16-5768: Mitzvah N-11

Talmidav Shel Aharon
16-5768: Mitzvah N-11
February 25, 2008


Negative Mitzvah 11 – It is a negative commandment not to bow down and prostrate oneself to an idol.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “you shall not bow down to them” (Ex. 20:5) since it is a form of worship of the blessed G-d, if one acted in this way toward an idol he would deserve death by stoning, even if this is not the usual way of worshipping it. If he did this deliberately without a [prior] warning, he would deserve karet [Divine severance of existence]; and if it was done unwittingly, hew would have a duty to bring a Hattat [sin offering]. So also if someone ritually slays a sacrifice, sprinkles its blood, burns its parts, or pours a libation : Since these were forms of Divine service to the blessed G-d at the Sanctuary, he is punishable over them if he performed them toward an idol, even if they are not usual ways of worshipping it. One should accept death [if necessary] and not commit such transgression.
If one’s coins become scattered, or if a thorn lodged in his foot, before an idol, he should not bow down before the idol to take it out or gather them, because he will seem to be bowing down and prostrating himself to the idol. He should rather turn his back or turn aside. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.

We have established that Judaism is seriously anti-idolatry. One is supposed to bow down and prostrate oneself only to the one G-d of Israel. The scriptural passage is from the Ten Commandments. It is a fundamental principle of Judaism. If you worship any other “god” the same way one is supposed to worship our G-d, then one is liable for the death penalty. When the Rabbis limited the death penalty to those who had a prior warning that what they are about to do (worship an idol) is a capital offence, punishable by death; the penalty for idolatry was changed to karet, a divine punishment that implies the extinction of one’s soul. No more life in this world or the next. If you meant to worship the G-d of Israel and somehow you ended up doing all those things for some pagan god, even if what you did was not the usual way of worshipping that god, you are still guilty of an offence and would need to bring a sin offering (Korban Hattat) if the Temple was still in existence.
Buried in this negative mitzvah is something much deeper. Judaism has, as a prime directive, to always choose life. One is supposed to violate almost any law and live so that you can keep that law in the future. One can violate Shabbat and Kashrut for health reasons. One can ride to the hospital or eat unkosher animals if it will return us to health. There are only three laws in all of Judaism that one must die rather than violate. Only three laws that require us to die rather than sin.
This is one of the three.
If some one says “worship this idol or die!” Jews are to die first. Remember the story of Hanna and her seven sons? She watches six of them die for refusing to bow to the idol and when the youngest is brought forward she tells him not to bow down either. The king even offers to drop his ring and the boy can pick it up, not really bowing to the idol but everyone gets what they want, even this the boy refuses and he dies like his brothers. Maimonides notes in the tenth century that if one, out of fear, does not choose death over idolatry, we judge such a person with charity since none of us know what we would do if faced with that very terrible choice. Still the rule remains. A Jew is to die rather than worship a pagan god for any reason and in any fashion. Actions that are very innocent but could be construed as “maybe” it was a “bow” (like picking up coins, a ring or tying shoelaces) still can be a violation of the law and we need to be careful where and how we bend down. The penalties are even more severe if our “bowing to the idol” causes other Jews to be disheartened or leads them astray.
I know that paganism is not so prevalent today, but the law still applies. We don’t worship pagan gods. Not in any way shape or form.

15-5768: Mitzvah N-9 & 10

Talmidav Shel Aharon
15-5768: Mitzvah N-9 & 10
February 4, 2008


Negative Mitzvah 9 – It is a negative commandment to make no idol to worship
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “You shall not make yourself a graven image” (Ex. 20:4) If a person transgressed and made one, whether he fashioned it himself or he ordered it made, he should be given whiplashes. If he made it himself for himself, he should be given whiplashes twice (see next Mitzvah). It is in force everywhere, in every time, for both men and women.
Negative Mitzvah 10 – It is a negative commandment not to make any idol to be worshipped (by himself or anyone else), even for a heathen.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “and do not make yourselves molten gods” (Lev. 19:4) If a person transgressed and made one, he should receive whiplashes. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.

