1)

(a)One may not do business with a gentile - from three days prior to a gentile festival.

(b)She'eilah and Halva'ah (both to a gentile and from him), are both forbidden too). The former refers to - objects and animals (which are returned intact); the latter, to - money (which is not).

(c)Chazal include - repaying a loan to a Nochri or claiming a debt from him (according to the Tana Kama).

2)

(a)Chazal forbade all these things - because they bring the Nochri to a state of happiness, and cause him to give thanks to his god on the day of the festival.

(b)Rebbi Yehudah permits claiming one's debts from them, because having to pay a debt causes distress rather than joy. The Rabbanan counter that - this may be true at the time that he pays, but afterwards, he rejoices at the fact that he is rid of his debt.

3)

(a)Rav and Shmuel argue over whether the word 'Eideihen should be spelt with an 'Alef' or with an 'Ayin'. We prove from the Pasuk ...

1. ... "Ki Karov Yom Eidam" that - those who spell it with an 'Alef' are justified in doing so.

2. ... "Yitnu Eideihen ve'Yitzdaku" that - those who spell it with an 'Ayin' are justified, too.

(b)If, as we currently believe, the latter Pasuk refers to Nochrim - then it means that their gods will come and testify as to their 'righteousness' (meant sarcastically).

(c)The one who learns from "Ki Karov Yom Eidam" maintains that the Tana prefers to refer to their downfall. The reasoning of the one who learns from "Yitnu Eideihen Ve'yitzdaku" is that - he prefers to refer to the testimony which is the cause of their downfall.

(d)We have a problem with our second source Pasuk, based on a statement by Resh Lakish, who interprets ...

1. ... "Yitnu Eideihen Ve'yitzdaku" to mean that - in the World to Come, all the Mitzvos that Yisrael performed in this world will come and testify on their behalf.

2. ... "Yishm'u Ve'yomru Emes" to mean that - the Nochrim will declare that testimony to be the truth.

(e)Rav Huna b'rei de'Rav Yehoshua therefore finally learns from the Pasuk "Yotzri Pesel Kulam Tohu va'Chamudeihem bal Yo'ilu, ve'Eideihem heimah' that - the one who spells "Eideihen" with an 'Ayin' has not erred.

4)

(a)Rebbi Chanina bar Papa (or Rebbi Simla'i) Darshened that in the World to Come, Hash-m will take a Sefer-Torah, carry it in His bosom and announce that - whoever studied it (see Tosfos Amud Beis DH 'Amar lahem Hashem') should come and receive his reward.

(b)When all the nations will arrive simultaneously to collect their reward - He will ask them to come in one by one, and not all mixed together.

(c)We learn this from the Pasuk (in connection with the current episode) "Vaya'asfu Le'umim" - because "Le'umim" means 'nations' (suggesting that they enter nation by nation).

5)

(a)We know that the nations mixing when being judged will not trouble Hash-m - from every Rosh Hashanah, when Hash-m judges all the nations of the world in one split second.

(b)Nevertheless, He will prevent them from mixing on that occasion - so that they will be able to hear clearly what is being said to them, and to subsequently be able to answer undisturbed.

(c)Rebbi Yochanan states that Rome will be the first nation to enter the courtroom - because they are the most Chashuv of all the nations.

6)

(a)We know that when it comes to being judged, the most important is the first to enter, from a statement by Rav Chisda, who learns from the Pasuk in Melachim "La'asos Mishpat Avdo u'Mishpat Amo Yisrael ... " that - a king is judged before his people.

(b)The reason for this might be because it is not Derech Eretz to leave a king waiting outside. Alternatively - it is in order to judge him before the Dayan becomes angry with the sins of the community, and vents his rage on him (see Agados Maharsha).

(c)When Hash-m will ask the Romans what role they played in Torah-study, they will reply that - they built many market-places and bath-houses and amassed an abundance of silver and gold - all so that Yisrael should be able to study Torah with peace of mind.

7)

(a)In Hash-m's reply, He will address the Romans as - fools.

(b)He will point out that - they set up market-places as centers of prostitution and bathhouses for their own indulgence.

(c)And as for the silver and gold, He will point out that - this is something that He Himself manipulates, as the Pasuk in Chagai writes "Silver and gold belong to Me, says Hash-m".

(d)When Hash-m concludes 'K'lum Yesh bachem Magid Zos', he will mean to ask them how they could possibly describe this as 'for the sake of Torah' (since 'Zos' often refers to Torah, as in the Pasuk in Devarim "ve'Zos ha'Torah")?

(e)They will react to His ruling - by leaving the courtroom dejected.

8)

(a)Next in line will be the Persians - because they are second to Rome in importance, as is evident by the fact that they are mentioned after them in Nevuchadnetzar's dream ...

