Questions tagged [avodah-zarah]
Worship of foreign deities, one of the three cardinal sins.
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Are the Amalekites monotheistic?
When studying about Haman and the Amalekites I was trying to imagine their reality and mentality.
So if they are intrinsically bad to the point of total opposition to the Jews, they should be the ...
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0answers
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Destroy or sell? Avodah zarah? [closed]
I previously owned a rental and had a tenant who passed away. His family left Scientology fiction books and lectures by Ron Hubbard in my rental attic. These may be worth around $500 if I were to sell ...
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Name of avoda zara in the mishna?
Avoda Zara 3, 4:
שאל פרוקלוס... שהיה רוחץ במרחץ של אפרודיטי
Proclus asked... because he was washing in the bathroom of aphroditi ...
Given it is forbidden to say name of avoda zara (Sanhedrin ...
5
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2answers
203 views
Why for a sorceress does the Torah say “shall not live” instead of “shall be put to death?”
In Exodus 22:17 the Torah tells us:
מְכַשֵּׁפָ֖ה לֹ֥א תְחַיֶּֽה׃
A sorceress you shall not let live.
We learn from Sanhedrin 67a that (man or woman) the punishment for sorcery is death by ...
2
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1answer
25 views
Why Moses could be only replaced with an idol?
In the previous question about the Golden Calf I thought it was suspicious that neither Moses left the "chain of command" just in case, neither Aharon offered himself as Moses' replacement.
Also, ...
2
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1answer
44 views
Money obtained by selling Tikrovet avoda zara
Talmud Kiddushin 58a says that Avoda Zara 'catches its value' (תופס דמיו) to be forbidden as itself: the money obtained from its sale is also forbidden.
Now, what with tikrovet avoda zara (offerings ...
3
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1answer
50 views
Is idolatry more than the worship of inanimate objects?
Many rabbis (mostly, if not only, non-traditional, I believe) are giving us new interpretations of the word “idolatry”. We sometimes hear that the pursuit of material possessions is worship of wealth;...
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3answers
67 views
What causes a person to do Avodah Zarah?
In relation to "Definition of Avodah Zarah":
I would like to know what drives or causes a person to worship Avodah Zarah in the first place; i.e. what lies at the core of it? Is there a reason why it’...
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1answer
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Do objects of idolatry contaminate?
Rambam in Mishneh Torah, Foreign Worship and Customs of the Nations 7:9 speaking about idolatrous objects says that "everything it mingled with and its identity lost" is forbidden property.
Is Rambam ...
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2answers
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Definition of Avodah Zarah
Looking at different explanations regards Avodah Zarah, different/various forms of idolatry, I tried to sum things up, I tried to get to get a definition out of it based on their common denominator.
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Is it allowed to live in a place which has brazen Avodah Zarah?
Is a Jew allowed to live in a place which has brazen Avodah Zarah? I'm talking about places like India, China and Cambodia. While Christians worship idols as well they say that doing so is wrong. I'm ...
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2answers
637 views
Source for it being a mitzvah to make fun of Avodah Zarah?
I've heard from multiple Rabbanim that it is a mitzvah to make fun of Avodah Zarah. I have been performing this mitzvah with pleasure for many years and I would like to know the source for it.
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0answers
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Why would the Torah give us mitzvot that will never actually happen?
The Gemara in Sanhedrin 71a tells us a few mitzvot in the Torah that will never happen:
First, a ben sorer u'moreh
בן סורר ומורה לא היה ולא עתיד להיות ולמה נכתב דרוש וקבל שכר
There has never ...
3
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2answers
35 views
Does one need to stop the Amidah if a projection of Avodah Zarah appears?
What I'm describing is a somewhat unusual situation, but this can occur.
A group of us daven mincha in a conference room where mizrach (east) has a giant computer monitor. The company focuses on ...
2
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0answers
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Evil inclination compared to a strange god within man
I've found this article which quoted some interesting thoughts:
Our sages said about the verse (Shabbat 105b), “There shall not be a strange god within you, nor will you bow before a strange god.”
...
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0answers
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Is there a problem with buying a Christian a Christmas gift?
To make the question easier, suppose that the recipient of the Christmas gift is a devout Christian who actually celebrates for religious reasons.
