If one's house adjoined idolatry [i.e., if one of its walls were (part of) a house of idolatry, and the house itself was worshiped], and it (that wall) fell, it is forbidden to rebuild it, [for he thereby builds a house of idolatry. ] What can he do? He moves (the wall) four cubits [within his property, and he builds. And he does not leave it (the intervening space) empty; for he would thereby be benefitting idolatry (by aggrandizing its space.) But he fills the space with thorns and makes it a lavatory for the young.] If it [the space of the thickness of the wall] were [half] his and [half] idolatry's, it is estimated half and half. [i.e., that space of idolatry does not enter into four cubits (of his property); but only his space does. So that if the space of the wall were two cubits, he counts one cubit of his (of the wall) and moves it three cubits within his property]. The stones, the wood, and the sand of that (common) wall cause tumah as a sheretz (a creeping thing) does, [even the part of the Jew, for there is no distinguishing (between the two parts). It causes tumah by contact (maga) and not by carrying (massa), for the tumah of idolatry, being rabbinically ordained, they (the rabbis) were lenient therein. And it does not cause tumah (by contact) with the size of a lentil, as a sheretz does, but only with the size of an olive, as a dead body does.], it being written (of idolatry) (Deuteronomy 7:26): "Shaketz (like "sheretz") teshaktzenu" — "Despite shall you despise it." R. Akiva says: (It causes tumah) as a niddah does, it being written (Isaiah 30:22): "You will cast them (your idols) away, like a niddah. Begone! will you say to it (idolatry)." Just as a niddah causes tumah by massa, so does idolatry. [The halachah is not in accordance with R. Akiva, even with idolatry itself — how much more so, with its appurtenances.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
סמוך לע"ז – that one of his walls is a house for idolatry and the hose itself is worshipped.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Introduction
Mishnah six deals with two subjects: 1) a person who lives adjacent to an idolatrous shrine; 2) the ritual impurity of idolatrous objects.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
אסור לבנותו – for he is building a house for idolatry.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
If [a Jew] has a house next to an idolatrous shrine and it collapsed, he is forbidden to rebuild it. What should he do? He withdraws a distance of four cubits into his own ground and build there. If one shared a wall with an idolatrous shrine, meaning his house was next to this shrine, he need not tear down his house and move somewhere else. Since he lived there before the shrine was built he does not need to move. However, if the house should fall down he may not rebuild the wall that will be shared with the shrine. What he may do is withdraw four cubits and build his own wall, one which will not be shared with the shrine.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
כונס לתוך קרקע שלו ד' אמות – and he does not leave it empty as it is found benefitting idolatry as it extends its boundary, but he fills the place with thorns and makes there a toilet for young children.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
[If the wall] belonged both to him and the shrine, it is judged as being half and half. The wall that is shared by the Jewish homeowner and the idolatrous shrine is considered to be jointly owned. The half that is next to the shrine is forbidden for Jews to use and the half that is next to the Jewish house is permitted.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
היה שלו ושל ע"ז – for the place of the beams of the walls, half of it is his.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Its stones, timber and rubbish defile like a creeping thing, as it says, “you shall utterly detest it” (Deut. 7:26). ] Rabbi Akiba says: [it defiles] like a menstruous woman, as it says, “[and you will treat as unclean the silver overlay of your images and the golden plating of your idols]. You will cast them away like a menstruous woman. Out, you will call to them” (Isaiah 30:22), just as a menstruous woman impurifies [an object] by carrying it, so also an idolatrous object defiles by its being carried. According to Deut. 7:26 a Jew must abhor idolatrous objects. The word for “abhor” is “sheketz”, which is the same word used for an impure creeping thing in Leviticus 11:31. From here the mishnah learns that just as creeping things transmit impurity, so too do idolatrous objects. The type of impurity that a creeping thing imparts is contact impurity. It does not impart impurity to one who carries it (without touching it). Contact impurity is a lesser type of impurity than carrying impurity. Rabbi Akiva learns the impurity of idolatrous objects from Isaiah 30:22, which explicitly compares idolatrous objects to menstruating women, both being impure and imparting impurity to others. A menstruating woman imparts impurity both through contact and through carrying. So too, according to Rabbi Akiva, do idolatrous objects. In other words Rabbi Akiva holds that the impurity of idolatrous objects is more serious than that of the creeping thing.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
נדון מחצה על מחצה – that portion of idolatry does not count in the bringing it inside [within his own property] four cubits but his part counts, for if its beams are two cubits, he counts one cubit of his own and brings it [an additional] three cubits within his own.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Questions for Further Thought: • What is the problem with living next to an idolatrous shrine? • Why doesn’t the opinion in the first part of the last section learn about the impurity of idolatrous objects from the verse in Isaiah, which seemingly explicitly compares idolatrous objects to a menstruating woman?
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
אבניו עציו ועפריו – of that wall
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
מטמאין כשרץ – which defiles like an unclean reptile, and even the section of the Israelite since there is no choice.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
כשרץ – that ritually defiles through contact because the defilement of idolatry is Rabbinic, they were lenient concerning it, and it does not defile like a lentil like an unclean reptile, but rather in an olive’s bulk like [contact] with the dead.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
רבי עקיבא אומר כנדה – But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Akiva even with idolatry itself, and all the more so, with those who use it.
