Commentary for Avodah Zarah 103:5
אימא ה"מ למיקם גברא בחטא איתסורי לא מיתסרא אמר קרא (דברים כז, טו) ארור האיש אשר יעשה פסל ומסכה משעת עשייה קם ליה בארור
Say that these words make a man is guilty of sin [when he makes an idol] but not that it is prohibited! The verse says, “Cursed be the man that makes a graven or molten image” (Deuteronomy 27:15) from the moment it is made he comes under the curse.
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
The verse from Deuteronomy 9 about the golden calf might say only that the person is guilty of sin, not that the idol is prohibited. The Talmud then brings another verse to show that a Jew is cursed for making an idol before he even worships it. But this too does not seem to prove that the idol is prohibited immediately, only that the person who makes it is cursed.
To finally solve the issue, the Talmud quotes the next word of the verse—the idol is an abomination as soon as it is made. It need not be worshipped.
Akiva, who holds that an idol made by a Jew is not prohibited until it is worshipped, would hold that the idol itself is not an abomination. But making it leads to the abomination of worshipping it.
To finally solve the issue, the Talmud quotes the next word of the verse—the idol is an abomination as soon as it is made. It need not be worshipped.
Akiva, who holds that an idol made by a Jew is not prohibited until it is worshipped, would hold that the idol itself is not an abomination. But making it leads to the abomination of worshipping it.
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