הלכות עבודה זרה

בִימֵי אֱנוֹשׁ טָעוּ בְּנֵי הָאָדָם טָעוּת גָּדוֹל וְנִבְעֲרָה עֲצַת חַכְמֵי אוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹר וֶאֱנוֹשׁ עַצְמוֹ מִן הַטּוֹעִים הָיָה. וְזוֹ הָיְתָה טָעוּתָם. אָמְרוּ הוֹאִיל וְהָאֱלֹהִים בָּרָא כּוֹכָבִים אֵלּוּ וְגַלְגַּלִּים לְהַנְהִיג אֶת הָעוֹלָם וּנְתָנָם בַּמָּרוֹם וְחָלַק לָהֶם כָּבוֹד וְהֵם שַׁמָּשִׁים הַמְשַׁמְּשִׁים לְפָנָיו רְאוּיִין הֵם לְשַׁבְּחָם וּלְפָאֲרָם וְלַחֲלֹק לָהֶם כָּבוֹד. וְזֶהוּ רְצוֹן הָאֵל בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְגַדֵּל וּלְכַבֵּד מִי שֶׁגִּדְּלוֹ וְכִבְּדוֹ. כְּמוֹ שֶׁהַמֶּלֶךְ רוֹצֶה לְכַבֵּד הָעוֹמְדִים לְפָנָיו וְזֶהוּ כְּבוֹדוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ. כֵּיוָן שֶׁעָלָה דָּבָר זֶה עַל לִבָּם הִתְחִילוּ לִבְנוֹת לַכּוֹכָבִים הֵיכָלוֹת וּלְהַקְרִיב לָהֶן קָרְבָּנוֹת וּלְשַׁבְּחָם וּלְפָאֲרָם בִּדְבָרִים וּלְהִשְׁתַּחֲווֹת לְמוּלָם כְּדֵי לְהַשִּׂיג רְצוֹן הַבּוֹרֵא בְּדַעְתָּם הָרָעָה. וְזֶה הָיָה עִקַּר עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים. וְכָךְ הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים עוֹבְדֶיהָ הַיּוֹדְעִים עִקָּרָהּ. לֹא שֶׁהֵן אוֹמְרִים שֶׁאֵין שָׁם אֱלוֹהַּ אֶלָּא כּוֹכָב זֶה. הוּא שֶׁיִּרְמְיָהוּ אוֹמֵר מִי לֹא יִרָאֲךָ מֶלֶךְ הַגּוֹיִם כִּי לְךָ יָאָתָה כִּי בְכָל חַכְמֵי הַגּוֹיִם וּבְכָל מַלְכוּתָם מֵאֵין כָּמוֹךָ וּבְאַחַת יִבְעֲרוּ וְיִכְסָלוּ מוּסַר הֲבָלִים עֵץ הוּא. כְּלוֹמַר הַכּל יוֹדְעִים שֶׁאַתָּה הוּא לְבַדְּךָ אֲבָל טָעוּתָם וּכְסִילוּתָם שֶׁמְּדַמִּים שֶׁזֶּה הַהֶבֶל רְצוֹנְךָ הוּא:

In the days of Enosh, the people fell into gross error, and the counsel of the wise men of the generation became foolish. Enosh himself was among those who erred. Their error was as follows: "Since God", they said, "created these stars and spheres to guide the world, set them on high and allotted unto them honour, and since they are ministers who minister before Him, they deserve to be praised and glorified, and honour should be rendered them; and it is the will of God, blessed be He, that men should aggrandise and honour those whom He aggrandised and honoured—just as a king desires that respect should be shown to the officers who stand before Him, and thus honour is shown to the king." When this idea arose in their minds, they began to erect temples to the stars, offered up sacrifices to them, praised and glorified them in speech, and prostrated themselves before them—their purpose, according to their perverse notions, being to obtain the Creator's favour. This was the root of idolatry, and this was what the idolaters, who knew its fundamentals, said. They did not however maintain that there was no God except the particular star (which was the object of their worship). Thus Jeremiah said "Who would not fear thee, O king of nations ? For it befitteth Thee; for as much as among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdom, there is none like unto Thee. But in one thing they are brutish and foolish. The vanities by which they are instructed are but a stock" (Jerem. 10:7-8). This means that all know that Thou alone art God; their error and folly consists in imagining that this vain worship is Thy desire.

