The parameters of “וְלִפְנֵי עִוֵּר לֹא תִתֵּן מִכְשֹׁל-And you shall not put a stumbling block before the blind” (Leviticus 19:14). TB Avodah Zarah 6

What are the parameters of the mitzvah “You shall not place a stumbling block before the blind” (Leviticus 19:14)? Obviously, putting a stumbling block before a blind person is cruel for he will fall and hurt himself. Only a bully would think that is funny. Rashi explains that this prohibition extends beyond the literal meaning of the verse. “This implies: "Give not a person who is "blind" in a matter an advice which is improper for him. Do not say to him: "Sell your field and buy from the proceeds of the sale an ass", the fact being that you are endeavouring to circumvent him and to take it (the field) from him (Sifra, Kedoshim, Section 2 14).”  (Sefaria.org translation)

Today’s daf TB Avodah Zarah 6 provides the parameters of the prohibition “And you shall not put a stumbling block before the blind.” It all boils down to accessibility.

“Rabbi Natan said: from where is it derived that a person may not extend a cup of wine to a nazirite, who is prohibited from drinking wine, and that he may not extend a limb severed from a living animal to descendants of Noah? The verse states: “And you shall not put a stumbling block before the blind” (Leviticus 19:14). But here, in both cases, if one does not give it to him, he can take it himself, and yet the one who provides it to him transgresses due to the prohibition: “You shall not put a stumbling block before the blind.”

“The Gemara answers: Here we are dealing with a case where they are standing on the two sides of a river, and therefore the recipient could not have taken it himself. Since his help was instrumental, the one who conveyed the item has violated the prohibition of putting a stumbling block before the blind. The Gemara adds: The language of the baraita is also precise, as it teaches: A person may not extend, and it does not teach: One may not give. Learn from the usage of the term extend that the baraita is referring to one located on one side of a river, who extends the item to the one on the other side.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Even though I make the forbidden object easier to obtain but the person has access to the forbidden object, I have not transgressed the prohibition of “And you shall not put a stumbling block before the blind.” On the other hand if the person does not have access to the forbidden object and I provided it to him, I have violated the commandment “And you shall not put a stumbling block before the blind.”

We shall learn later on even though in the first case according to Torah law, I haven’t violated the commandment of “And you shall not put a stumbling block before the blind,” but the rabbi prohibit making the object easier to obtain even if the transgressor has easy access to it.