Zoroastrian Protection of Sacred Elements
b. Yevamot 63b
[The Zoroastrian priests] decreed regarding three [things] for three [sins]. They decreed regarding meat because of [negligence in tithing] the priestly gifts. They decreed regarding the bathhouses because of [negligence in] immersion. They dig up corpses because [the Jews] are happy on the day of their [Zoroastrian] festivals.
b. Shabbat 45a
They asked Rav, “Is one permitted to remove the Hanukkah lamp on the Sabbath [when moving lamps is normally forbidden] on account of the Zoroastrian priests?” He answered them, “Yes. A time of emergency is different.”
Translated byShai Secunda.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.