Commentary for Avodah Zarah 128:1
תניא נמי הכי בד"א שירשו אבל נשתתפו אסור
Who is a ger toshav? Any [Gentile] who takes upon himself in the presence of three haverim not to worship idols. Such is the statement of R. Meir; but the Sages declare: Any [Gentile] who takes upon himself the seven precepts which the sons of Noah undertook; and still others maintain: These do not come within the category of a ger toshav; but who is a ger toshav? A proselyte who eats of animals not ritually slaughtered, i.e., he took upon himself to observe all the precepts mentioned in the Torah apart from the prohibition of [eating the flesh of] animals not ritually slaughtered.
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
The difficulty is finally resolved by noting that inheritance is different. The rabbis allowed the convert to divide the inheritance in this manner because otherwise they feared that he would revert to being an idolater. After all, the loss of inheritance could be a major blow to his finances. But in a regular case of partnership, such a division is prohibited. The original baraita was not a case of a convert and therefore, since the Jew wants the idolatrous object to be preserved, it is prohibited.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy