Yerushalmi Avodah Zarah 3:11 ירושלמי עבודה זרה ג׳:י״א

MISHNAH: One should not sit in its shadow²⁵³It was noted earlier that idols impart “tent” impurity (Note 184). Therefore if one sits under the crown of an Ashera he is impure by the impurity of the dead. But if he sits in its shadow but not under its crown, he illegally profits from idolatry but is not impure. If he passes under an Ashera he becomes impure like anybody passing under a tent above a corpse. But walking through the shadow of an Ashera outside its crown is not considered profiting from idolatry. but if one sat he is pure. One should not pass under it and if one passed under it he is impure. If it robbed the public²⁵⁴It is clear from the earlier sources (Note 184) and the following Halakhah that the tent impurity generated by an idol is purely rabbinic. If the crown of the Ashera extended over a public road, the customary impurity of idols never was intended to deprive Jews from using public roads. and one passed under it, he is pure. One may sow vegetables under it in the rainy season but not in summer²⁵⁵In winter, the shade given by the tree inhibits the growth of the vegetables; the tree is a detriment, not a positive influence. But in summer the shade is necessary; it clearly is usufruct., but lettuce neither in summer nor in the rainy season. Rebbi Yose says not even vegetables in the rainy season since falling leaves drop down on it and become fertilizer.

HALAKHAH: “One should not sit in its shadow,” etc. There²⁵⁶In Babylonia. they say m the name of Rav Ḥisda: Its shadow is forbidden, its half-shadow is permitted. What is its shadow and what is its half-shadow? There they say, any place where if it would fall down would touch him is its shadow, but any place where if it would fall down would not touch him is its half-shadow²⁵⁷It is clear that at any place not under the tree’s crown there is no question of impurity. The discussion is only about the statement that one should not sit in the Ashera’s shadow. It is now added that in the half-shadow one may sit, i. e., far enough away that if the tree fell down in the direction of the person sitting there the fallen crown would not reach the person.
In the Babli, 48b, this is attributed to R. Joḥanan the Galilean.

Why is its shadow forbidden? Because it is an enjoyment. But a grave is forbidden for usufruct and its shadow is permitted! But the Temple Hall is forbidden for usufruct and Rabban Joḥanan ben Zakkai was sitting and teaching in the shadow of the Temple Hall²⁵⁸Babli Pesaḥim 26a. There it is argued that he could do this only because the Temple was built for its service and the Herodian Hall was 100 cubits high so that its shadow at times extended beyond the Temple Hill; it never was intended that the shadow should prevent people from being there. This disagrees with the statements here.! Therefore the reason cannot be that it is forbidden for usufruct. Rav Abin in the name of the rabbis there²⁵⁶In Babylonia.: This implies that this impurity of the dead is not logically consistent²⁵⁹Since as pointed out in the next sentence, a mausoleum whose roof extends over a public road will automatically impart impurity to any Jew walking under it (and force any Cohen to make a detour to avoid passing under that roof) the rules of the Ashera cannot be deduced from the rules of the impurity of the dead. They are customary rules and as such not susceptible to logical analysis.. For otherwise if a grave were robbing the public and one passed under it one would be pure.

Gamliel the Twin was supporting²⁶⁰In this paragraph, the second person mentioned always is the authority who in walking leans upon one of his students. A comparison with other occurrences shows that מיסתמיך ב means “was supporting” but מיסתמיך על is “leaning on.” Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish. They came to this statue. He asked him, may we pass in front of it? He said, pass by it and blind its eye²⁶¹One “blinds the eye” of the idol by passing by it without taking any notice of it and the idol sees that it is not taken seriously.. Rebbi Isaac bar Mattanah was supporting Rebbi Joḥanan. They came to the statue of the city council²⁶²Greek βουλή. In Tiberias this probably was a statue of divus Tiberius. He asked him, may we pass in front of it? He said, pass by it and blind its eye. Rebbi Jacob bar Idi was supporting Rebbi Joshua ben Levi. They came to the statue of Herod²⁶³In Moˋed qatan 3:7 the spelling is as here. In Berakhot 2:1 (Note 57) אהדורי, in Šeqalim 2:6 ארורא, in Midrash Shemuel 19[4], ed. Buber Note 17, הרודיס, in Yalqut Šemuel # 124 הרודוס. The last two readings “Herod” seem to be the correct one.. He told him, Naḥum the most holy man¹⁷Sanhedrin 10:6 Note 335, Megillah 1:13 (72b l. 57) 3:3 (74a l. 39); Babli Šabbat 118b, Pesaḥim 104a. passed by it and you do not want to pass by? Pass by it and blind its eye!

Does this²⁶⁴The last sentence of the Mishnah, where R. Yose forbids planting anything. Why should the status of wilted leaves be different from broken pieces? It is not so much the statement of R. Joḥanan but the following statement that anything which cannot be repaired is permitted. Wilted leaves certainly cannot be restored. not disagree with Rebbi Joḥanan, since Rebbi Joḥanan said, an idol which was broken is forbidden? And so we are thinking to say if in the future he cannot restore it whole it is permitted according to everybody²¹⁶The statement of R. Simeon ben Laqish and the opposing statement of R. Joḥanan only refer to situations where it is not clear whether the idol can be restored or not.. Explain it about a Jew’s idol²⁶⁵Which is permanently forbidden.. Does this not disagree with Rav, since Rav said, for its purpose it is forbidden but its shavings are permitted²⁶⁶In the Babli, 49b, this is a baraita: “A Gentile who worked on an idol with a plane, if it was for his benefit it and its shavings are permitted, for its benefit it is forbidden but the shavings are permitted. A Jew who worked on an idol with a plane, whether it was was for his or its benefit, both it and its shavings are forbidden.” Cf. Mishnah and Halakhah 16.? Again explain it about a Jew’s idol. Why does everybody stay away from it²⁶⁷Why does nobody ever take advantage of the permission given in the Mishnah to plant vegetables under an Ashera in the winter?? Because its dropping leaves are bad.