Talmidav Shel Aharon
21-5768: Mitzvah N-17-18
March 31, 2008

Negative Mitzvah 17 – This is a negative commandment: Take no benefit from any decoration of an idol or from its ornaments.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them and take it for yourself.” (Deut. 7:25). It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.

Negative Mitzvah 18 – This is a negative commandment: Take no benefit from an idol, form its offerings or its attendants, or anything done on its behalf.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “you shall not bring an abomination into your house.” (Deut. 7:26). And it further says, “and nothing of the banned, proscribed matter shall cling to your hand” (Deut. 13:19) If a person derives any benefit from any of these, he violates these two prohibitions. Any object of idol-worship that was not made by human hands, such as a hill or a tree that was planted originally for bearing fruit and not for idolatry, or a domestic animal to which no act was done for the purpose of idolatry – it is permissible to have benefit from all of them; but from what is upon them, it is forbidden to benefit. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.

Just in case you were wondering if there was ANYTHING at all that could be recycled from use for idolatry, you are WRONG! The object of idol worship, the things that hold it up, that are used with it, that are placed upon it, that decorate it, that are connected to the religion in any way, that was offered to it, that did the offering to it or was used to prepare any of the offerings to it, it is all forbidden to have, hold, possess or even derive any benefit from (including money from the sale of these objects). Nothing at all that is connected to idol worship can be connected to anyone who is Jewish.
I remind everyone here that Judaism had a running battle with idolatry for thousands of years. The Sages knew full well that it only took one small token of idolatry to bring back the superstition and immorality that was paganism. Think about it. We keep souvenirs of a trip to remind us of where we have been. We don’t believe in the power of paganism so we bring back from a visit a replica of the god’s favorite bird. We were told that it was a symbol of good luck. We put it in a prime location so that the “luck” will fill our home. Maybe a storm comes and we admit that we were lucky our home was spared damage. A friend comes over and sees the bird and says that when he visited the same place they told him to really be lucky, you have to put the bird to the right of the door. So you move it, after all, what could it hurt? And then the cat knocks it off the shelf and you get mad at the cat. And then something goes wrong and (you never know!) you adjust it on the shelf for better luck and, well you get the picture. All of this from people who don’t believe in superstition.
The exception to this refusal to have anything to do with idolatry is related to those things that are not fashioned by human hands. Just because some pagans worship a hill, does not mean you can’t go climbing on it if you need to or if you want to. If pagans worship a tree, that does not mean you can’t collect its branches and start a fire with them. G-d made these things for everyone to use. If a rock is worshipped and you sit under its shade, that is not a sin, but if pagans carve or paint a face or markings into the stone, you can have nothing to do with it any more, and you can’t use any of the decorations they attach to that rock.
From all of this we understand without any question whatsoever, Jews should have nothing at all to do with idolatry or with idolaters.

Talmidav Shel Aharon
20-5768: Mitzvah N-15
March 24, 2008

Negative Mitzvah 15 – This is a negative commandment: Do not turn your attention to idolatry.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “Do not turn to idols” (Lev. 19:4) It is forbidden to turn one’s attention to them in speech or thought, or even by observing. And it is forbidden to read the books of idol worshippers or to ask them how they worship: for as a result of that, one will give it his attention and reflect on it. Whoever turns toward it, in a way that involves some action, should receive whiplashes. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.