(b)... where they were compared to a bear for four reasons. They ate and drank like a bear and were fat like a bear - they grew hair like a bear and were restless like a bear.

(c)They will claim that they built many bridges, captured many cities, and fought many wars on behalf of Yisrael. Hash-m will reply to ...

1. ... the first two claims that - the bridges were for taxation purposes, and the captured cities to increase their army and to amass more land and animals.

2. ... the third claim that - it is He (and not they) who wages war, as the Pasuk in Beshalach writes "Hash-m is the Master of War".

(d)The basis of the Romans and the Persians (seemingly) preposterous claims, despite the fact that we are speaking about Olam ha'Ba, which is a world of truth is - the fact that Yisrael did gain peace of mind from their enterprises, so they believed that (like a rich man who drops a Sela and a poor man finds it, who receives reward for having performed Tzedakah) they would be entitled to claim a share in Yisrael's Torah-study.

9)

(a)The judgment of the Persians will end the same way as that of the Romans. What led them to believe that they would succeed where the Romans failed was the fact that - unlike the Romans after them, not only did they not destroy the Beis-Hamikdash, but they built it.

(b)The above two nations will not be the only ones to take up Hash-m's challenge - there will be many others, and the pattern will follow that of the Romans and the Persians.

(c)The subsequent nations hope to fare better than the Romans and the Persians - because they did not subjugate Yisrael in the way that the former did.

(d)What makes these two nations more important than the Babylonians and the Greeks (see Tosfos DH 'Mai Sh'na'), who also subjugated Yisrael is the fact that - their hold on Yisrael was only temporary, whilst the former two not only subjugated Yisrael during the time of their respective Galuyos, but continued to do so through to the coming of Mashi'ach (see Tosfos DH 'Match').

(e)The connection between the Persians and the Babylonians is - that they destroyed the Babylonians and took over their kingdom from them.

10)

(a)When the Pasuk writes "Vayomar, Hash-m mi'Sinai Ba ve'Zarach mi'Se'ir Lamo", it is referring - to Eisav and Yishmael respectively.

(b)Rebbi Yochanan explains that Hash-m had gone there - in order to offer them the Torah.

(c)In light of Rebbi Yochanan's statement, we initially amend the statement of the nations 'K'lum Nasata lanu ve'Lo Kibalnuhah (Did you give us the Torah and we did not keep it)?' to - 'K'lum Kibalnuhah ve'Lo Kiyamnuhah?' (Did we ever accept it and not keep it)?

(d)Seeing as that was also no credit to them, we finally amend the statement to read - 'K'lum Kafisa aleinu Har ke'Gigis?' (If Hash-m had forced them to accept the Torah (as He did, Yisrael, they would have accepted it too.)

11)

(a)Rav Dimi bar Chama learns from the Pasuk "Va'yisyatzvu be'Sachtis ha'Har" that - Hash-m held Har Sinai over the heads of Yisrael and warned them that if they do not accept the Torah, then that would become their burial ground.

(b)Based on the Pasuk in Yeshayah "ve'Rishonos Yashmi'unu", Hash-m answered the nations that - they did not even keep the seven Mitzvos that they had accepted (let alone the extra six hundred and seven additional Mitzvos that they would then have had to keep).

(c)The Beraisa cited by Rav Yosef learns from the Pasuk in Chavakuk "Amad Va'yemoded Eretz, Ra'ah Viter Goyim" that - when Hash-m saw how the B'nei No'ach did not keep the seven Mitzvos that they had agreed to keep (in the time of No'ach), he released them from their undertaking.

(d)The problem with this explanation is that - it makes no sense to reward sinners by letting them off the hook.

(e)Mar b'rei de'Ravina therefore explains that - Hash-m punished the Nochrim by depriving them of any reward should they perform the seven Mitzvos.

12)

(a)We query Mar b'rei de'Ravina from a Beraisa however, where Rebbi Meir learns from the word "ha'Adam" (in the Pasuk in Acharei-Mos " ... asher Ya'aseh osam ha'Adam va'Chai bahem" - when the Pasuk ought to have written " ... Kohanim, Levi'im ve'Yisre'elim ... "), that - even a Nochri who studies the seven Mitzvos b'nei No'ach is like a Kohen Gadol and will receive reward.

(b)We reconcile b'rei de'Ravina with the Beraisa, by citing Rebbi Chanina - who taught the principle 'Gadol Metzuveh ve'Oseh mi'Mi she'Eino Metzuveh ve'Oseh (Someone who performs Mitzvos when he is commanded is greater than one who performs them voluntarily).

(c)What Mar b'rei de'Ravina therefore meant was - that Hash-m now rewards the b'nei No'ach like someone who is not Metzuveh ve'Oseh (depriving of the reware of a Metzuveh ve'Oseh.