Judaism has seen itself at times as militantly anti-pagan. Idolatry is considered to be a poison, a cancer, and an addiction that can grow through a society and corrupt an entire people. The incident of the golden calf at Mt. Sinai and the incident in the book of Numbers regarding Baal-Peor (Parshat Balak) both point to the corrosive nature of paganism. Monotheism is difficult. Paganism is easy. Monotheism requires responsibility. Pagan theology promotes a lack of accountability. Judaism is about justice. Paganism is about frivolity. Since Judaism sees human beings as often taking the course of least reistance, worshiping an idol represents just about everything that Judaism opposes. Paganism cannot be allowed to continue to corrupt human values.
You may think that this is a mitzvah from a bygone era, but even in these modern times, we worship the things we have created. An idol is an object of worship that is made by human hands. Paul Tillich, the great theologian, defined faith as a state of being “Ultimately Concerned”. If the focus of our ultimate concern is less than ultimate, then it is idolatry. Idolatry is about being ultimately concerned about something that is not ultimate. This could be almost anything around us. It is one thing to love our work; it is another to worship money. It is one thing to want to relax in front of the Television; it is another if we build our live around one show or commentator. Some people can only see the value of an education as a goal, not as a means to an end. We all know people who have their priorities all messed up, putting things before family and self. Yet, even our worship of self can be idolatrous since it blinds us to the needs and concerns of others. There are those who make the trappings of Religion into objects of worship. For example, those who only see their own understanding of Biblical verses and not open their minds to other interpretations have made an idol out of the book.
An unseen, all-powerful G-d who makes demands of us and who holds us accountable for our actions in this world should be a faith that requires our full attention. Being able to choose a pagan god that fits our mood of the moment or our need to get off the hook can seem to be a lot more fun. Soon, however we find that we are either looking for new ways to get our fun or we begin to see that there is a deeper kind of enjoyment that comes from caring and concern for others and the demands that our Judaism puts upon us. There is a deeper love that comes from living a spiritual life, one not tainted by idolatry. There is a deeper fulfillment that comes with putting our faith in what is ultimate, and not clinging to every fad. We do ourselves a great harm when we fashion an idol in our lives and we need to be ever vigilant to prevent that from happening. Making the idol is bad. To worship it is worse and that will be the focus of the next two Mitzvot.

14-5768: Mitzvah N-8

Talmidav Shel Aharon
14-5768: Mitzvah N-8
February 4, 2008


Negative Mitzvah 8 – It is a negative commandment to entertain no thought that there is any other god except the blessed G-d.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3) Whoever entertains the thought in his mind (Heaven Forbid!) that there is any other god except G-d or some partner or associate (Heaven Forbid!); or he considers in his mind the thought that there is some substance to idol-worship (Heaven Forbid!) he denies the very fundamental principle (of the one and only G-d). One is not to utter any word whose sense is heresy (Heaven Forbid!) or some acknowledgment of idolatry (Heaven Forbid!). For if anyone acknowledges idol-worship, it is as though he denies heretically the entire Torah, since he denies the very fundamental principle. And we are duty bound to be ready to give up our lives and our might over this; for in regard to all things that touch on the main principle of our faith, there is an obligation to accept death (if necessary) and not transgress. It is in force everywhere, in every time, for both men and women.

From the very beginning, Judaism has been about the concept of monotheism, that there is one G-d, no more, and no less. From the ancient polytheism of idol worship to the trinity of Christianity to the Prophecy of Mohammed, Judaism has maintained that there is one G-d, one testament of that G-d called the Torah and one standard of justice that is demanded by that G-d. This G-d so loved the people of Israel that G-d redeemed them from slavery in Egypt and gave them the Torah as an act of love and concern with the promise that it was our duty to teach the world the importance of Torah. Absolutely any idea, concept or faith that tries to add or subtract from the one G-d, is to be rejected body and soul.
The Torah says this insistence on the unity of G-d is due to the fact that our G-d is a “jealous” G-d. G-d somehow demands our unquestioned loyalty. This is factually untrue. The unity of G-d makes justice and fairness in human relations possible. There is no appeal to a “higher” or to a “different” authority. There is no variation in G-d’s law. No one can say that G-d demands one thing but that demand is opposed by a different or better G-d.
I find the use of the word “heresy” a bit unusual for a Jewish Scholar. The term “orthodox” usually implies its opposite, “heretic” but there are precious few Jewish leaders who would brand another Jew a “heretic”. While there may be lots of differences between Jews over a host of issues, we don’t call each other “heretics” at all. We also do not have a “doctrine” that one can deny. Still, that does not change the fact that as soon as a Jew contemplates more or less than one G-d, one has stepped outside Judaism and that Jew can no longer include him/herself as a member of the Jewish people. On the other hand, if one is agnostic, that is, one is not sure what one believes about G-d, as long as one lives a Jewish life, as long as one observes the Mitzvot, then belief is not important and that Jew has not separated him/herself from their faith.
The Jewish understanding of G-d includes the fact that G-d is everywhere and in every age. There is no beginning and no end when it comes to G-d. There were neither “primordial” gods nor will there be any other G-d in the future. To imply that there is any other god would confuse the whole issue of Torah. If there are other gods, then there could be other torahs. If there were other gods there could be other obligations that might conflict with what G-d says. If one were to sin, one could claim that they were following the directions of the alternative god. When there is only one G-d, each person is personally responsible for his or her actions and infractions.
Finally, we are supposed to hold on to our faith in times of persecution. One should choose death rather than convert to idolatry. This is especially true when one is a community leader or if one’s actions will cause other Jews to become disheartened. Rabbis in every age were lenient regarding this law, because they understood that while choosing death rather than apostasy was the ideal, in fact, it was difficult for Jews to live by this law. Rambam noted that when we find Jews during persecution who gave up their faith to save their lives, we judge them charitably since, were we in the same position, we do not know what we might do ourselves.