Once again, we see the great fear that the Sages had when it came to idolatry. The Sages of the Talmud lived in a world where paganism was endemic. Everyone was a pagan and they were all very interested in gaining new converts. It was a very seductive religion. If you were a farmer raising crops or cattle and the local religion said that if you make certain offerings you will be more successful. What could it hurt if you made a pagan offering in addition to your offerings to G-d? And if you have a good year, why not make the offering a regular part of your year? And if you skip a year of offering to G-d and you are still successful why, you might ask, do I need to keep up the offerings to G-d? A soldier in battle might think that if the pagan army is successful than their god must be more powerful than mine. A sailor in a storm could pray to every G-d and the one whom they pray to last, who gets to credit for ending the storm, will be the new god of the sailors. It sounds so ancient but do we do things really different. We have our lucky jersey that we wear to football games. We have a lucky suit we wear to important business meetings. It is really the same superstitions that we are trying to “de-paganize”.
Judaism is deeply opposed to both paganism and superstition. We see our world as ordered and operation according to the laws of the Torah. Examining paganism and learning about it would lead to worship and away from Judaism. This is the crux of the prohibition. This leaves us with a question relating to interfaith activities. I have said many times that Christianity and Islam are not considered to be pagan religions since they both worship one god. But where does that leave us when it comes to Hinduism, Shinto, Some forms of Buddhism or some American Indian religions? How can we build bridges of understanding if we do not get to know the faiths of others? A direct interpretation of this prohibition would certainly prohibit us from learning about the faiths of others. I do not look at this prohibition that literally. In certain interfaith situations, the issue is no longer conversion but understanding of others. No one is asking me to join them in a pagan ritual only to understand what that ritual means to them. Attending their rituals would still not be allowed, but learning about them would be permitted. I came across this many years ago when I was interested in meditation. At that time, to get a mantra, I needed to bring flowers and fruit and a white handkerchief. Since the teachers would not tell me what they planned to do with these items, I could only surmise that they were some kind of an offering and I declined to continue with that kind of meditation.
We see, from the many laws relating to paganism, that any type of contact is forbidden, even if we are not performing the ritual ourselves.

Talmidav Shel Aharon
19-5768: Mitzvah N-15
March 17, 2008

Negative Mitzvah 15 – This is a negative commandment: Eat or drink nothing from an offering to an idol.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land… and one will call you and you will eat of his sacrifice.” (Ex. 34:12, 15) Included in this is wine that was offered up as a libation to an idol. From an offering to an idol and wine of libation it is forbidden to have any benefit. If a person eats or drinks anything at all from an offering to an idol or from wine of libation, he should receive whiplashes. From a heathen’s general, unspecified wine it is forbidden to derive any benefit by the law of the Sages, and if one drinks a rivi’it, he should be flogged with whiplashes of disobedience. If a heathen deliberately touched the wine of a Jew, it is forbidden to have any benefit from it. And it is forbidden to eat at the feast of a heathen, which he makes as a banquet at the wedding of his son or daughter, in their company. Even if he eats his own food and a servant of his stands and attends upon him, it is forbidden. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.

