Commentary for Avodah Zarah 47:3
ועוד קתני סיפא לשנה אחרת נולדה לו פרה אדומה בעדרו נכנסו חכמי ישראל אצלו אמר להם יודע אני בכם שאם אני מבקש מכם כל ממון שבעולם אתם נותנין לי עכשיו איני מבקש מכם אלא אותו ממון שהפסדתי בשביל אבא
Moreover, it teaches at the end of that tradition: In a subsequent year a “red heifer” was born in his herd. The sages of Israel called on him. He said to them: I know that if I were to demand from you all the money in the world, you would give it to me, but all I ask of you now is that money that I had lost because of my father!
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
An even greater difficulty is that the following year Dama ben Natina sold them a red heifer. This proves that not only is Shila wrong, but even R. Eliezer himself. The Talmud answers that the red heifer was not bought directly from Dama. Dama sold it to some Jewish merchants and they sold it to the sages. Jewish middlemen—they always find a way don’t they!
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