S1, E21 One God, Un-gods and Other Gods

Of major focus in the Torah, idolatry is the subject of numerous commandments, warnings and punishments; but what, precisely, is it? And who are those "Other Gods" that the Torah forbids to worship? Are there more gods than the One God? According to Rambam, idolatry is, essentially, a forbidden practice. While it is theoretically fitting to venerate the heavenly servants of Hashem – the sun, the moon and the stars, actions resembling worship are nonetheless prohibited because they lead to erroneous beliefs. Ramban explains the matter differently: idolatry is an expression of faithlessness. It is the deification of the other divine beings – the angels. These lesser divinities are actually appropriate, in a sense, for other nations to worship, but for Hashem’s unique people, only He is truly God. For this episode's sources, click here Please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Thanks for listening! You can email Rabbi Burton with questions or comments at [email protected]