Let us start with the entire quote from Exodus 34, which may help us understand why the Mitzvah is so strict. Verses 12-16 read, “Beware of making a covenant with the inhabitants of the lands against which you are advancing, lest they be a snare in your midst. No, you must tear down their altars, smash their pillars, and cut down their sacred posts; for you must not worship any other god, because the Lord whose name is Impassioned, is an impassioned God. You must not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for they will lust after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and invite you, and you will eat of their sacrifices. And when you takes wives from among their daughters for your sons, their daughters will lust after their gods and will cause your sons to lust after their gods.”
From here we see clearly that the issue is assimilation. That we will see them worship their gods and we will join them and our children will be married and our sons will be led astray and we will eventually forget our God and become pagans. You may think this is far fetched but consider: In the pagan world, each location had a god that was responsible for making sure that the crops grew and the cattle were healthy. If you were plagued with lousy crops and sick cattle, you might begin to wonder if there might be something to the local religion that has affected your cattle and if you joined in a sacrifice and things got better, well, I guess they were right and we were wrong. Or perhaps it would be more likely we would say, I will join them, after all, it is better to be safe than sorry. After all, they could be right and we are wrong! If you don’t like the psychological approach than maybe history can inform us. In Parshat Balak (See Numbers chapter 25) we have just such a seduction by the followers of Baal-peor. We see it again in chapters 17-19 of Kings I and we know from the history of the third century of the common era that Jews were not allowed to have Christian servants because they might cause them to forsake their Christianity and become Jewish. We see that contact with another faith that is a majority faith, brings about assimilation. The threat was very real.
How did Judaism respond? By making sure that we had no contact with pagan religion. We did not attend their temples. We did not eat their sacrifices. We did not drink pagan wine and did not socialize with them. It was all too dangerous for our faith.
It is forbidden by the Sages to even sell to pagans three days before their festivals since it could be assumed that stuff bought three days or less before a festival was going to be served on that festival and we could derive no benefit from it, including the money we earned selling the food to them.
Wine was a particular problem. The manufacturing of wine was steeped in superstition and religion. In thanks to wine gods, libations would be poured out in front of idols as an offering to the gods. This wine would then be bottled and sold. If it was sold to a pagan, that pagan could also pour some of it aside for pagan gods. It was best to only use wine manufactured and handled only by Jews. If a pagan knew this and touched your wine, that made the entire container useless and hand to be destroyed. To this day there are caterers who are directed to not let non-Jewish waiters pour wine at a Jewish party lest they make the kosher wine unsuitable.
To solve this problem, many Kosher wine makers took to “cooking” their wine. “Cooked” wine was not fit for a libation and could be handled by non-Jews. Alas, it also killed the taste of the wine. Jews wanted good tasting wine and non-Jews made all the good tasting wine. Does that matter? Well, remember, many monasteries and churches were in the wine making business and that could very well be a problem for Jews and wine. (A “revi’it equals 68.88 cubic centimeters or 2.33 fluid oz.).
More modern authorities have removed the issue of pagan wine since we don’t consider idol worship to be going on anymore. This leaves only the precaution of not letting non-Jews handle wine. The Rabbinical Assembly Law and Standards Committee investigated the process in 1964 and discovered that most wine is manufactured in an automated process that lets nobody handle the wine until it is sealed in bottles. Therefore there is no reason to be concerned with it being handled by non-Jews. The only real consideration was to support Jewish winemakers and wines made in Israel. It was determined that only Kosher wines should be used when a blessing is called for but not when consumed outside of ritual occasions. The opinion was raised again in 1985 when some questions were raised about the filtering and “fining” of wine using non-Kosher or dairy agents. Once again while there may be reasons to permit non-certified kosher wine, for ritual purposes and to support Kosher winemakers, only certified kosher wines should be used in Jewish rituals. Because there are all kinds of issues with agents used in the wine making process, it is best to only use certified Kosher wines. However, if one finds him or herself in a situation where only non-certified wines are served, it is permitted to drink them and not embarrass the host.
Once again I remind readers that Christians and Moslems are not considered to be pagans and the rules that once kept Jews away from their food and parties have long ago been overturned. In cases of Eastern religions such as Hindu and Shinto, one should be very cautious of their food and festivals. I am not an expert in such religions and do not feel I can comment on them for this purpose. If it becomes an issue, your rabbi should be consulted.
Synagogues and other Jewish institutions may have other reasons to be stricter about wine being served so be sure to ask before bringing wine into such institutions.

Talmidav Shel Aharon
18-5768: Mitzvah N-13 and 14
March 10, 2008

Negative Mitzvah 13 – This is a negative commandment: Do not swear in the name of an idol
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “and make no mention of the name of other gods” (Ex. 23:13) neither should one make a vow in the name of an idol. Included, as well, in this prohibition is the rule not to make a heathen swear by his object of veneration. And even to mention an idol’s name, not in the course of an oath, is forbidden. That is: a person should not tell his fellow man, “wait for me at the side of that certain idol.” and so forth. When an idol is written in the sacred Scriptures it is permissible to mention its name-for example, Pe’or, Bel, Nebo, and so forth. It is forbidden to cause others to vow or swear in an idol’s name. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.

Negative Mitzvah 14 – This is a negative commandment: Do not lead a town in Israel astray to worship idolatry.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “neither let it be heard out of your mouth” (Ex. 23:13) if someone persuades an individual to worship idolatry, he is called an inciter. If one persuades many, he is called one who leads stray; and his death should be by stoning. Even if he did not worship an idol but only persuaded them until they worshipped it. It is in effect everywhere, in every time, for both men and women.

These two laws are just the logical conclusions of all the previous Mitzvot. There is no reason to call any idol by name especially in a vow when that deity is supposed to be the “guardian” of your vow. What would be the use of vowing in the name of a god that you do not believe in? It could only mean that you are trying to deceive someone by invoking a god that you believe has no power. If, on the other hand you do believe that the pagan god has the power to enforce your word, than you are guilty of idolatry. Similarly if you are having a dispute with an idolater, and he swears by his pagan gods, if you don’t accept the power of that god, you will not accept the word of the idolater either. If you do accept that vow, than you are guilty of idolatry. In short, it is a bad idea to even mention the name of pagan gods. You should just talk about something else. The only exception is, not surprisingly, you can use the name of pagan gods that appear in Jewish Scriptures. If the Bible can mention them, than we can too. If one is reading Torah and comes across the name, it is OK to mention it and to prove the point, the Hafetz Hayim even prints their names in his text! Once again I remind you that Christianity and Islam are not considered pagan and you can mention the names of people and rituals that are associated with them. I only caution Jews to be careful that they do not use the names sacred to these other faiths in a way that would be disrespectful.
The rules associated with a city that has gone over to idolatry are very severe. The inhabitants of that city are killed, the city is razed to the ground and even the plunder is forbidden. If you are the one that caused this catastrophe, than you are liable for death by stoning. If you, yourself did not worship an idol but you caused others to do so, you are still guilty and liable for capital punishment. I can see someone using this ruse to get a group of people killed because of some harm they have caused him. If you convince another person to become an idolater, than you are and inciter and could also be liable for punishment.