וְאַחַר שֶׁאָרְכוּ הַיָּמִים עָמְדוּ בִּבְנֵי הָאָדָם נְבִיאֵי שֶׁקֶר וְאָמְרוּ שֶׁהָאֵל צִוָּה וְאָמַר לָהֶם עִבְדוּ כּוֹכָב פְּלוֹנִי אוֹ כָּל הַכּוֹכָבִים וְהַקְרִיבוּ לוֹ וְנַסְּכוּ לוֹ כָּךְ וְכָךְ וּבְנוּ לוֹ הֵיכָל וַעֲשׂוּ צוּרָתוֹ כְּדֵי לְהִשְׁתַּחֲווֹת לוֹ כָּל הָעָם הַנָּשִׁים וְהַקְּטַנִּים וּשְׁאָר עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ. וּמוֹדִיעַ לָהֶם צוּרָה שֶׁבָּדָה מִלִּבּוֹ וְאוֹמֵר זוֹ הִיא צוּרַת הַכּוֹכָב פְּלוֹנִי שֶׁהוֹדִיעוּהוּ בִּנְבוּאָתוֹ. וְהִתְחִילוּ עַל דֶּרֶךְ זוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת צוּרוֹת בַּהֵיכָלוֹת וְתַחַת הָאִילָנוֹת וּבְרָאשֵׁי הֶהָרִים וְעַל הַגְּבָעוֹת וּמִתְקַבְּצִין וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לָהֶם וְאוֹמְרִים לְכָל הָעָם שֶׁזּוֹ הַצּוּרָה מֵיטִיבָה וּמְרֵעָה וְרָאוּי לְעָבְדָהּ וּלְיִרְאָה מִמֶּנָּה. וְכֹהֲנֵיהֶם אוֹמְרִים לָהֶם שֶׁבַּעֲבוֹדָה זוֹ תִּרְבּוּ וְתַצְלִיחוּ וַעֲשׂוּ כָּךְ וְכָךְ וְאַל תַּעֲשׂוּ כָּךְ וְכָךְ. וְהִתְחִילוּ כּוֹזְבִים אֲחֵרִים לַעֲמֹד וְלוֹמַר שֶׁהַכּוֹכָב עַצְמוֹ אוֹ הַגַּלְגַּל אוֹ הַמַּלְאָךְ דִּבֵּר עִמָּהֶם וְאָמַר לָהֶם עִבְדוּנִי בְּכָךְ וְכָךְ וְהוֹדִיעַ לָהֶם דֶּרֶךְ עֲבוֹדָתוֹ וַעֲשׂוּ כָּךְ וְאַל תַּעֲשׂוּ כָּךְ. וּפָשַׁט דָּבָר זֶה בְּכָל הָעוֹלָם לַעֲבֹד אֶת הַצּוּרוֹת בַּעֲבוֹדוֹת מְשֻׁנּוֹת זוֹ מִזּוֹ וּלְהַקְרִיב לָהֶם וּלְהִשְׁתַּחֲווֹת. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁאָרְכוּ הַיָּמִים נִשְׁתַּכַּח הַשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד וְהַנּוֹרָא מִפִּי כָּל הַיְקוּם וּמִדַּעְתָּם וְלֹא הִכִּירוּהוּ וְנִמְצְאוּ כָּל עַם הָאָרֶץ הַנָּשִׁים וְהַקְּטַנִּים אֵינָם יוֹדְעִים אֶלָּא הַצּוּרָה שֶׁל עֵץ וְשֶׁל אֶבֶן וְהַהֵיכָל שֶׁל אֲבָנִים שֶׁנִּתְחַנְּכוּ מִקַּטְנוּתָם לְהִשְׁתַּחֲווֹת לָהּ וּלְעָבְדָהּ וּלְהִשָּׁבַע בִּשְׁמָהּ. וְהַחֲכָמִים שֶׁהָיוּ בָּהֶם כְּגוֹן כֹּהֲנֵיהֶם וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן מְדַמִּין שֶׁאֵין שָׁם אֱלוֹהַּ אֶלָּא הַכּוֹכָבִים וְהַגַּלְגַּלִּים שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ הַצּוּרוֹת הָאֵלּוּ בִּגְלָלָם וּלְדַמּוֹתָן. אֲבָל צוּר הָעוֹלָמִים לֹא הָיָה שׁוּם אָדָם שֶׁהָיָה מַכִּירוֹ וְלֹא יוֹדְעוֹ אֶלָּא יְחִידִים בָּעוֹלָם כְּגוֹן חֲנוֹךְ וּמְתוּשֶׁלַח נֹחַ שֵׁם וְעֵבֶר. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ זֶה הָיָה הָעוֹלָם הוֹלֵךְ וּמִתְגַּלְגֵּל עַד שֶׁנּוֹלַד עַמּוּדוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם וְהוּא אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ:

In course of time, there arose among men false prophets who asserted that God had commanded and expressly told them, "Worship that particular star, or worship all the stars. Offer up to it such and such sacrifices. Pour out to it such and such libations. Erect a temple to it. Make a figure of it, to which all the people—the women, children, and the rest of the folk—shall bow down". The false prophet pointed out to them the figure which he had invented out of his own mind, and asserted that it is the figure of that particular star, which had been shown him in his prophetic vision. And then, they began to make figures in temples, under the trees, on the mountain-tops and the hills. There they would assemble, bow down to the figures, and tell all the people that this particular figure conferred benefits and inflicted injuries, and that it was proper to worship and fear it. Their priests would say to them, "Through this worship, shall ye increase and prosper. Do this, and do not do that". Other imposters then sprang up, who declared that the star, celestial sphere or angel, had communed with them, and said to them "Worship me in such and such fashion", had taught them a definite ritual and said to them "Do this, and do not do that". So gradually the custom spread throughout the world of worshipping figures with various modes of worship, such as offering up sacrifices to them, and bowing down to them. As time passed, the honoured and revered Name of God was forgotten by mankind, vanished from their lips and hearts, and was no longer known to them. All the common people and the women and children knew only the figure of wood and stone, and the temple edifice in which they had, from their childhood, been trained to prostrate themselves to the figure, worship it and swear by its name. Even their wise men, such as priests and men of similar standing, also fancied that there was no other god but the stars and spheres, for whose sake and in whose similitude these figures had been made. But The Creator of the Universe was known to none, and recognised by none, save a few solitary individuals, such as Enosh, Methuselah, Noah, Shem and Eber. The world moved on in this fashion, till that Pillar of the World, the Patriarch Abraham, was born.