Avodah Zara 3: Rewards and Punishments, Gentiles and Jews, G-d's Daily Schedule, This World and the World-to-Come

Our daf begins with a conversation about keeping mitzvot as Jews and as Gentiles.  Gentiles are called upon to keep only seven mitzvot known as the Noahide Laws.  Our rabbis find proof for their assertion that Gentiles could not keep even their seven mitzvot.  Their next questions revolve around the conversation that G-d must have had with the Gentile community.  How would G-d's expectations change?  Should Gentiles be held to any standard at all regarding religious obligations?  And what about Jews who choose to observe - who deserves reward?

We learn about the rabbis' projections about what G-d did when Gentiles insisted on performing mitzvot.  A story of sukkot is presented.  The Gentiles were told it was the easiest mitzvah for it cost no money, and they assembled their sukkot.  But G-d intensified the heat of the sun and the Gentiles gave up on that mitzvah.  Isn't this unfair treatment?  No, say the rabbis, because some summers last so long that Yisraelim are also disadvantaged.  Converts, whom we are told did not exist in the times of David, were unable to perform mitzvot, too. We hear the rabbis speaking of G-d's laughter, at least for one day, watching some of us suffer in our attempts to please G-d.

The rabbis are so bold as to describe G-d's daily schedule.  Different rabbis add different tasks.  This originates in a conversation about G-d's laughter.  Rav Yehuda suggests that over the first three hours of the day, G-d engages in Torah study.  Then G-d judges the world for three hours.  If the world should be destroyed, G-d moves to the chair of mercy. Following this, G-d feeds the entire world for three hours.  This begins with the biggest animals and ends with the smallest, which are said to be lice eggs.  Over the last three hours of the day, G-d laughs with the leviathan.  Or perhaps he teaches children who have died.  Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak adds that G-d regularly laughs with his creations, but rarely does G-d laugh at his creations.

The Gemara turns back to focus on how we are rewarded for learning or neglecting Torah.    Rabbi Levi says that if we stop learning so that we can gossip, we are force-fed burning coals.  Reish Lakish teaches that when we learn Torah at night, G-d rewards us during the day.  Further, if we learn Torah in this world, we are rewarded in the World-to-Come.  Rav Yehuda notes that people are like fish because we both die immediately if we come upon dry land, which is the same as refraining from Torah study and the practice of mitzvot.  Both die if the sun beats down on us.  Rabbi Chanina teaches that all sicknesses are handed down from heaven except for chills and fevers, which are due to our own negligence.

Finally, we learn that Gehenna is not separate from this world.  Instead G-d will allow the sun to beat down heavily.  This serves as judgement for the wicked.  Simultaneously, tzadikim are cured through this action.