Talmidav Shel Aharon
17-5768: Mitzvah N-12
March 2, 2008

Negative Mitzvah 12 – This is a negative commandment: Do not worship an idol in the way that it is usually venerated.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “you shall not serve them” (Ex. 20:5) Even if it is in a disrespectful manner, for example, urinating as worship for Peor; or throwing stones to Merkulis, it is punishable by stoning to death. If it was done without prior warning, it is punishable by karet (Divine severance of existence). And if it was done unwittingly, there is an obligation of a Hattat (sin offering). But if someone were to urinate to Merkulis, he would be free from penalty since such is not its usual way of worship, and it is an approach of disgrace.
If someone hugs and kisses an idol, or he sweeps and sands the ground before it, or he does some other act of homage, if he does them to any one of the species of idols he violates a prohibition, but whiplashes are not suffered for them, since it is a composite, omnibus prohibition (forbidding a variety of things and for violating such a prohibition whiplashes are not given.) If there are faucets of water in sculptured images before some idolatry, one should not put his mouth to them to drink, since he would seem to be kissing an idol. It is in effect everywhere, at every time, for both men and women.

Welcome to the weird world of Idolatry. It sometimes seems as if the Rabbis know of every bizarre ritual that was ever performed for some idol. I am not sure that the Hafetz Hayim ever studied what idolaters do, but for this lesson, I am sure that his understanding comes from the Talmud.
Last week we noted that one could not worship an idol the same way we would worship our G-d. Here we find the separate Mitzvah of not being permitted to worship an idol in its own style. This means we cannot do what is important to an idol even if we think that the action in question is not a ritual act, but a degrading one. We can have nothing at all to do with the idol, if the action could be construed as worship. This applies all the more so to times when paganism interferes with what we might normally do for other reasons.
Does this seem rather far-fetched? Not in a pagan world. In the Jan 2008 issue of National Geographic, in the story on Indonesia’s Volcanoes, on page 48 there is a picture of the sacred pool on the slopes of Mount Penanggungan, where men are bathing beside the sacred statues of Sri and Lakshmi, the consorts of the Hindu god Vishnu. One man is filling a water container from water that is spilling from the breast of the Hindu image. To drink water here would be kissing the breast of this pagan goddess. It would not get you whiplashes but it would be a violation of this Mitzvah. When I was thinking of bringing meditation into my life when I was stressed out in college, I came across Transcendental Meditation and though it might be useful to me. However, when they told me that to get my mantra, I would have to bring a handkerchief, some flowers and fruit, this prohibition came to mind. That the people who were to train me would not talk about what they would do with these items, just that they were for some “personal ritual” that did not involve me, I declined the ceremony and declined the meditation. You just never know when paganism will become an issue.
As for the matter of whiplashes, punishment in Judaism depends on the law being clear about what is prohibited. When a law is written with many different parts and prohibitions, it is hard to know which laws are for punishment or if you have to do all of them for punishment. Therefore we don’t punish at all, just note that the matter is forbidden.
Christianity and Islam are not usually considered pagan religions. They are also monotheistic and these rules do not apply to them. This does not mean that we should co-opt their rituals, as this would be a serious breach of etiquette. It just is not respectful to have Christian or Islamic images in a Jewish home.
If you are doing something in front of the image that could not be considered a form of worship for that image, you are not in violation of this commandment even if that action could be construed as a form of worship to a different image.

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.

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.

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.

