Parshas Chukas 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Jul 4
- 3 min read
עבודה זרה דף יב.
"מראית העין - נראה כמשתחוה"
The braisa says, if a thorn becomes stuck in one’s foot in front of an idol, or one’s money spills out in front of an idol, one may not bend down to take out the splinter or pick up the money, as that looks like he is bowing to the ע"ז. Similarly, if there is a spring (מעיין) flowing in front of an idol, one may not bend down to drink from it. The Gemara adds, in all these cases, if it doesn’t appear as though he is worshipping the ע"ז, it is מותר. Rashi says this may be accomplished by turning one’s back to the idol or turning to the side, so it doesn’t seem like he is bending down to the idol. The Gemara says, the חידוש of the מעיין is, even if one will die of thirst if he doesn’t drink from it, it’sאסור.
The ר"ן writes: it seems (from the case of מעיין) that even במקום סכנת נפשות it is אסור to appear as though one is worshipping ע"ז. This halacha would fall under the rule of בכל מתרפאין חוץ מע"ז. One is not permitted to heal himself with ע"ז as it looks like he is מודה בע"ז. However, entering a city during festival time, if it is a situation of סכנת נפשות it would be מותר. This is because we only have the halacha that נראהכמשתחוה is assur (even במקום סכנה), but entering a town where the festival is, is a step away from appearing as worshipping and too far removed to be considered מראית עין so it’s מותר במקום פיק"נ.The ר"ן brings the רא"ש who learns that not drinking from the spring even if there’s a חשש מיתה, it means it’s a ספק מיתה. But if it was ודאי סכנת נפשות it would be מותר. Because there is no דין of מסירת נפש when it is only נראה כעובד.
The [יו"ד ס' קנז,ג'] טור brings בשם הרא"ש: If one is in a state of פיקוח נפשות, he may run and hide in a בית ע"ז to save his life. The ב"ח points out that earlier (ס' קמט) the טור brings the רשב"א that it’s אסור to enter even a חצר של ע"ז for פיקח"נ. So certainly, it should be assur to enter a בית ע"ז? The ב"ח says it seems the טור is more נוטה to follow שיטת הרא"ש and permit it. Also, we have the ר"ן (quoted above) that agrees with the רא"ש that entering a city on יום אידם is מותר for פיקח"נ. So, the טור is following the ר"ן and the רא"ש who argue with the רשב"א.
The פרישה [ס' קנז] points out another סתירה in the טור. Earlier [ס' קמט] he paskens like the רשב"א that even במקום פיקח"נ it is assur to drink from the מעיין, yet here he paskens like the רא"ש that it’s permitted to enter the בית ע"ז? He answers that in the case of the מעיין, an onlooker can’t discern if the drinker is in a state of פיק"נ, so it’s assur to drink. משא"כ here, people see that he is running to save his life, so it’s מותר. Also, the איסור of אין מתרפאין doesn’t apply since the reason is the concern that if one is healed by using ע"ז he may come to credit the ע"ז, we don’t permit using it. Here, he is only using the Church as a hiding place & will not come to believe the ע"ז is the one that saved him, so there is no חשש & it’s מותר.
The רמ"א [יו"ד ס' ק"נ] says anything that is אסור only because of מראית עין, in a situation of פיקח"נ, would beמותר, like the רא"ש. The מנח"ח says: a גוי is not permitted to worship ע"ז, but he is not commanded in the דין of מראית עין. One is permitted to ask a גוי to bend down in front of an idol and have him pick up his money for him. Since the גוי has no intention of worshipping, it is only an issue of מראית עין which is מותר for him.