Avodah Zarah 022

4:
The last clause of our present mishnah is concerned with barbers. Until very recently in the western world barbers have also provided medical attention, such as blood letting. And during the period of the Mishnah and the Talmud Eretz-Israel was a part of the western world because it was ruled by Rome.

5:
Submitting oneself to the ministrations of a non-Jewish barber could be dangerous in so far as the barber used a sharp razor. We have already seen that Rabbi Me'ir was very suspicious of non-Jews as far as medical treatments are concerned because it would be so easy for them to take the life of the Jew whom they were treating – including midwives, as we have seen. So it is not surprising that in our present mishnah Rabbi Me'ir takes a stringent view: no Jew should permit a non-Jewish barber to trim his hair.

6:
The rest of the sages were less stringent. Just as one could benefit from the services of a non-Jewish midwife or a non-Jewish wet-nurse if there were Jews present to protect the innocent (see AZ 020) so in the case of non-Jewish barbers the sages would permit a Jew to have his hair trimmed by them if the procedure was taking place publicly where anyone could see what the barber was doing.

7:
It is this difference between Rabbi Me'ir and the sages that explains the rather curious wording in the mishnah of the opinion of Rabbi Me'ir: the sages permit a tonsorial operation in any public place whereas Rabbi Me'ir would not permit a Jew to do so "in any place" – private or public.

8:
Most curiously, the Gemara [AZ 29a] permits a Jew to have his hair trimmed by a non-Jew even in private provided he is looking in a mirror all the time – at what the barber is doing. But why wouldn't a malicious barber seize an opportunity to slit his throat? The Gemara suggests that if the Jew is looking in the mirror all the time the barber will assume that he is an important person because he is concerned with his appearance and will therefore refrain from harming him. I can only assume that the barber would fear judicial reprisals if he killed an important person.

9:
Lest we think that the dangers involved in so simple a procedure as having one's hair trimmed are a gross exaggeration let us note the following anecdote told in the Gemara [AZ 29a]:

Since halakhah is not according to Rabbi Me'ir but according to the sages the Gemara asks:

Concerning AZ 018 Juan-Carlos Kiel has several questions:

If Jews are prohibited to have idols of whatever kind brought in their property – and of course, more than that – bring them by themselves what about:

• Coins. Many coins in antiquity had the representation of a god, or some god's attributes, minted on them. Others carried the name of the Emperor with the letters DIV. meaning divus – holy
• Bills: the US dollar bills carry a triangular shape with an eye, representing the holly trinity and the ever guarding eye of God?
• What if a customer would enter a Jew's shop, carrying a pendant with an effigy? What if he had a cross?
• What with the Nechushtan, made by Moses and held in the Temple until the times of Hezekiah? Did it defile the Temple? Or the Cherubim?
• As moslems are not considered "ovdey avodah zarah" – then it is halachically acceptable to lease buildings to them. Correct?
• As Jews are forbidden to lease houses to non-Jews, is the profession of "landlord" forbidden to Jews?

I respond:

• As far as coins are concerned we must assume that Jews did use 'secular' coinage. Often the sages quote values in terms of Tyrian dinars, Italian dinars etc. When the Bet Mikdash was in existence all coinage had to be changed into Temple coinage. The forecourt was full of 'bankers' who did the exchange – probably for a profit. According to the Christian scriptures it was this that so enraged Jesus of Nazereth. Remember also that a coin he was handed bore the head of Caesar.
• As far as modern coinage and bills of money and so forth, we have already noted in passing that these stringencies are now in abeyance.
• A Jew cannot be held responsible for what a non-Jew does. If he wishes to be so stringent that he will not permit a cross etc to be brought into his shop he would have to put up a notice "Non-Jews not allowed". That has very unfortunate associations. I do not know off hand of any ruling of the sages that forbids trade with non-Jews at all times.
• Why do you suppose that Neĥushtan was an idol? It was indeed destroyed by King Hezekiah because in his time it had become an object of reverence [2 Kings 18:4].
• I pointed out in my recent response to Ronen Lautman these stringencies are now in abeyance.

Because of the incidence of Rosh ha-Shanah the next shiur in this series will be, God willing, on Tuesday, October 7th. Let me take this opportunity to wish everybody a very happy New Year. May we all be inscribed for a good life in 5769 – a life of health, contentment, peace and good deeds. Amen.