tiles (i.e., idolaters). Yet the issue is not social separation in an absolute
sense, that is, over the entire spectrum of arenas constituting the socially
constructed world. Rather, the Mishnahattempts to sort out rules where two
social spheres overlap: the cultic, and the commercial.
TheMishnah,of course, assumes the biblical prohibition of worship, by
Jews, of foreign gods. As noted, Jews may not engage in such worship
themselves, as individuals or as a group. Nor may they do so in fellowship
with non-Jews. Thus, with respect to the social category of foreign cults, a
firm and impermeable social boundary exists. The Mishnahappears to
assume, however, that Jews will still engage in commercial relationships
with non-Jewish worshippers of foreign deities. In the commercial sphere,
there is either no boundary at all between Jew and Gentile, or one that is
highly permeable. So m. Avodah Zarah1:1–2 implicitly works with two social
spheres, foreign cultic and commercial. Social segregation or avoidance
(and, perhaps, rivalry and competition) is assumed to apply generally to the
first, but not to the second.
A third, unstated assumption is at work in m. Avodah Zarah1:1–2. There
is a certain range of human activities wherein the commercial and cultic
spheres overlap, namely, commercial enterprise with non-Jews on the non-
Jews’ holy days. For the Mishnah,the distinction between commercial and
cultic spheres blurs at this point, since, as subsequent passages and chap-
ters of this tractate surmise, the cultic celebration invades commercial
activity for non-Jews on these days. For Jews, the biblical prohibition of
commerce on holy days means that their own cultic and commercial spheres
are totally separate; but this is not so for Gentiles. Therefore, ironically, the
Jewish prohibition of commerce on Jewish holy days is extended to a fur-
ther prohibition of commerce with Gentiles on the Gentiles’ holy days.
However, the reason, left unstated in the Mishnah,seems to be that such
commercial activity would amount to indirect participation in, or complicit
fostering of, idolatrous cults.
Mishnah Avodah Zarah1:1–2 is specifically concerned with definitional
questions surrounding this issue. When does the overlap of the commer-
cial and Gentile-cultic spheres begin and end? What activities are central
to commercial activity? (In this regard, the reasoning of the contrived for-
mulaic debate [1:1F following], which glosses the opinion attributed to
Rabbi Judah [1:1D-E], misses the point: not an uncommon trait of Mish-
naic passages cast in debate form.) Mishnah Avodah Zarah1:3 (not cited
above) carries the conversation further to consider what counts as a Gen-
tile holy day. For example, does a personal holy day of a private person
count? Finally, 1:4 (again, not cited, but dealt with extensively by Basser)
nora
(Nora)
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