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First, I am not 100% sure what the definition of idolatry is in Judaism. I don't think it applies just to worshipping physical objects (your typical vision of "idols" like human-like statues, etc..), but that idols can also be mental or other types of things too? I am also not certain what the definition of worship is.

But this gets me to think about the Hebrew letters and the 10 Sefirot diagram (after absorbing a good portion of the Sefir Yetzirah book by Aryeh Kaplan).

In his commentary about the Sefir Yetzirah, he paints vivid pictures of the meaning of the structure of the letters, and how they correlate to this and that. And how engraving and carving the letters into your mind, focusing on them intensely, you can gain deep knowledge about the universe (G-d's creation). The letters are not "worshipped", in that I am not treating them I would a person and giving respect to them, and bowing down to them. But I am focusing intensely on the letters and shapes and symbolisms within them (and numerical values, associations, etc..). Focusing on this stuff can absorb your entire consciousness on your way to integrating with the divine, so to speak.

So is idolatry more of like, bowing down and respecting a symbol as if it were like a person? And it's not like what we are doing with the letters in the Sefir Yetzirah commentary here? Or is this a form of idolatry too? Where is the line drawn exactly?

Same with the 10 Sefirot diagram. This is how G-d interacts with creation, and you study it, you try and navigate it in your mind, body, and experience, etc.. You do a lot of "thinking" about it, but I guess I wouldn't call it "worship".

It seems to become "worship of idols", you would have to turn the Hebrew alphabet into something like Tarot cards (which I know mostly nothing about so far). I imagine one who deals with Tarot cards would think think they are possessed of magical powers, and not that they are just emanations of G-d's power. Going down that road, you would forget about G-d and start being passionate and absorbed about the Hebrew alphabet possessing magical powers.

Is that sort of the line for where "curiosity" and "research" (thinking and meditating), becomes "worship"? I guess I don't understand the meaning of worship clearly.

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  • I’ve read that the word often translated as “worship” in English is actually to bow down / obeisance. This was a way of showing respect and it could be done towards another person. For example, Moses worshipped/paid obeisance to Jethro. Rather than the abstract concept of “worship” - what scripture demands is that you serve God alone. And idol is something that you devote yourself to, serving it rather than God. This could be a foreign “god” or it could be a person or the pursuit of wealth, power and/or fame, etc.
    – Ryan Pierce Williams
    Commented Nov 2 at 2:16

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Idolatry is believing or behaving as if anything other than Hashem—an object, concept, idea, symbol, literally anything—is a god, or has power independent of Hashem.

Focusing on letters has nothing to do with idolatry.

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