daf bit: Avodah Zarah 11

[cellio]

The g'mara describes some of the festivals of the idolaters, which Jews have to be careful to avoid becoming entangled in. Today's daf describes an obscure Roman festival held once every seventy years: a healthy man is brought and he rides on a lame man; the healthy man is dressed "in the attire of Adam" (meaning skins) and wears fine gold and the scalp of R. Yishmael b. Shimon (one of the ten martyrs) (shudder), and the proclamation is made before them: "the reckoning of the ruler is wrong; the brother of our lord the imposter! Woe unto the one when the other will arise!" The healthy man refers to Esav (Rome), and the lame man to Yaakov (the Jews). But R. Ashi says they have been done in by their own wording, which can be understood to mean "our lord is an imposter" when they meant "our lord's brother is an imposter". (11b)

(The g'mara does not actually end that with a "so there! (raspberry)", but it's implied.)

Today's daf also has the (famous?) story of how Onkelos, a Roman who converted to Judaism, caused the conversions of three entire delegations the emperor sent after him. Finally the emperor gave up.

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[ladymondegreen.livejournal.com]

*shudder*