Commentary for Avodah Zarah 82:4
איתיביה ר' יוחנן לרשב"ל (שמואל א ה, ד) וראש דגון ושתי כפות ידיו כרותות וגו' וכתיב (שמואל א ה, ה) על כן לא ידרכו כהני דגון וגו'
R. Yohanan raised a difficulty against R. Shimon b. Lakish: “And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands lay cut off . . . Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread” etc. (I Samuel 5:4).
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
In I Samuel 5, after the Philistines seize the ark and leave it overnight in their Temple, God takes vengeance on the Dagon idol, and knocks it over, breaking its head and hands. But the priests still refuse to enter into Dagon’s house. This proves to R. Yohanan that they still accord power to the broken pieces of the Dagon idol.
But Resh Lakish responds that the priests do not enter the sanctuary not because of the broken pieces of idol, but because they believe that the divinity of the idol has gone into the threshold itself. The broken pieces of idols are not divine in the idolater’s eyes. But the “spirit” of the idol has moved elsewhere.
But Resh Lakish responds that the priests do not enter the sanctuary not because of the broken pieces of idol, but because they believe that the divinity of the idol has gone into the threshold itself. The broken pieces of idols are not divine in the idolater’s eyes. But the “spirit” of the idol has moved elsewhere.
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