Musar for Kiddushin 79:23

The warning to remove all vestiges of idol-worship is part of the overall directive of סור מרע, "stay away from evil." The wording of the prohibition not to covet appurtenances of former idolatry is a reminder that once one covets something one is liable to take steps to acquire it. When the Torah says: לא תביא תועבה אל ביתך, this is not the same as saying: לא תביא תועבה לביתך. The wording of the Torah teaches that the transport of the item is culpable, even before its arrival in your house. Following examples of distancing oneself from evil, the Torah continues to urge us ועשה טוב, to actively engage in doing good. An example of the latter is the commandment to love the stranger, i.e. the one who has forsaken the path of idol-worship. These converts are so beloved by G–d that He associates one's loving them with loving G–d Himself. This is why the Torah uses the word אהבה both for the feelings we are to harbor towards G–d as well as for the feelings we are to harbor and display towards the stranger who has embraced Judaism.

One who profanes the Name of God — profanation of the name of God is an exceedingly great sin. And what is profanation of the name of God? Rav said, "For example, if I go to a butcher and buy meat and I haven't the money to pay for it at once." The meaning of this is that if one makes light of dishonesty or robbery, then people will learn very quickly from him and will make even lighter of such a wrong (Yoma 86a). Rabbi Johanan said, "As far as I am concerned, if I walk four cubits without speaking words of the Torah or wearing Tefillin, I am guilty of profaning God's name." And the meaning of this statement is that from his example people may learn to regard these sacred things very lightly. Isaac, of the school of Rabbi Yannai said, "Profanation of God's Name is anything which causes shame to a person's companions when they hear of it, that is to say, when it is said of him that he has done unworthy deeds, people will learn from his deeds and will think, "If he can do these things, then we certainly can" — and permit themselves to commit transgressions which otherwise they would not. Rabbi Abahu said in the name of Rabbi Haninah (Kiddushin 40a), "It is better that a man should commit a transgression secretly, so that he should not profane the Name of God publicly." And the meaning of this is that other people should not learn of his bad deeds.

Midrash Shemuel on Avot quotes the opinion of Rabbi Shimon ben Tzadok to the effect that the Rabbi Shimon who told us about the advantages of silence in the above quoted Mishnah was one of the Ten Martyrs. All these martyrs sanctified not only their souls but also their bodies. There are two methods of sanctifying the body. 1) The way of Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues who died on קדוש השם, a martyr's death.This kind of holiness is referred to in the Torah as: והייתם קדושים (11,45). The second method of achieving holiness of the body is referred to in the Torah as: אני ה' מקדשם (21,23). Nadav and Avihu acquired holiness of the body via the second method, i.e. their souls were burned whereas their bodies remained intact. Their departure from this world was similar to that of Chanoch (Genesis 5,24), and Elijah (Kings II 2,11). This is why I believe that the reason their bodies remained intact was that their death was due to the intimacy they had established with G–d. When Rabbi Shimon said that he had not found anything better for the body than silence, he alluded to the instruction given to Rabbi Akiva and the other Martyrs to be silent and accept G–d's decree without question. Only after having made this point does Rabbi Shimon explain in detail what this silence is all about. The Talmud (Berachot 61b) reports that when he was about to die, Rabbi Akiva told his students that he had wanted to fulfill the instruction (Deut. 6,5) to "love your G–d with all your heart, all your soul and all your might," as we recite three times daily. He had wondered when he would finally be able to fulfill the part of "loving G–d with all your soul." By dying a martyr's death he was satisfied that he had finally been granted the opportunity to also fulfill that dimension of loving G–d. It was in this connection that Rabbi Shimon – who was also to become a martyr – said: "study is not of the essence whereas practice is." He referred to the difference between displaying one's love for G–d in theory and displaying it in practice. He also wanted to teach that when the practical opportunity to die a martyr's death does not arise (as in 99% of all lives), G–d will consider the intention to do so, i.e. the fact that one has mentally and emotionally prepared oneself to love G–d to the point where one is ready to die for His Name, as if one had actually done so. This is the deeper meaning of: אני ה' מקדשם "I, the Lord, sanctify them."

One may be able to explain something puzzling in Exodus 32,25, in a similar vein. It says there: "Moses saw that the people were out of control for Aaron had let them get out of control so that they were a menace to any who might oppose them." The Torah obviously refers to the fact that it was Aaron who had actually made the golden calf. However, Aaron's whole purpose had been לשם שמים, to further G–d's interests, to prevent a desecration of G–d's name. Aaron was aware that the people had forfeited their lives already from the moment they had planned to make an alternate deity for themselves. While it is true, that generally speaking, G–d does not account the intention to commit a sin as something culpable, that rule does not hold true when the sin involved is idol-worship. We have a special verse in Ezekiel 14,5, to make this plain: למען תפש את ישראל בלבם, "In order to take hold of the family of Israel in their heart." Aaron was convinced that if the Jewish people were punished this would constitute a desecration of the name of G–d, since the Gentile nations would say: "where is their G–d now?" The Gentile nations would never associate the death of the Jewish people with a sin they had committed merely in their hearts and which had not become common knowledge. Aaron thought he could prevent this descration of G–d's name by making the golden calf and causing an already culpable thought to be translated into a culpable action. Once the Gentile nations would hear about Israel worshipping the golden calf and being punished, clearly this would demonstrate to those nations that Israel had been punished for a grave sin.

We must not question this exegesis by saying that the "path" the Torah speaks about some people forsaking is the adoption of idolatry instead of Judaism, because of a rule that the only time G–d considers the mere contemplation of a sin as already culpable is when the sin in question is idol worship. This is based on the expression (11,28) ללכת אחרי אלהים אחרים, "To prepare to go after other deities." Clearly, the Torah, by not writing "when you have followed other deities," warns you that we are culpable for the mere intention. In all other instances the Torah does not threaten punishment for the mere contemplation of a sin.

We know that the cause of Haman's decree was that the Jewish people at that time were guilty of two sins. One was a sin committed with their bodies, the other sin was committed with their souls. The sin committed with their souls was that they prostrated themselves before the image Nebuchadnezzar had constructed. The sin of committing idolatry is always considered as committed with one's soul, though one's body may have demonstrated it. As soon as one has made a conscious decision to make an obeisance to the idol, one's soul has already become guilty as if one had physically perpetrated the act. This is the only instance known in which G–d holds us culpable for the intention even though the act has not yet been committed. Our sages have derived this from למען תפוש את בית ישראל בלבם, "In order to take hold of the Family of Israel in their heart, etc." (Ezekiel 14,5). No such principle operates concerning any other kind of sins. Idol-worship is something that is committed primarily by the heart accepting an alien deity.