **nothing other than the Torah, as it is stated: “And this is the Torah that Moses set”** (Deuteronomy 4:44). **Immediately,** the members of the Persian Empire **leave from before Him disappointed.**


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:10
[Avodah Zarah 2b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:10)

וְכִי מֵאַחַר דַּחֲזָית מַלְכוּת פָּרַס לְמַלְכוּת רוֹמִי דְּלָא מַהְנְיָא וְלָא מִידֵּי, מַאי טַעְמָא עָיְילָא? אָמְרִי: אִינְהוּ סָתְרִי בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וַאֲנַן בָּנִינַן, וְכֵן לְכׇל אוּמָּה וְאוּמַהּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **But once the Persian Empire sees that** everything said by **the Roman Empire is completely ineffective, what is the reason** that they **come** forward? The Gemara answers: They believe that their claims will be more effective, as **they say:** The Romans **destroyed the** Second **Temple, and we** had **built** it, as the Second Temple was constructed under the auspices and with the encouragement of Cyrus, the king of Persia. The Gemara adds: **And likewise,** a similar exchange occurred **with each and every nation.**


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:11
[Avodah Zarah 2b:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:11)

וְכִי מֵאַחַר דַּחֲזוֹ לְקַמָּאֵי דְּלָא מַהֲנֵי וְלָא מִידֵּי, מַאי טַעְמָא עָיְילִי? סָבְרִי: הָנָךְ אִישְׁתַּעְבַּדוּ בְּהוּ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, וַאֲנַן לָא שַׁעְבַּדְנוּ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. מַאי שְׁנָא הָנֵי דַּחֲשִׁיבִי, וּמַאי שְׁנָא הָנֵי דְּלָא חֲשִׁיבִי לְהוּ? מִשּׁוּם דְּהָנָךְ מָשְׁכִי בְּמַלְכוּתַיְיהוּ עַד דְּאָתֵי מְשִׁיחָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **But once** the other nations **see that** everything said by **the first ones,** Rome and Persia, **is completely ineffective, what is the reason** that they **come** forward? The Gemara answers that **they think: Those** Empires **subjugated the Jewish people, but we did not subjugate the Jewish people.** The Gemara further asks: **What is different** about **these,** Rome and Persia, **which were singled out** explicitly, **and what is different** about **those** other empires that come afterward, **which were not singled out** and mentioned by name? It is **because** with regard to **these,** Rome and Persia, **their kingship extends until the coming of the Messiah.**


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:12
[Avodah Zarah 2b:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:12)

אוֹמְרִים לְפָנָיו: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, כְּלוּם נָתַתָּ לָנוּ וְלֹא קִיבַּלְנוּהָ? וּמִי מָצֵי לְמֵימַר הָכִי? וְהָכְתִיב: ״וַיֹּאמַר ה׳ מִסִּינַי בָּא וְזָרַח מִשֵּׂעִיר לָמוֹ״, וּכְתִיב: ״אֱלוֹהַּ מִתֵּימָן יָבוֹא וְגוֹ׳״. מַאי בָּעֵי בְּשֵׂעִיר, וּמַאי בָּעֵי בְּפָארָן?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The nations will **say before** God: **Master of the Universe, did You give us** the Torah **and we did not accept it?** Since we never received the Torah, why are we being judged for not fulfilling its mitzvot? The Gemara asks: **And can one say that** they were never offered the Torah? **But isn’t it written** in the description of the giving of the Torah: **“And he said: The Lord came from Sinai, and rose from Seir unto them”** (Deuteronomy 33:2), **and it is written: “God comes from Teman,** and the Holy One from mount Paran” (Habakkuk 3:3). And the Sages asked: **What** did God **require in Seir and what** did He **require in Paran?** The Torah was not given in those locations.


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:13
[Avodah Zarah 2b:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:13)

אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהֶחְזִירָהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַל כׇּל אוּמָּה וְלָשׁוֹן, וְלֹא קִבְּלוּהָ, עַד שֶׁבָּא אֵצֶל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְקִבְּלוּהָ!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
And **Rabbi Yoḥanan says:** This **teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, took** the Torah **around to every nation and** those who speak every **language,** such as the Edomites in Seir and the Ishmaelites in Paran, **but they did not accept it, until He came to the Jewish people and they accepted it.** If the other nations all rejected the Torah, how can they excuse themselves by claiming that it was never offered to them?


