Questions tagged [avodah-zarah]
Worship of foreign deities, one of the three cardinal sins.
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Is Buddhism Avodah Zarah?
Is Buddhism Avodah Zarah, atheistic, or a philosophy not related to any specific brand of theism?
If it is Avodah Zarah, then one would not be able to enter a Buddhist temple, benefit from items of ...
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Can a Messianic Jew (Christian) be counted in a minyan? [duplicate]
There are a group of people who claim to be "Messianic Jews." This is a group of people who are either natural born Jews who adopted Jesus as their messiah and other Christian practices or ...
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What happened to Lovon's idols that were taken by Rochel?
In a comment on this question Did anyone (especially Yaakov) ever find out about the idols? Ezra says:
In Genesis 35:1-4, Jacob requests his household to hand over "foreign
deities", and he ...
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Is it permitted to have an American Flag on a flagpole with an Eagle on top in a Synagogue?
American Flag on pole, topped with an Eagle.
Is this permitted in the Synagogue?
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Is the board game "Snakes and Ladders" kosher?
It appears to be a game based on the Hindu religion. Here is an excerpt from wikipedia:
The game was popular in ancient India by the name Moksha Patam. It was
also associated with traditional Hindu ...
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If I don't think that someone would leave Christianity, is it recommended to guide them to more monotheistic/non-Trinitarian Christianity? [closed]
Let's say as a hypothetical: I'm in an argument with a typical trinitarian Christian and they are absolutely stubborn. I can show them all the proofs of the incoherence of the topic of trinity and ...
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tevilat keilim - ger toshav and meshumad
Do keilim (eating utensils) bought from an artisan who is a ger toshav (observant non-Jew) require tevilah (ritual immersion)? Conversely, what if the artisan is a meshumad (Jewish idolator/heretic)?
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Living body becomes an Idol and avodah zarah
If a living person is worshipped like praying to him and the living person encourages his own worship, and the living person himself becomes object of worship then will that person become a living ...
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How does halacha deal with idolatrous parents?
Query coming from some of the answers to this question:
How should one prioritize honoring parents in comparison with other laws?
'Rabbi Eliezer was asked: “How far does the honor of parents [extend]”?...
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Working for a church
Is it muttar to work for a church? Does it matter if you are an employee or a contractor?
The example I'm thinking of is an accountant hired to do a churches taxes.
I saw someone asked a similar ...
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Is Brahmoism Avodah Zarah?
Sometime during the eighteenth century, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, an educated revenue officer from West Bengal who was influenced by Christianity of the East India Company, founded the "anusthanic"...
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Is the use of beads as a meditation tool acceptable if they aren't an item of idolatry?
Beads have a history of use in different religions. They also have a general use in human society as a whole detached from religion.
One simple example of the nonreligious version is the Greek ...
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Idol worship temples by Hindus in Israel allowed?
I read the current State of Israel allows idol worship in Israel by Hindus from India. What is the justification for same by State of Israel? And are Jews allowed to help them?
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Selling Christmas ornaments?
Long ago I met a Jewish couple whose business was selling secular Christmas ornaments and paraphernalia. Is there universal agreement on whether this is halachically allowed?
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Ethics in video games: idol worship
Background
I sometimes play a certain computer role-playing game (RPG). In this game, my character (whom I might name after myself but who does not otherwise resemble me) fights mythological creatures ...
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Is owning crystals idol worship?
Some people own certain “energy crystals” for specific “energies” they want, such as a motivation or self-love crystal. Is owning one of these considered avoda zara, witchcraft, etc.?
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Idolatrous origin of the name TAMMUZ
The Gemmorah in Jerusalem Rosh Hashana 6a
explains the process of adopting the Babylonian names on Months instead of Biblical ones.
דא"ר חנינה שמות חדשים עלו בידם מבבל
R'Hanina said: the names ...
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Idolatrous calendar names [duplicate]
In Ezekiel we find that tammuz is a god of heat.
My question being not how we can name our months after idolatrous Babylonian gods, but what is the difference between Babylonian and Roman gods? That ...
