Commentary for Avodah Zarah 35:14
ברוריא דביתהו דר' מאיר ברתיה דר' חנינא בן תרדיון הואי אמרה לו זילא בי מלתא דיתבא אחתאי בקובה של זונות שקל תרקבא דדינרי ואזל אמר אי לא איתעביד בה איסורא מיתעביד ניסא אי עבדה איסורא לא איתעביד לה ניסא
Beruria, the wife of R. Meir, was the daughter of R. Hanina b. Teradion. She said [to her husband], “I am ashamed to have my sister sitting in a brothel.” So he took a tarkav full of denarii and set out. He said to himself, “If any sin has not been committed with her, a miracle will happen for her, but if a sin has been performed with her, no miracle will happen for her.”
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
The Talmud tries to find sins that would explain why R. Hanina was executed. Note that this is “overexplaining”—the Talmud explained earlier that he dies because he did not engage in gemilut hasadim
Hanina is accused of pronouncing God’s name according to its letters. But then the Talmud explains that he only did so in order to practice or understand, but not for magical purposes. Nevertheless, he was punished for pronouncing God’s name in public.
Hanina is accused of pronouncing God’s name according to its letters. But then the Talmud explains that he only did so in order to practice or understand, but not for magical purposes. Nevertheless, he was punished for pronouncing God’s name in public.
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Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
Beruria, R. Hanina’s daughter, sends R. Meir, her husband, out to rescue her sister from the brothel. R. Meir assumes that a miracle would be wrought for R. Hanina’s daughter only if no man has violated her in the brothel. R. Meir comes across here as blaming the innocent victim. I’m not convinced the story teller has much sympathy for him.
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