Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Commentary for Avodah Zarah 20:13

אמר להו קטיעה בר שלום חדא דלא יכלת להו לכולהו דכתיב (זכריה ב, י) כי כארבע רוחות השמים פרשתי אתכם מאי קאמר אלימא דבדרתהון בד' רוחות האי כארבע רוחות לארבע רוחות מבעי ליה אלא כשם שא"א לעולם בלא רוחות כך א"א לעולם בלא ישראל ועוד קרו לך מלכותא קטיעה

Then Keti’ah b. Shalom spoke to them: First, you cannot do away with all of them, for it is written, “For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven” (Zechariah 2:10). Now, what does this verse mean? If it means that [Israel] was to be scattered to the four corners of the world, then instead of saying, “as the four winds,” the verse would have said, to the four winds? Rather just as the world cannot exist without winds, so the world cannot exist without Israel. And what is more, your kingdom will be called a “crippled kingdom.”

Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah

Keti’ah b. Shalom manages to convince the king that he cannot and should not kill all of the Jews. Interestingly, this Roman general interprets a verse midrashically.
The king submits to Keti’ah b. Shalom’s advice, but still sentences him to death.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Previous VerseFull ChapterNext Verse