Commentary for Avodah Zarah 91:17
לא לעולם אימא לך בני רבי חייא דאסרי דהשתחוה לה אע"ג דלא זקפה אסורה והכא במאי עסקינן כגון שזקף ביצה להשתחוות לה ולא השתחוה לה
No; I can always say that it was the sons of R. Hiyya who prohibited their use, and that if the man worshipped [the egg], even though he had not set it up, it would be prohibited. And what are we dealing with here [in Hizkiyah’s question]? With a case where he set up an egg to worship but did not worship it.
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
The Talmud changes the assumption as to what Hizkiyah was asking. Hizkiyah would hold that if the person worshipped the egg it is forbidden even if he did not perform any labor with it. The circumstance was one in which he did not worship the egg. The question is whether the very act of setting it up makes it prohibited.
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