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:14
[Avodah Zarah 2b:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:14)

אֶלָּא הָכִי אָמְרִי: כְּלוּם קִיבַּלְנוּהָ וְלֹא קִיַּימְנוּהָ? וְעַל דָּא תְּבָרְתְּהוֹן, אַמַּאי לָא קַבֵּלְתּוּהָ? אֶלָּא כָּךְ אוֹמְרִים לְפָנָיו: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, כְּלוּם כָּפִיתָ עָלֵינוּ הַר כְּגִיגִית וְלֹא קִבַּלְנוּהָ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁעָשִׂיתָ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rather, this** is what **they say: Did we accept** the Torah **and** then **not fulfill** its mitzvot? The Gemara asks: **But this** itself **serves as the refutation of their** own claim, as one can respond: **Why didn’t you accept it? Rather, this** is what the nations of the world **say before Him: Master of the Universe, did You overturn the mountain above us like a basin, and we** still **did not accept** the Torah, **as You did for the Jewish people?**


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:15
[Avodah Zarah 2b:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:15)

דִּכְתִיב: ״וַיִּתְיַצְּבוּ בְּתַחְתִּית הָהָר״, וְאָמַר רַב דִּימִי בַּר חָמָא: מְלַמֵּד שֶׁכָּפָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הַר כְּגִיגִית עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאָמַר לָהֶם: אִם אַתֶּם מְקַבְּלִין אֶת הַתּוֹרָה — מוּטָב, וְאִם לָאו — שָׁם תְּהֵא קְבוּרַתְכֶם!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara provides the background for this claim: **As it is written: “And they stood at the nether part of the mount”** (Exodus 19:17), **and Rav Dimi bar Ḥama says:** The verse **teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, overturned the mountain,** i.e., Mount Sinai, **above the Jews like a basin, and** He **said to them: If you accept the Torah, excellent, and if not, there,** under the mountain, **will be your burial.** The nations of the world will claim that they too could have been coerced to accept the Torah.


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:16
[Avodah Zarah 2b:16](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:16)

מִיָּד אוֹמֵר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: הָרִאשׁוֹנוֹת יַשְׁמִיעוּנוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְרִאשׁוֹנוֹת יַשְׁמִיעֻנוּ״, שֶׁבַע מִצְוֹת שֶׁקִּיבַּלְתֶּם הֵיכָן קִיַּימְתֶּם?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Immediately, the Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them: The first** mitzvot **will let us hear** the truth, **as it is stated** in the continuation of the same verse under discussion: **“And announce to us the first things”** (Isaiah 43:9). With regard to the **seven** Noahide **mitzvot** that preceded the giving of the Torah **that** even **you accepted, where** is the proof that **you fulfilled them?**


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:17
[Avodah Zarah 2b:17](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:17)

וּמְנָלַן דְּלֹא קִיְּימוּם? דְּתָנֵי רַב יוֹסֵף: ״עָמַד וַיְמֹדֶד אֶרֶץ רָאָה וַיַּתֵּר גּוֹיִם״, מַאי רָאָה? רָאָה שֶׁבַע מִצְוֹת שֶׁקִּבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶן בְּנֵי נֹחַ וְלֹא קִיְּימוּם, כֵּיוָן שֶׁלֹּא קִיְּימוּם עָמַד וְהִתִּירָן לָהֶן. אִיתְּגוֹרֵי אִיתְּגוּר? אִם כֵּן מָצִינוּ חוֹטֵא נִשְׂכָּר!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And from where do we** derive **that they did not fulfill them? As Rav Yosef teaches** in explanation of the verse: **“He stands, and shakes the earth, He sees, and makes the nations tremble [*vayater*]”** (Habakkuk 3:6): **What did** God **see? He saw** the **seven mitzvot that the descendants of Noah accepted upon themselves, and** He saw that they **did not fulfill them. Since they did not fulfill them, He arose and nullified for them [*vehitiran*]** the command to heed these mitzvot. The Gemara asks: Do they **gain** from not obeying, as they are now released from the obligation to fulfill these mitzvot? **If so, we find** that **a sinner profits** from his transgression.


###### Avodah Zarah 2b:18
[Avodah Zarah 2b:18](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/2b:18)

אָמַר מָר בְּרֵיהּ דְּרָבִינָא:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Mar, son of Ravina, said:**