Tuesday, December 26, 2017

avodah zarah - Do not worship any graven image? Or do not worship any created image/being



God makes it clear that we are not to make and worship/bow down to an image of anything in heaven or on earth. God is very careful in even revealing himself to Israel, to point out that they heard only a voice, but saw NO image.



12The Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of the words, but saw no image, just a voice.


יבוַיְדַבֵּר יְהֹוָה אֲלֵיכֶם מִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ קוֹל דְּבָרִים אַתֶּם שֹׁמְעִים וּתְמוּנָה אֵינְכֶם רֹאִים זוּלָתִי קוֹל:



...



15And you shall watch yourselves very well, for you did not see any image on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire.


טווְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּם מְאֹד לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם כִּי לֹא רְאִיתֶם כָּל תְּמוּנָה בְּיוֹם דִּבֶּר יְהֹוָה אֲלֵיכֶם בְּחֹרֵב מִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ:


16 Lest you become corrupt and make for yourselves a graven image, the representation of any form, the likeness of male or female,



טזפֶּן תַּשְׁחִתוּן וַעֲשִׂיתֶם לָכֶם פֶּסֶל תְּמוּנַת כָּל סָמֶל תַּבְנִית זָכָר אוֹ נְקֵבָה:



Rashi: form: Heb. סָמֶל, meaning “form.” סמל: צורה:



17the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the heaven,


יזתַּבְנִית כָּל בְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ תַּבְנִית כָּל צִפּוֹר כָּנָף אֲשֶׁר תָּעוּף בַּשָּׁמָיִם:


18the likeness of anything that crawls on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters, beneath the earth.


יחתַּבְנִית כָּל רֹמֵשׂ בַּאֲדָמָה תַּבְנִית כָּל דָּגָה אֲשֶׁר בַּמַּיִם מִתַּחַת לָאָרֶץ:


19And lest you lift up your eyes to heaven, and see the sun, and the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, which the Lord your God assigned to all peoples under the entire heaven, and be drawn away to prostrate yourselves before them and worship them.


יטוּפֶן תִּשָּׂא עֵינֶיךָ הַשָּׁמַיְמָה וְרָאִיתָ אֶת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְאֶת הַיָּרֵחַ וְאֶת הַכּוֹכָבִים כֹּל צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם וְנִדַּחְתָּ וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתָ לָהֶם וַעֲבַדְתָּם אֲשֶׁר חָלַק יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֹתָם לְכֹל הָעַמִּים תַּחַת כָּל הַשָּׁמָיִם:





  1. Does He also somewhere say not to bow down to created beings (angels, mankind, creatures).




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