Avoda Zara

From Halachipedia

One of the pillars of the entire Torah is to run away from any form of service to any other God. It is a capital sin and extremely crucial to the observance of Torah. A Jew who violates this sin willingly is like he violated all of the Torah and he loses many of his halachic privileges as a Jew.

Background

  • The Rambam (Avoda Zara 9:4) considers Christianity to be avoda zara. There is a large discussion within the opinion of Tosfot (Sanhedrin 63b s.v. asur) whether Christianity is considered avoda zara for non-Jews considering that they believe in the Trinity, which is a slight deviation from narrow monotheism. The opinion of Tosfot is cited by Rama OC 156. Pitchei Teshuva Y.D. 147:2 cites the Nodeh BeYehuda YD 148 who writes that the opinion of Tosfot is that Christianity is avoda zara just not for the purposes of swearing by the name of a pagan God. Rav Soloveitchik (Nefesh HaRav p. 230) quoted Rav Chaim as supporting the approach of the Nodeh BeYehuda.
  • The Rambam (Maachalot Asurot 11:7) considers Islam not to be avoda zara. Ritva Pesachim 25b s.v. vktav od disagrees and holds Islam is avoda zara. Radvaz 4:92 holds that even according to the Rambam one still would need to give up one's life before submitting to the beliefs of Islam and following all of their ways.

Entering a Church

  1. Some hold that despite entering a church nowadays being a serious prohibition, entering a mosque is permitted.[1]
  2. One may enter Maarat Hamachpelah since it was originally a Jewish structure and the Arabs can't halachically convert it into a mosque.[2]
  3. It is permitted to enter a church in order to save someone's life such as if one is a paramedic or a firefighter.[3]
  4. If a person who does maintenance on air conditioning units and is asked to fix one in a church and if he doesn't do so would lose a significant amount of money should not enter a church. He can hire a non-Jew to hire another non-Jew to enter in order to fix it.[4]
  5. It is permitted to enter a church to save one's life.[5]
  6. Some say that it is permitted to pray in a non-denominational prayer room.[6]
  7. It is permitted to sit or walk in the shade of a church.[7]
  8. It is forbidden to look at icons of avoda zara.[8]
  9. It is forbidden to look at and benefit from anything artistic or decorative that is meant to beatify avoda zara. If a person is passing by such art or decorations and one does not intend to look to benefit from it he may pass that way.[9] Some say that he needs to actually close his eyes while walking there.[10]

Related Links

To Save Your Life

  1. It is forbidden to worship another religion even to save your life.[11]
  2. It is permitted to hide in a Church or house of worship of another religion in order to save your life.[12]

See further Violating_Torah_to_Save_Your_Life#The_Big_Three.

Owning Symbols of Other Religions

See Drawing_or_Sculpting_Forbidden_Images

Sources

  1. ↑ Yabia Omer YD 2:11 and YD 7:12 holds that entering a church is forbidden but entering a mosque is permitted since Islam is monotheistic. Igrot Moshe YD 3:129:6 agrees that entering a church is forbidden even if one is just going to look at the artwork. Tzitz Eliezer 14:91 holds that entering a church or a mosque is forbidden. Rav Hershel Schachter ("Traveling to Israel" min 43) agreed with the Tzitz Eliezer that one may not enter a mosque.
  2. ↑ Rav Hershel Schachter ("Traveling to Israel" min 43)
  3. ↑ Rav Mordechai Halpern on yeshiva.org.il explained that it is a concern of ayvah not to save someone's life in a church building and that concern of pikuach nefesh allows one to enter.
  4. ↑ halachayomit.co.il. Rav Ovadia's footnotes printed in the new edition of Yabia Omer YD 2:11 makes this same point as well.
  5. ↑ Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 157:3 following the Rosh as opposed to the Rashba.
  6. ↑ http://din.org.il/2017/08/22/%D7%91%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%9B%D7%A0%D7%A1%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%93-%D7%9C%D7%91%D7%A0%D7%99-%D7%9B%D7%9C-%D7%94%D7%93%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%AA/ argues that just like it is forbidden to enter a church it is forbidden to enter a non-denominational prayer room and the entire concept of having such a room is against the first two dibrot that religions are exclusive. Rav Moshe Feinstein in Mesoret Moshe v. 1 p. 46 is quoted by Rav Elimelech Bluth that it is permitted to pray in a non-denominational prayer room since it isn't designated for Christians specifically.
  7. ↑ Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 142:10 writes that it is permitted to walk in the shade of a building of avoda zara but not inside or near the entrance. The Shach 142:22 explains that the building wasn't made for shade on the outside of the building so it is permitted. Shach adds that even sitting in the shade of a church is permitted.
  8. ↑ Rivevot Efraim 3:497 based on Zohar 3:84 and Vayikra 19:4. He ponders whether it is permitted even to look at a picture of an icon of avoda zara found in a history book or encyclopedia.
  9. ↑ Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 142:15, Shach 142:34
  10. ↑ Chachmat Adam 84:16 understands the Rosh Pesachim 2:2 to mean that indeed the person needs to actually close his eyes from seeing the decorations of avoda zara since otherwise it is a pesik reisha that he'll benefit from it. Halichot Shlomo (Nissan 14:12 p. 80) favors this approach rather than that of the Chafetz Chaim (Lashon Hara 6:14) who permits leaving one's eyes open.
  11. ↑ Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 157:1
  12. ↑ Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 157:3
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