Potentially there are several issues with buying a ...
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0answers
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Clarification of Yitro's comparison of G-d vs other gods
Yitro says (Shmos 18,11):
"עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־גָדוֹל ה' מִכָּל־הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי בַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר זָדוּ עֲלֵיהֶם׃ "
"Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, yes, by the result of ...
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2answers
142 views
Is someone allowed to enter into a church to please his father or save a life? [closed]
Let's suppose that someone is a Jew by conversion (Ben Noach) and his father is Christian. If he goes to church (assuming that in the church they practice idolatry by worshipping the trinity) just to ...
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1answer
84 views
Can one eat avodah zarah food?
My question is simple: Can food offered as avodah zarah be eaten? Why?
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0answers
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Profit when escaping something
Is it considered a hanaa/profit from something, when the earning arrived from escaping this thing?
Let's say an example: Reuven was walking in a town, and suddenly he saw a church. He then changed ...
3
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0answers
72 views
which Divrei Minus are forbidden to read/hear today?
The Talmud in (Avodah Zara 16b–17a) brings that Rabbi Eliezer was upset that he had been accused by the Romans. His student, Rabbi Akiva suggested that perhaps he had heard a teaching of the minim and ...
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1answer
89 views
Does Chinese ancestor worship have the full status of idolotry?
In the front of a Chinese restaurant they have a small shrine - a succah less than a foot tall. Placed before it is a bowl of rice with vertical chopsticks and a plate of oranges. There is no idol ...
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0answers
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Are Totem Poles considered to be Avodah Zarah?
A totem pole is a large carving, often made out of a tree, that depicts symbols or figures. They are usually made by various First Nations and Indigenous peoples around Canada and the United States.
...
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1answer
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Is friendship with Christians and other idolaters permitted?
Does Torah permit having friends who are Christians/Muslims/other forms of Avodah Zarah?
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1answer
114 views
Are Jews allowed to pray on their knees?
If someone finds it a good way to have a concentration in pray while on his knees, can it be done? (Not talking about Amida/Sidur prayers, but talking with the creator.)
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Graven Image Question
Can someone give me sources from Tanakh and Halakhah on why it is permissible for a Jewish [certified kosher] bakery to make images from Christianity and their winter holiday? And if it is permissible,...
4
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2answers
90 views
David's Idol: why did he have one?
In שמואל א יט it says in reference to David's escape from Saul:
וַתִּקַּ֨ח מִיכַ֜ל אֶת־הַתְּרָפִ֗ים וַתָּ֙שֶׂם֙ אֶל־הַמִּטָּ֔ה וְאֵת֙ כְּבִ֣יר הָֽעִזִּ֔ים שָׂ֖מָה מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָ֑יו וַתְּכַ֖ס ...
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2answers
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Who was the first to worship an idol?
A while back I asked a question about whether Cain was an idol worshiper (something I long suspected), and the answer seems to indicate that he probably wasn't (notwithstanding the fact that he wasn't ...
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1answer
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Video games with god-like characters - Avodah Zara?
I found some answers on this site about if playing certain kinds of "Idolatrous" video games constitute avoda zara, such as Virtual Avodah Zara
and While playing a computer game, may I "worship&...
2
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1answer
182 views
Is the Arya Samaj's version of Hinduism avodah zarah?
According to Judaism, non-Jews can only be regarded as righteous if they follow the seven Noachide laws:
Not to worship idols.
Not to curse God.
To establish courts of justice.
Not to ...
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Judaism's view of pagans/polytheists [duplicate]
How does Judaism view pagans or polytheists? Will they be burnt in hell for eternity like what Christianity and Islam say?
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1answer
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If One Considers Chabad to be Avodah Zarah What Kosher Products Should He Avoid?
If one were to consider Chabad to be a religion of Avodah Zarah because of their practices regarding the Rebbe as Mashiach, what otherwise marked "kosher" products should one avoid that are Chabad-...
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1answer
96 views
Was Nebuchadnezzar's statue an image of Daniel himself?
The third chapter of Daniel brings the story of how King Nebuchadnezzar erected a statue made of gold for the people of the land to worship. (Ultimately, this is the story of how Hananiah, Mishael, ...
