The Prohibition of Benefit

In order for Israel to cleave to the One God and draw down blessing for themselves and for the whole world, they must distance themselves from every trace of idolatry. In this way they will be able to receive God’s light, walk in God’s ways by doing righteousness and justice, understand His Torah and fulfill His mitzvot, settle the Land and be fruitful and multiply in it. Blessing will then increase in agriculture, industry, science, society and the arts, until we merit the coming of our righteous Mashiaḥ, and all the inhabitants of the world will want to walk in God’s ways.

Therefore, in addition to the prohibition of worshiping idols itself, God commanded Israel several prohibitions:

a) To destroy the idols, as it is stated: “You shall burn the images of their gods in fire” (Devarim 7:25) (above 3:9).

b) Not to derive benefit from idolatry and its accessories, its ornaments and its offerings, as will be explained later in this chapter.

c) Not to vow or swear in the name of an idol, as it is stated: “Make no mention of the names of other gods; they shall not be heard on your lips” (Shemot 23:13). Included in this is not causing gentiles to swear by their idols (below 11:3).

d) In addition to the mitzva to destroy the idols themselves, there is a mitzva to treat them with contempt in order to obliterate their name, as it is stated: “And you shall obliterate their name from that place” (Devarim 12:3). Obliterating the name is also accomplished by changing their name to a derogatory one, as it is stated: “You must utterly detest and abhor it, for it is proscribed” (ibid. 7:26) (below 14:1).

e) Not to take an interest in idolatry lest one be enticed after it, as it is stated: “Do not turn to idols” (Vayikra 19:4) (below chapter 13).

f) Not to benefit idolatry, that is, not to donate to it, and not even to buy something from which a tax is paid for its upkeep (below 11:6).

g) It is also forbidden to bring a gentile’s idol into one’s house, as it is stated: “You must not bring an abhorrent thing into your house” (Devarim 7:26). The Sages added a prohibition against renting a dwelling to an idol worshiper who habitually brings an idol into his house (below 11:9).

h) Even for the sake of decoration, the Torah forbade making statues in the form of the attendants in the upper realm, such as angels, and in the lower realm, such as the sun and moon, or in the form of a human being, so that people not be led astray after them, as it is stated: “You shall not make [gods of silver] with Me” (Shemot 20:19) (below 15:1-7).

i) The Sages added a prohibition against Jews doing things that look like idolatry, because of mar’it ayin (how it appears to others) (below 12:2-3).

In this chapter we will deal with the prohibition of deriving benefit from idolatry, and in the following chapters the laws of the other safeguards will be explained.