Talmidav Shel Aharon
13-5768: Mitzvah N-7
January 28, 2008

Negative Mitzvah 7 – It is a negative commandment not to go out on the Sabbath beyond the Sabbath limit.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “let no an go out of is place on the seventh day” (Ex. 16:29) This mean s that if one goes outside the city or town, even one cubit more than twelve mils (The distance corresponding to the length of the Israelites camp in the wilderness), he is to receive whiplashes by the law of the Torah. Whoever goes out beyond 2,000 cubits, which is the area of open land about the town or city, is to be punished with whiplashes of disobedience. This is the view of Rabbi Alfasi and Rambam. [but there are many early authorities, of blessed memory, who hold that even if one walks many parasangs, it is only a violation of a law of the Sages and not a law of the Torah]. The 2,000 cubits are reckoned as square cubits, so as to gain the extra distance to the corners [in the square of 2,000 by 2,000 cubits,] Within the city it is permissible to walk through all of it, even if it is very large. It is in force everywhere, in every time, for both men and women.

Last week we talked about the 49 Av Melachot, the primary rules of what is forbidden work on Shabbat. But note, that this law is based on a verse that is found in the Torah four full chapters before the giving of the Law at Sinai. This is a very separate law that is derived from the miracle of Manna in the wilderness. Everyday the people were to go outside the camp to gather the Manna they would need for the day. On Friday, they had to gather a double portion (which is why we have two Challot on Friday night!) and were told not to leave their place. Since this is taken to mean they should not leave the camp to gather Manna (which would not fall on Shabbat) we get the reference to the size of the Israelite camp in the wilderness. I suspect that this is a bit of Rabbinic fantasy. There is no reference I know of in the Bible that sets a size to the Israelite camp.
A “mil” is 2,000 amot (cubits) or 1121 meters or 1226 yards. There are 4 mil in a parasang, which is 4486 meters or 4905 yards.(There are 1760 yards in a mile and 1000 meters in a kilometer) So we have here the better part of a mile from home a person can walk. The 2,000 cubits distance around the city is a 2,000 cubit square that allows a person to walk to the corners of the square (as opposed to a 2,000 cubit circle from some center point that would be more restrictive. The city that the Haftz Hayyim is referring to is a walled city which has a very distinct boundary, (the city gate) that one can measure from. Because most cities today do not have a wall, a “wall” is created by the construction of an “Eruv” a Shabbat boundary that serves as the limit one can measure so one knows when he or she has violated the Shabbat boundary.
The argument between Rabbi Alfasi (who wrote the Jewish Law code called the “Tur”) and Rambam (Who wrote the Jewish Law code called the “Mishna Torah”) and many of the other Sages is the source of these measures. Alfasi and Rambam see this law as a prohibition of the Torah and the others see it as a Rabbinic Law. At stake is the punishment. Violations of Torah law are far more serious that violations of Rabbinic Law since the Rabbis were far from infallible. It is hard to say exactly why they don’t take the more strict position except for the possibility that this is an easy law to break unintentionally. It is really easy to step beyond the boundary. I suspect that they want to be a bit lenient on those who err in their journey.
Within the eruv or the walls of the city, one is able to walk from one end of the city to the other since it is all considered to be “his place” so no restrictions apply.
Conservative Judaism in effect, put this entire law aside with its historic (or some say catastrophic) decision to allow Jews to ride to synagogue on Shabbat (but not to any other place) this opened the door to travel far beyond these limits. Those who still refrain from driving and travel on Shabbat usually don’t travel outside these limits to this day.

Talmidav Shel Aharon
12-5768: Mitzvah N-5
January 21, 2008

Negative Mitzvah 6 – It is a negative commandment to do no work on Shabbat.
Hafetz Hayim: For Scripture says, “you shall not do any work etc.” (Ex. 20:10) The Sages of blessed memory listed thirty-nine major primary kinds of forbidden labor, which are taught in the seventh chapter of the Talmud tractate Shabbat (73a). For any of the primary labors, and so for any of their derivative kinds, the punishment deserved is death by stoning. If it was done deliberately, but there was no prior warning, the penalty is Karet (Divine severance of existence); and if it was done unwittingly, a Hattat (sin offering) would be required. The difference between primary kinds of labor and the derivatives is only in regard to the number of animal offerings required. The punishment for willfully doing those kinds of labor which are Sh’vut, forbidden by the law of the sages, who made this decree about them as a “fence,” a protective measure, is whiplashes of disobedience.
About all these labors we are adjured also in regard to our domestic animals. To tell a non-Jew to do some labor is forbidden by the law of the Sages, and this is called Sh’vut. The Sabbath may be thrust aside [and labor is done] where there is danger to human life. The Sabbath is equal in importance to all the Mitzvot, since it is a sign between the blessed Lord and the Jewish people. If someone violates the Sabbath willfully, flagrantly, hi is like a heathen in every respect. The prophet, though, praises one who keeps the Sabbath, as Scripture says, “Happy is the man that does this…that keeps the Sabbath from desecrating it.” [Isaiah 56:2] It is in force everywhere, in every time, for both men and women.

