Die Heiden, die die Berge und Hügel verehren —es ist ihnen [den Bergen selbst] gestattet [zu säen und Steine von ihnen zu hauen, was verwurzelt ist, was nicht verboten ist]; und was auf ihnen ist, ist verboten. Wie geschrieben steht (5. Mose 8:25): "Du sollst das Silber und Gold nicht auf sie begehren und es nehmen." R. Yossi Haglili sagt (ebd. 12: 2): "Zerstöre, sollst du zerstören ... ihre Götter auf den Bergen"; aber die Berge (selbst) sind nicht ihre Götter. "ihre Götter auf den Hügeln"; aber die Hügel (selbst) sind nicht ihre Götter. Warum ist dann eine Asheirah (ein Baum, der dem Götzendienst gewidmet ist) verboten? [Das heißt, gerade als wir "ihre Götter auf den Bergen" erklären; aber die Berge selbst sind nicht ihre Götter, können wir erklären (ebd.): "ihre Götter sind unter jedem Laubbaum"; aber der Laubbaum (selbst) ist nicht ihr Gott!] Warum verbietet die Tora ihn dann (Ableitung des Nutzens davon), wie geschrieben steht (ebd. 7: 5): "Und ihre Asheirah-Bäume sollst du fällen" ?] Weil die Hände eines Mannes einen "Halt" haben. [dh weil die Hände eines Mannes es gepflanzt haben (R. Yossi hält, dass ein Baum, der von einem Mann gepflanzt und dann von ihm angebetet wurde, verboten ist.) Und die erste Tanna hält fest, dass er ihn von Anfang an nicht anbeten wollte, seinen eine spätere Verehrung verbietet es nicht, da es am Boden befestigt ist, da es mit der Verehrung eines Berges vergleichbar ist. Die Halacha stimmt nicht mit R. Yossi überein.] R. Akiva sagte: Ich werde es Ihnen erklären und analysieren: Wo immer Sie einen hohen Berg, einen hohen Hügel und einen Laubbaum finden, wissen Sie, dass es dort Götzendienst gibt. [dh da wir die Ausschlussklausel "unter jedem Laubbaum" nicht erläutern können, können wir sagen, dass sie nur angegeben wurde, um ihnen Anzeichen dafür zu geben, wo die Emoriter wahrscheinlich dem Götzendienst dienen würden, damit Israel sie suchen und zerstören sollte . Und "auf den Bergen" und "auf den Hügeln" (ebd. 12: 2) werden als Ausschlussklauseln verstanden, dass uns nicht befohlen wird, die Berge selbst zu zerstören (sondern was auf ihnen ist). Aber uns wird befohlen, die Laubbäume zu zerstören, nämlich. (Ebd. 3): "Und ihr Asheiroth sollst du im Feuer verbrennen."]
Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
הן מותרין – the mountains themselves are permissible for sewing [seed] and to hew stones from them that are attached and are not forbidden.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Introduction
This mishnah discusses hills, mountains and trees which were used in idolatrous worship. The question is asked, are these to be forbidden as were other material items used in idol worship.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
ומפני מה אשרה אסורה – meaning to say just as we expound (Deuteronomy 12:2): “[You must destroy all the sites at which the nations you are to dispossess worshipped] their gods, whether on lofty mountains [and on hills or under any luxuriant tree],” and not ‘on their lofty mountains, their gods’, so also “under any luxuriant tree” (ibid.,) their gods, and not ‘the luxuriant trees of their gods.’ And why did the Torah prohibit this? As it is written (Deuteronomy 7:5): “cut down their sacred posts.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
If idolaters worship mountains and hills these are permitted; but what is upon them is prohibited, as it is says, “you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them and take them” (Deut. 7:25). Although an idolater may worship a hill or mountain, that mountain is not prohibited to subsequent Jewish use as is a statue worshipped by a non-Jew. Any thing that is either ground or attached to the ground is not considered an idolatrous “object” that would be forbidden to Jews. However, that which is upon these “worshipped” mountains and hills is forbidden. This principle is learned from Deut. 7:25 which uses the word “that is on them”. Although according to the simple sense of the verse, this refers to the gold and silver that are on idols, the midrash in our mishnah understands this to be referring to the idolatrous objects that are on a mountain or hill. They are forbidden but the land itself is not.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
מפני שיש בה תפיסת ידי אדם – that a person planted it and Rabbi Yosi holds that a tree that a person planted and at the end worshipped is forbidden. But the First Tanna/teacher [of our Mishnah] holds that since at the beginning when it was planted, he did not intend to worship it, the worship that he performs after it is attached does not prohibit it for it is like someone who worships a mountain. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yosi.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: [it says] “their gods on the mountains” (Deut. 12:, not their mountains which are their gods; “their gods on the hills” (ibid.), not their hills which are their gods. Rabbi Yose Hagalili offers an alternative midrash to the one in the previous section. This verse instructs the Israelites to destroy all of the sites where the other nations worship. It says that these sites are on the mountains and hills. From here Rabbi Yose concludes that that which is on the mountains and hills is forbidden, but not the land itself.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
אני אובין – I will explain.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
And why is an asherah prohibited? Because there was manual labour connected with it, and whatever has manual labour connected with it is prohibited. So far we have learned in the previous two sections that in general land and anything attached to land is not treated as an idolatrous object. The mishnah raises a glaring exception to this rule, the asherah, a tree which was worshipped, which according to Deut. 7:5 and 12:3, must be cut down and burned. The answer is that any natural object that was planted by a human being and was gardened by a person is, if worshipped, to be treated as an idol.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Avodah Zarah
ואדון לפניך – after we do not have to expound on the limitation from “or under any luxuriant tree,” one can say that it was not said other than to provide for them signs, a place where it is customary for Emorites to worship idolatry in order that Israel can search them out and destroy them. But the limitation of mountains and hills however, we eliminate from its implication for God did not command us to destroy the mountains, but [God] did command us to destroy luxuriant trees, as it states (Deuteronomy 12:3): “put their sacred posts to the fire.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Rabbi Akiba said: let me expound and decide [the interpretation] before you: wherever you find a high mountain or elevated hill or green tree, know that an idolatrous object is there. Deut. 12:2 instructs Israelites to destroy all the idolatrous sites, “whether on lofty mountains and on hills or under any luxuriant tree.” Rabbi Akiva seems to be answering the question, why does the Torah mention the mountains, hills and tree. It would have been sufficient to merely state that all idolatrous sites must be destroyed and we would know that this includes those found on mountains, hills and under luxuriant trees. Rabbi Akiva answers that the verse was giving a hint to the Jews where they could find idolatry.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Avodah Zarah
Questions for Further Thought: • What is the reasoning behind the answer given in section three that any tree that was planted by man is forbidden if used as an idol?