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Is it Mutar to Listen to Music Recorded in a Church?
I read somewhere that listening to music recorded in a church is asur, because it essentially brings the church into one's home. This is common practice for classical music. Has anyone heard of or not ...
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Halachically speaking, are painted Egyptian sunk-reliefs that are carved into walls (the outline of a 2D painting) considered to be 2D or 3D (See Ex.)
According to this answer on Judaism StackExchange regarding different rules for what kind of art is allowed, it states that:
There are differences between representation in relief (3 dimensions) and ...
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Midrash - Avraham Avinu and the idol worshipper
A came across a Dvar Torah here which states the following:
The souls that they made in Charan (12:5) – Rav Ovadiah Yosef ztl. cited a midrash which described how far Avraham went in order to be ...
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Is encouraging Islam amongst the gentiles considered a positive act or a negative act? [closed]
Islam is considered a pure monotheism according to Judaism. It's famously the only religion a Jew can convert to in the name of their survival because it doesn't require idolatry to do so. Contrast ...
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Is Islam Avodah Zara?
Is Islam avodah zarah? The reason why I ask is because in Mecca, at the Kaaba there is a black stone which the Muslims kiss and believe is holy.
Is kissing the stone and believing it's holy a problem ...
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Mirror in Shul?
Is a mirror allowed in shul if it is hanging on a wall that no one faces when they daven?
It feels wrong to me, but I cannot find a source stating that it is explicitly forbidden since no one is ...
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Belief-with worship only towards HaShem - in the real existence of intermediaries between the Almighty and the Gentile Nations
I am an Italian Noahide.
There are several discussions in this forum about shituf, understood as associating other entities with HaShem.
Unless I am mistaken, it is generally held that on the halachic ...
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Was Pinchas related to Yithro? How?
Rashi states that there were suspicions of an avoda zara worshiper in Pinchas lineage. Was he related to Yithro?
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Can a Jew visit the main attractions in Rome
Can a Jew visit the main attractions in Rome? Including the Vatican, the Vatican museums, the Pantheon, St Peter's Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel. It's a two-part question, first of all, are these ...
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Listening to traditional Jewish song/prayer sung by Christian [duplicate]
Is there a prohibition against listening to a song (יה שמע אביוניך) sung by a Christian (who is Jewish by birth)? The lyrics are the original as written by Rav Yehuda Halevi. Is there a risk of avodah ...
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Responding politely to "I will cross my fingers for you" in a way that rejects avodah zara
If a well-meaning person were to say he'd cross his fingers for you, what would be the correct response to be both halachically and socially correct? Would a non-response be sufficient (i.e. not ...
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What is the היתר to have long bangs and hairdos nowadays?
I remember hearing that there were gentiles from years ago (not sure what time period) that used to leave a lot of hair on the front of their heads and would have the rest of their hair either shaved ...
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How can people dance around bonfires on Lag Lo'Omer - it's darchei emori?
In Tosephto Shabbos 7:1, it says that one who dances by a bonfire is following in the ways of the Emorites. In light of this, how can so many supposedly frum Jews dance around bonfires on Lag Lo'Omer?
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Adopting idolatrous Babylonian name of Month Tamuz
Jerusalem Rosh Hashana 6a
דא"ר חנינה שמות חדשים עלו בידם מבבל
R'Hanina said: the names of the Months were brought with them from Babylon
The Gemmorah explains the process of adopting the ...
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Would either of these scenarios make it acceptable to gift a mezuzah to a non-Jewish friend?
Non-Jews aren't meant to have mezuzot. You are forbidden from gifting one to a non-Jewish friend for this reason.
My question is regarding two scenarios and whether either of these scenarios would ...
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Is mixing features of an animal and a human in art forbidden in Judaism (e.g., is making a sculpture or a drawing of a sphinx or similar forbidden)?
Recently, I've heard someone claim that mixing human and animal features when creating an artistic feature constitutes an element of idolatrous cultures and can bring harmful spirits or something ...
