Commentary for Avodah Zarah 51:11
ואי אשמעינן מניקה בההיא קאמר רבי מאיר דאסור משום דשייפא ליה סם לדד מאבראי וקטלא ליה אבל מילדת דלא אפשר היכא דאחרות עומדות על גבה אימא מודי להו לרבנן צריכא
If [on the other hand] we were told only about nursing, [we might have thought that] only in that case does R. Meir forbid, because she could kill the child by applying poison to her breast beforehand, but in the case of a midwife, where she could do no harm while others are standing by her, he might agree with the Rabbis; [hence both are] necessary.
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
This story involves the thieves of Babylonia. In the story, the thieves pay a price when Rav Menashe puts them under the dreaded ban.
In the end, the Bavli notes how much greater the generally violent robbers in the land of Israel are than the mere thieves in Babylonia. The robbers praised R. Akiva for his sound advice, whereas the thieves cursed R. Judah.
In the end, the Bavli notes how much greater the generally violent robbers in the land of Israel are than the mere thieves in Babylonia. The robbers praised R. Akiva for his sound advice, whereas the thieves cursed R. Judah.
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Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
The Talmud now explains why we need both baraitot. If we only had the source about the prohibition of midwifery, we might have thought that the rabbis agree with R. Meir that it is prohibited for a non-Jewish woman to nurse a Jewish child, because she might be able to surreptitiously kill the child. The sages would permit midwifery because it is easier to supervise.
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