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שָׁאַל פְּרוֹקְלוֹס בֶּן פִלוֹסְפוֹס אֶת רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל בְּעַכּוֹ, שֶׁהָיָה רוֹחֵץ בַּמֶּרְחָץ שֶׁל אַפְרוֹדִיטִי, אָמַר לוֹ, כָּתוּב בְּתוֹרַתְכֶם, וְלֹא יִדְבַּק בְּיָדְךָ מְאוּמָה מִן הַחֵרֶם. מִפְּנֵי מָה אַתָּה רוֹחֵץ בַּמֶּרְחָץ שֶׁל אַפְדוֹדִיטִי. אָמַר לוֹ, אֵין מְשִׁיבִין בַּמֶּרְחָץ. וּכְשֶׁיָּצָא אָמַר לוֹ, אֲנִי לֹא בָאתִי בִגְבוּלָהּ, הִיא בָאתָה בִגְבוּלִי, אֵין אוֹמְרִים, נַעֲשֶׂה מֶרְחָץ לְאַפְרוֹדִיטִי נוֹי, אֶלָּא אוֹמְרִים, נַעֲשֶׂה אַפְרוֹדִיטִי נוֹי לַמֶּרְחָץ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, אִם נוֹתְנִין לְךָ מָמוֹן הַרְבֵּה, אִי אַתָּה נִכְנָס לַעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה שֶׁלְּךָ עָרוֹם וּבַעַל קֶרִי וּמַשְׁתִּין בְּפָנֶיהָ, וְזוֹ עוֹמֶדֶת עַל פִּי הַבִּיב וְכָל הָעָם מַשְׁתִּינִין לְפָנֶיהָ. לֹא נֶאֱמַר אֶלָּא אֱלֹהֵיהֶם. אֶת שֶׁנּוֹהֵג בּוֹ מִשּׁוּם אֱלוֹהַּ, אָסוּר. וְאֶת שֶׁאֵינוֹ נוֹהֵג בּוֹ מִשּׁוּם אֱלוֹהַּ, מֻתָּר:
Proclus, fils de Plospos, demanda à R. Gamliel à Acco quand il se baigna dans les bains d'Aphrodite [(où il y avait une image de l'étoile Vénus; ainsi, Rambam)]: "Il est écrit dans votre Torah (Deutéronome 13:18) : "Et que rien du butin n'adhère à votre main." Pourquoi, alors, vous baignez-vous dans les bains d'Aphrodite? " Il a répondu: "On ne répond pas (aux questions de la Torah) dans les bains publics" [(parce qu'il se tient nu là)]. Quand il sortit, il lui dit: "Je ne suis pas entré dans sa frontière (d'Aphrodite); elle est entrée dans ma frontière" [c'est-à-dire que les bains étaient là avant elle, et les bains étaient faits pour tous ceux qui venaient se baigner] et [une autre réponse]: "Nous ne disons pas: Faisons une maison de bain comme ornement pour Aphrodite, [une maison de bain n'étant pas ornementale], mais" Faisons une Aphrodite comme ornement pour le maison de bain, "[Aphrodite étant secondaire au bain-maison]. Une autre indication (que l'Aphrodite a été placée là pour l'ornement et non pour le culte):" Même s'ils vous ont donné beaucoup d'argent (pour le faire), vous n'iriez pas à votre idolâtrie nue, ou ayant subi une décharge (séminale), et (vous n'iriez pas) uriner avant elle. Pourtant, cette (Aphrodite) se tient devant le conduit (d'égouts), et tout le monde urine devant lui, (ce qui indique que l'Aphrodite a été placée là pour l'ornement et non pour le culte.) Il est écrit (que vous ne devez pas tirer profit de ) "leurs dieux" (Deutéronome 12: 2). Un Juif ne peut pas (tirer profit) de ce qu'il perçoit comme un dieu; mais il peut (tirer profit) de ce qu'ils ne perçoivent pas comme un dieu (mais comme un ornement).
Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
He said to him, “It is written in your torah, ‘let nothing that has been proscribed stick to your hand (Deuteronomy 13:18)’; why are you bathing in the bathhouse of Aphrodite?”
He replied to him, “We do not answer [questions relating to torah] in a bathhouse.”
When he came out, he said to him, “I did not come into her domain, she has come into mine. People do not say, ‘the bath was made as an adornment for Aphrodite’; rather they say, ‘Aphrodite was made as an adornment for the bath.’
Another reason is, even if you were given a large sum of money, you would not enter the presence of your idol while you were nude or had experienced seminal emission, nor would you urinate before it. But this [statue of Aphrodite] stands by a sewer and all people urinate before it. [In the torah] it is only stated, “their gods” (Deuteronomy 12:3) what is treated as a god is prohibited, what is not treated as a deity is permitted.
This mishnah contains a famous story of a discussion between Proclos, a Greek philosopher and Rabban Gamaliel, the Jewish patriarch.
In order to understand this mishnah we must remember that Roman and Greek society would have been full of statues. Indeed, anywhere a Jew turned his head, he probably saw a statue, often a statue of a god or goddess. If the Jews were to adopt an overly strict attitude towards these statues, and consider them idols, Jews would effectively be prohibited from taking part in most of Greco-Roman society, including such communal institutions such as the bathhouse, roads, bridges and marketplaces. In this mishnah Rabban Gamaliel shows a remarkable degree of flexibility and accommodation to this situation.
The story begins with Proklos, the son of Plosphos (this may be the word for philosopher) pointing out that the Torah forbids Rabban Gamaliel’s being in Aphrodite’s bathhouse. Rabban Gamaliel responds that it is not appropriate to respond in the bathhouse.
When they leave the bathhouse Rabban Gamaliel answers Proklos’s question. The bathhouse was not made for Aphrodite. Rather it was made for the public use and Aphrodite was merely placed there as adornment. As such, Rabban Gamaliel’s presence in the bathhouse is not a form of worship to Aphrodite, as it would be in her temple. Furthermore, people do not say that the bathhouse was made to adorn Aphrodite. Rather she is ancillary to the bathhouse and it is the central structure.
Rabban Gamaliel further points out that if this sculpture of Aphrodite were truly considered to be a goddess, people would not walk naked in front of her, or have seminal emissions or urinate. Such actions are signs of disrespect, which would not be appropriate in front of a goddess. When the Torah states that a Jew is commanded to destroy idols, the intent is to destroy idols that are treated as gods, and not those that are treated with disrespect.