THOU SHALT NOT MAKE UNTO THEE ANY GRAVEN IMAGE, OR ANY LIKENESS OF ANYTHING THAT IS IN HEAVEN ABOVE OR THAT IS IN THE EARTH BENEATH. We have already mentioned, in reference to this prohibition, the remark of R. Jose that ‘all pictorial presentations are permitted, except that of a human countenance, because this countenance has dominion over all things’.
R. Isaac applied to this commandment the maxim: “Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin” (Eccl. 5, 5). ‘How careful’, he said, ‘must one be not to err in regard to the meaning of the words of the Torah, and not to derive any doctrine from them which he has not learnt [from books] or heard from his teachers. He who gives his own interpretations of Scripture, not derived from these sources,transgresses against the commandment: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image….” The Holy One will punish him in the world to come, when his soul shall desire to enter into her place. She will then be thrust away, and she will be cut off from that region which is “bound up with the bundle of life” wherein are the other souls.
Concerning such a man it is written: “Wherefore should God be angry at thy voice?” (Ibid.), “voice” symbolizing the soul.’ Said R. Hiya: ‘It is for this reason that to this prohibition are added the words, “for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God”. God is “jealous” above all for His Name, either because of the pictorial presentations wherewith His Name (character) is misrepresented, or because of the Torah when she is misinterpreted.
For the Torah, as we have been taught, consists entirely of His Holy Name; in fact, every word written therein consists of and contains that Holy Name. Therefore one must beware of erring in regard to this Name and misrepresenting it. He who is false to the Supernal King will not be allowed to enter the King’s Palace and will be driven away from the world to come.’
R. Abba derived the same lesson from the words from this commandment: “Thou shalt not make… any graven image (pesel)”, which he connected with the verse, “Hew (pesal) thee two tables of stone” (Ex. 34, 1), interpreting thus: “Thou shalt not ‘hew’ unto thee another Torah, which thou neither knowest [from books], nor hast learnt from thy master; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God and shall punish thee in the world to come when thy soul shall long to enter into the spheres of glory and stand before My Presence.” How many emissaries will then be ready to frustrate its desire and thrust it into Gehenna!1ai. “To hiss at it and to gaze at it in Gehenna.”.
According to yet another interpretation, this commandment includes the prohibition against the profanation of the sign of the Abrahamitic covenant, which sign is a symbol of the Holy Name. By means of this sign Israel entered into the first Covenant and union with the Shekinah, and he who brings it into a foreign domain is false to the Holy One Himself.
(שמות כ׳:ד׳) לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל תְּמוּנָה. הָא אִתְּמַר. וְאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסִי, כָּל פַּרְצוּפִין שָׁרֵי, בַּר מִפַּרְצוּפָא דְּאָדָם, דְּהָא הַאי פַּרְצוּפָא שָׁלִיט בְּכֹלָּא.
THOU SHALT NOT MAKE UNTO THEE ANY GRAVEN IMAGE, OR ANY LIKENESS OF ANYTHING THAT IS IN HEAVEN ABOVE OR THAT IS IN THE EARTH BENEATH. We have already mentioned, in reference to this prohibition, the remark of R. Jose that ‘all pictorial presentations are permitted, except that of a human countenance, because this countenance has dominion over all things’.
דָּבָר אַחֵר, לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל תְּמוּנָה. רַבִּי יִצְחָק פָּתַח, (קהלת ה׳:ה׳) אַל תִּתֵּן אֶת פִּיךָ לַחֲטִיא אