Not to make the form of a man, even for decoration: Not to make the form of a man from any object — whether from metals, whether from wood, or stone, or anything else — and even for decoration, as it is stated (Exodus 20:20), “Do not make with Me (Iti).” And they, may their memory be blessed, expounded (Rosh Hashanah 24b), “Do not make Me (Oti,” which can be spelled with the same letters as Iti), meaning to say, do not make a replica of that form — being the body of man — about which I wrote in My Torah (Genesis 1:26), “Let us make man in Our image.” And the intention of the verse is from the angle of the intellect that He gave in him. And that which it stated, “in Our image,” about the intellectual side of man is because all intellect is in Him, blessed be He. But there is no other comparison between Him, Blessed be he, and any creature (that preceded its matter) of His creatures, God forbid. And the negative commandment of “You shall not make a statue” is that we not make any form that will be worshiped, [whereas] this prohibition is specifically about the form of a man — that we should not make it at all, even for decoration. And this is to distance idolatry.
The laws of the commandment — for example, what is the law of one who makes the form of a man lacking one or more limbs; and the rest of its details — are elucidated in the third chapter of Avodah Zarah. And in Tractate Sanhedrin 7b, they said that this negative commandment [also] includes other topics. However the main negative commandment is about that which we have mentioned. And so [too], did they say in the Mekhilta. (See Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh Deah 141:7.)
And [it] is practiced in every place and at all times by males and females. And one who transgresses it and makes the form of a man — even for decoration — violates the commandment of the King, but there is no liability for lashes.
שֶׁלֹּא לַעֲשׂוֹת צוּרַת אָדָם אֲפִלּוּ לְנוֹי – שֶׁלֹּא לַעֲשׂוֹת צוּרַת אָדָם מִשּׁוּם דָּבָר, הֵן מִמַּתָּכוֹת הֵן מֵעֵץ וְאֶבֶן וְזוּלָתָם, וַאֲפִלּוּ לְנוֹי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כ כ) לֹא תַעֲשׂוּן אִתִּי, וְדָרְשׁוּ ז"ל (ר"ה כד ב) לֹא תַעֲשׂוּן אוֹתִי, כְּלוֹמַר לֹא תַעֲשׂוּן דִּמְיוֹן אוֹתָהּ צוּרָה דְּהַיְנוּ גּוּף אָדָם שֶׁכָּתַבְתִּי עָלֶיהָ בְּתוֹרָתִי (בראשית א כו) נַעֲשָׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ, וְהַכַּוָּנָה בַּכָּתוּב מִצַּד הַשֵּׂכֶל שֶׁנָּתַן בּוֹ. וּמָה שֶׁאָמַר בְּצַלְמֵנוּ עַל חֵלֶק הַשֵּׂכֶל שֶׁבָּאָדָם, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהַשֵּׂכֶל כֻּלּוֹ הוּא בּוֹ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אֲבָל אֵין שׁוּם דִּמְיוֹן אַחֵר בֵּינוֹ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּבֵין שׁוּם בְּרִיָּה (שֶׁקָּדַם עִנְיָנוֹ) מִנִּבְרָאָיו חָלִילָה. וְלָאו דְּלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל שֶׁלֹּא נַעֲשֶׂה שׁוּם צוּרָה שֶׁתֵּעָבֵד. וְזֶה הַלָּאו מְיֻחָד לְצוּרַת אָדָם שֶׁלֹּא נַעֲשֶׂה אוֹתוֹ כְּלָל אֲפִילּוּ לְנוֹי, וְזֶה לְהַרְחִיק עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה.
Not to make the form of a man, even for decoration: Not to make the form of a man from any object — whether from metals, whether from wood, or stone, or anything else — and even for decoration, as it is stated (Exodus 20:20), “Do not make with Me (Iti).” And they, may their memory be blessed, expounded (Rosh Hashanah 24b), “Do not make Me (Oti,” which can be spelled with the same letters as Iti), meaning to say, do not make a replica of that form — being the body of man — about which I wrote in My Torah (Genesis 1:26), “Let us make man in Our image.” And the intention of the verse is from the angle of the intellect that He gave in him. And that which it stated, “in Our image,” about the intellectual side of man is because all intellect is in Him, blessed be He. But there is no other comparison between Him, Blessed be he, and any creature (that preceded its matter) of His creatures, God forbid. And the negative commandment of “You shall not make a statue” is that we not make any form that will be worshiped, [whereas] this prohibition is specifically about the form of a man — that we should not make it at all, even for decoration. And this is to distance idolatry.
דִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה, כְּגוֹן הָעוֹשֶׂה צוּרַת אָדָם חָסֵר אֵבֶר אֶחָד אוֹ יוֹתֵר מַה דִּינוֹ, וְיֶתֶר פְּרָטֶיהָ מְבֹאָרִים בְּפֶרֶק שְׁלִישִׁי מֵעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה (מג א) וּבְמַסֶּכֶת סַנְהֶדְרִין (ז ב) אָמְרוּ שֶׁהַלָּאו הַזֶּה כּוֹלֵל עִנְיָנִים אֲחֵרִים. אָמְנָם עִקַּר הַלָּאו, בַּמֶּה שֶׁזָּכַרְנוּ, וְכֵן אָמְרוּ בַּמְּכִילְתָּא. (י"ד קמא סעיף ז).
The laws of the commandment — for example, what is the law of one who makes the form of a man lacking one or more limbs; and the rest of its details — are elucidated in the third chapter of Avodah Zarah. And in Tractate Sanhedrin 7b, they said that this negative commandment [also] includes other topics. However the main negative commandment is about that which we have mentioned. And so [too], did they say in the Mekhilta. (See Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh Deah 141:7.)
וְנוֹהֶגֶת בְּכָל מָקוֹם וּבְכָל זְמַן בִּזְכָרִים וּנְקֵבוֹת. וְהָעוֹבֵר עָלֶיהָ וְעָשָׂה צוּרַת אָדָם אֲפִלּוּ לְנוֹי, עָבַר עַל מִצְוַת מֶלֶךְ וְאֵין בָּהּ חִיּוּב מַלְקוּת.
And [it] is practiced in every place and at all times by males and females. And one who transgresses it and makes the form of a man — even for decoration — violates the commandment of the King, but there is no liability for lashes.