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0answers
48 views
Do idolaters pray to God?
A long time ago I read that our Sources say, "It is forbidden to disturb an idolater praying to his idols because, although he does not know it, he is praying to God." Is this accurate and what is the ...
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1answer
150 views
Making an image of G-d in your thoughts
Over and over again we read about the prohibition of idolatry in the Tenach.
In the first place G-d commands us not to make any physical image of Him, or anything that represents Him. On the other ...
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1answer
54 views
Death over sins & idolatry for gentiles?
As we know there are certain sins a Jew cannot commit like murder or idol worship. A Jew should rather die than commit these sins. Does this apply to gentiles as well?
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2answers
158 views
May one immerse in a body of water that was used for baptism?
Is there a problem with a Jew immersing him/herself in a mikvah or river area (such as the area in the Jordan River) that was previously used for avodah zarah, e.g. for baptizing? I am talking about ...
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0answers
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Does Hashem create a Michshol?
There is a Jewish law forbidding putting a michshol, a stumbling block, in front of a blind person. This is extended also to mean that one should not lead others into sin, including providing the ...
2
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2answers
431 views
Why is asking for a bracha allowed?
It seems that it has become a universal Jewish custom to ask for blessings from tzadikim/talmidei chachamim. So I'm assuming this practice is allowed.
There seems to be levels in how people treat ...
2
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1answer
161 views
What are examples where you would need to give up your life to ‘idolatry’ today?
What are examples where you would need to give up your life to ‘idolatry’ today? כדת ודין
that could actually occur
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1answer
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Do good christians go to heaven when they die (Gan Eden)? [duplicate]
Will Christians have a share in the world to come if they truly did not know that Judaism was true, and were brought up with Jesus their whole lives? And can that same concept be applied to atheist as ...
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How could we bring korban pesach in egypt if it was served as a deity?
It says Shemos 8,22:
הֵ֣ן נִזְבַּ֞ח אֶת־תּֽוֹעֲבַ֥ת מִצְרַ֛יִם לְעֵֽינֵיהֶ֖ם וְלֹ֥א יִסְקְלֻֽנוּ׃ (...)
"(...) If we sacrifice the god of the the egyptians won't they stone us?" ...
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Showing respect and love for someone or things without worship but with the knowledge it's a deity or considered/treated as one in the eyes of others
Bowing is considered as a way to show respect, that's why one could bow to a king (Melachim 1:1:23) or why the brothers of Yosef bowed down to him (Bereshit 42:6).
We dance with the Torah on Simchat ...
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0answers
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Egyptians not turning to their gods?
We read about a couple of "sorcery contests" between Moses and Egyptians, first turning the rods into serpents and then through the first plagues.
Some well known facts:
Egypt was a land of idol ...
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1answer
755 views
Can I wear a Pentagram T-shirt?
Can I wear a T-shirt with a 5 sided pentagram on it? It's usually associated with Wiccans/Satan so it's seems like there might be some kind of issur here, though I can't think of one.
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How was Matisyahu's murder justified
According to sforim chitsoynim, Matisyahu murdered an unarmed villager in Modin. I believe this tale is repeated in Rabbinic sources, perhaps the Medrash, because I was taught it in Yeshiva. My ...
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1answer
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Is there a problem with saying/writing Antiochus Epiphanes?
Inspired by this question: Shulkan Arukh Yoreh De'ah 147 lists the prohibition to mention the name of a foreign deity (see also)
Epiphanes means "God Manifest" in Greek. It is unclear to me if ...
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1answer
92 views
Is it permitted to visit a Druze dominant area?
I was wondering if its permitted to visit a Druze dominant area, as sometimes when I go to Israel with my family we go there and now since becoming more observant, I'm not so sure of the rules so not ...
3
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1answer
186 views
Anger is a form of idolatry
I recall reading once that when one is hit with a stick that one does not get angry at the stick. This lesson went on to explain that because everything is G-d's will that the man who cause you harm ...
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0answers
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What was the Talmudic and Rambam view on Hinduism (from idolatrous point)
India is mentioned in many ways in Talmud and clearly our sages had extensive trade with India, for example Kohen Gadol's garments and Ketoret ingredients see Mishnah and Talmud dealing-with-indian-...
