Laws of bishul akum (food cooked by a non-Jew) – details about when it is permitted and when it is forbidden are discussed. What is considered “cooking,” if a Jew is involved in part of the cooking process – what type of involvement is necessary, etc.

The gemara continues to discuss the items mentioned in the mishna that come from non-Jews that cannot be eaten but it is not forbidden to benefit from them. The gemara explains what the issues surrounding each case are. Within this context, issues of who among Jews can be trusted/not trusted for kashrut and other issues…

Study Guide Avoda Zara 41. Can one derive benefit from statues or are they forbidden as maybe they were worshipped by people? Does it depend on the type of/location/object being held by the statue? What about broken pieces of a statue? Would the same hold for broken pieces of an actual idol?

Rabbi Yochanan continues to bring several sources that seem to contradict Reish Lakish’s claim that broken pieces from an idol are permissible. Reish Lakish then brings one source to contradict Rabbi Yochanan. All the sources are resolved. The mishna discusses one who finds images with engravings of certain images. Depending on what the image is will…

If it is forbidden to carve images in the shape of the sun and moon, how is it that Rabban Gamliel made images of the moon to use in questioning witnesses for the new moon?

Study Guide Avoda Zara 44 Rabbi Yosi and the rabbis debate whether or not one should (and can) crush the idol and scatter it to the wind or not? Is it considered benefitting from as it can fertilize the land? A braita is brought in which Rabbi Yosi and the rabbis debate the meaning of…

Study Guide Avoda Zara 45-46. Can one benefit from a tree that was originally planted not for the purposes of idol worshipped but later used for idol worship? What about rocks that fall from a mountain – are they like the mountain and it is permitted to benefit from them or not? Items that are…

Different aspects of the forbidden nature of the asheira tree are discussed.

Sponsored in memory of David ben Refael. Study Guide Avoda Zara 49. Rabbi Yosi and the rabbis debate in the mishna whether one needs to be concerned about the benefit gained from leaves falling from an ashera tree that will fertilize the crops. This is understood to be part of a broader debate about when something…

Study Guide Avoda Zara 50 If one finds rocks beside the idol Markolis (Mercury), in what case should one assume that the rocks came from the idol and would be forbidden to benefit from them? If roads are paved by non-Jews who took rocks from there, can we walk on those roads as the rocks…