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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 been a ...
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How are we to understand the Torah's focus on Idol Worship in the Diaspora?
There are multiple references in the Torah to the situation of Jewry in Diaspora, regarding the Curses God is to send upon us and otherwise. Those discussions put a lot of focus on our Serving Gods of ...
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Is a Jew permitted to believe in gods other than Hashem, provided they are not worshipped and are subservient to Hashem?
Imagine that a Jew were to say the following:
I believe in the Greek sun god Helios. I believe that he is real, is a god, and has power. However, I believe Helios was created by, and is subservient ...
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May a Jewish actor playing a role swear "falsely"?
Avraham the Jew from New Jersey puts on a costume, takes off his head covering, walks onto a stage, or movie set ... action! And says "I, John Jacob Schmidt of Oklahoma, do solemnly swear that I ...
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Proper definition for an idol/idol worshiping? [closed]
What is the proper definition for an idol/idol worshiping?
I'm asking this because in Christianity, an idol can be any person or thing that consumes your thoughts, words, time, energy, or money other ...
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How could there be avodah zara in the era of revealed miracles? [duplicate]
Before the Babylonian exile, there was an era of publicly revealed open miracles such as the ones that occurred daily in the Temple, as well as widespread prophecy.
How then can we explain the ...
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Midrash Tanchuma. Shoftim 12: Colour, or host? What's the explanation?
דָּבָר אַחֵר, כִּי הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה יוֹרֵשׁ אוֹתָם אֶל מְעֹנֲנִים וְאֶל קֹסְמִים יִשְׁמָעוּ. אָמַר יִרְמְיָה הַנָּבִיא, כִּדְנָה תֵּימְרוּן לְהוֹם וְגוֹ' (ירמיה י, יא). אָמַר רַבִּי ...
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Avoda Zara - Star & Crescent
Are there any sources on restrictions on objects adorned with the Islamic star and crescent like there are the Christian cross? I'm aware that whether Islam is Avoda Zara is debated, but I'm not ...
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Why didn't Yisro die upon doing Tshuvah for Avodah Zarah?
This link quotes the Gemara as the source for my question: https://www.sefaria.org/Avodah_Zarah.17a.8?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=he
So how is it that Yisro a World-Class-Idolator went on so long?
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Their altars...and *his* asheirah?
Shemot 34:13:
כִּי אֶת מִזְבְּחֹתָם תִּתֹּצוּן וְאֶת מַצֵּבֹתָם
תְּשַׁבֵּרוּן וְאֶת אֲשֵׁרָיו תִּכְרֹתוּן
For you shall dismantle their altars, break their monuments,
and cut down his ...
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How come the world was doing Avodah Zara, while Noach and Shem were still alive?
Noach and Shem were alive during the time of Avraham, and I know midrashim say he lived in their house for some time learning about Hashem, but how come the whole world was practicing polytheism, when ...
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Difference between the First and Second Commandments
In the Ten Commandments, the First Commandment prohibits having false gods. The Second Commandment prohibits making carved images. Is the problem with carved images that they can be worshiped? If so, ...
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Modern application of avoiding Gentile idolatry
The children of Israel were commanded not to join with the Canaanites nor to learn their ways, lest they be led astray from the pure worship of Hashem into worshipping the idols of the nations. (...
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Confucianism - religion or philosophy?
Scholars debate whether Confucianism is a religion or "merely" a system of ethos.
There are no gods, but Confucius is worshiped as a "spirit".
There are temples, as well.
Are there ...
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Is Deism avoda zara? [closed]
Is Deism avoda zara? It would seem that deists, like Muslims, fall into the category of righteous gentiles, Noahidism. Like Islam, Deism only accepts that there is but one God. Famous American ...
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Is insincere idolatry permitted?
The Talmud reports the following view about Gentiles who live outside Israel:
דאמר רבי חייא בר אבא אמר רבי יוחנן גוים שבחוצה לארץ לאו עובדי עבודה זרה הן אלא מנהג אבותיהן בידיהן
These sages seem to ...
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