Commentary for Avodah Zarah 128:17

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.

According to R. Nahman, the ger toshav cannot annul idols since he does not worship them.

The baraita says that only a non-Jew can annul an idol, but that he can annul idols belonging to his fellow and it also says that he can do so whether he worships it or not. These two phrases cannot be synonymous for if they are, the baraita would seem to be repetitive. Therefore, the Talmud interprets the phrase “he does not worship it” to refer to a ger toshav, who, it seems, can annul an idol.

The Talmud rejects this understanding and gives a simpler meaning of the baraita. The first clause refers to a case where both idolaters worship the same god, and the second refers to those who worship different gods. One who worships Peor can annul the idol of one who worships Mercurius, because both are idolaters. But a ger toshav cannot annul idols because he does not worship them.

There are a lot of opinions here as to what exactly constitutes a ger toshav. I will focus on the opinion of “others.” Basically, this person keeps the Jewish laws, he just does not want to eat kosher meat. Perhaps the issue here is that fully keeping kosher, especially only eating meat slaughtered in a kosher manner, would separate himself from other people and while he believes in the commandments, he does not want to cut himself off socially from others. This might also be why we can leave him alone with wine—he does not himself make wine into yayin nesekh because he is not an idolater. But since he will have other non-Jews around him for social reasons, if we leave wine with him for a long time by depositing it, it becomes prohibited. In other words, this person believes like a Jew, mostly acts like a Jew, but wants to maintain the tribe of “non-Jew.” I think this has interesting implications as to what it means to be a Jew.

Nahman b. Yitzchak says that the ger toshav is considered a non-Jew with regard to the issue of the eruv. An eruv is a meal shared by all members of a courtyard and allows them to carry from the house into the courtyard. But in order for this to work all members of the courtyard must participate in the eruv. A Jew who forgot to participate in the eruv may symbolically transfer or renounce his ownership, but not an apostate Jew, who does not keep Shabbat. However, if a non-Jew lives there in the courtyard, the Jews must formally rent his place. Thus the ger toshav is considered like a non-Jew with regard to the eruv. He does not “live” with the Jews. However, he may not annul idols because he does not worship them. His “religion” is like that of the Jews.

Rav Judah proclaims personal confidence that a particular non-Jew does not worship idols and therefore the prohibition of giving him a gift on his feast day does not apply. But R. Joseph demurs—in order to get out of the status of idol worshipper one must make a formal declaration in front of three haverim, a synonym (at least here) for those who observe the laws scrupulously.