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Avodah Zarah 1:8-9

Avodah Zara 1:8

It is prohibited to make ornaments for an idol, including necklaces, nose-rings and finger rings; Rabbi Eliezer says that one may do so as a salaried employee. It is prohibited to sell idolators anything attached to the ground (in Israel) but one may do so once it has been severed; Rabbi Yehuda says that one may sell an item still attached to the ground on the condition that he will sever it. It is prohibited to rent them houses in Israel, and it goes without saying that the same applies to fields. Rabbi Meir says that in Syria (i.e., lands annexed to Israel by King David), one may rent them houses but not fields; outside of Israel, one may sell them houses and rent them fields. Rabbi Yosi says that, in Israel, one may rent them houses but not fields; in Syria, one may sell them houses and rent them fields; and outside of Israel, one may sell them either.

Avodah Zara 1:9

Even when the Sages permitted renting houses to idolators, they did not mean residences. This is because an idolatrous tenant might bring in an idol, as per Deuteronomy 7:27, “Do not bring an abomination into your house.” One may not lease a bathhouse to an idolator in any location because bathhouses are known by their owners’ names (so he will be associated by reputation with a business that is operating on Shabbos).

Author: Rabbi Jack Abramowitz