There is much to unpack in this commandment.
The laws of Shabbat are found in two places in the Torah, It is a part of creation, for G-d rested from creating on Shabbat. And the fourth commandment (in this week’s Parshat Yitro) requires all Jews to refrain from working or making animals and slaves work. Multiple times we are commanded in the Torah to not work on Shabbat as G-d rested and because it is a holy day, not for secular activities. There is only one problem; the Torah never defines what it considers to be “work”! The only hint the Sages can find for a definition of work, are the activities that go into creating the portable sanctuary in the wilderness (the Mishkan) because just after the command to build the Mishkan, G-d reminds the people that they cannot “work” on Shabbat. The Sages then identify thirty-nine different actions that are classified in the reference to the Talmud. They are all activities that are associated with building the Mishkan. These 39 activities are called, Av Melachot, the original prohibitions on work. If someone were to willfully violate any of them, that person would be guilty of a capital crime and the punishment is death. To prevent this, the Sages created a “fence” around these 39 laws; they extended them so that just preparing to violate one would be a violation itself. These laws are called “sh’vut”. For example, buying and selling are one of the Av Melachot. Going into a store would be a violation of a sh’vut, and the penalty is whiplashes, painful but not death. Later Sages would extend the fence to a new category, “muksa” things we don’t touch because it could lead to a violation of sh’vut or an Av Melacha. Muksa would be handling money on Shabbat that could only lead to going to a store or buying something, a capital offence. The Sages did not like going to the death penalty. (A court who convicted anyone of a capital crime once in seven years was called a “hanging court”) so they made it more difficult to actually do anything that could lead to such a crime.
The laws of Shabbat were for everyone, citizens, slaves, visiting outsiders and extended even to animals. Work was forbidden, period. The only exception to this was a non-Jew could do activities on Shabbat that were part of his or her regular routine. If a non-Jew were making a pot of coffee for himself, Jews could share in it. If she needed to light a candle, then a Jew could use the light from that candle. If a bus were going where you needed to go and you didn’t have to pay for the ride (you had a monthly pass for example) you could get on the bus and ride on Shabbat. (There may be an issue with carrying the bus pass, so see your Rabbi before using this permission)
Finally, we must remember the “Prime directive” in Judaism is “Choose Life” you are forbidden to do or not do any activity that could endanger your life or the life of another person. All the laws of Shabbat are suspended when life is on the line. A Doctor could work the emergency room on Shabbat, or take calls. A heating repairman could go out and fix a furnace on an exceptionally cold day. Workers for the Power Company could work to make repairs on Shabbat since the loss of electricity could endanger the lives of those who need the electricity to survive. Needless to say, soldiers and police officers are also exempt from Shabbat prohibitions. Women who are exempt from time bound Mitzvot are not exempt from the laws of Shabbat since the exemption only applies to positive commandments and not to negative ones. But if the life and health of children are involved, parents can violate Shabbat. If we are not sure if a life is at stake or not, i.e. we don’t know if someone is really sick or not, we err on the side of caution and violate Shabbat on their behalf. It is better to violate one Shabbat than to risk the loss of health of life.
Shabbat is one of the Ten Commandments and considered a vital part of Judaism. Those who willfully violate Shabbat are considered to have renounced their link to the Jewish people. We can argue if electricity is really considered by Jewish law as “fire” or not, but cooking is still a violation. Of course, if one did not learn the laws, then they are not guilty of willful violation but should take the time to learn them as adults. One modern Sage reminded his students, “More than the Jewish People have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jewish people.” To really understand what it means to live a Jewish life, one needs to accept Holiness of Shabbat into their lives. That includes these prohibitions and a whole lot more.
If you don’t know where to start, talk to your Rabbi.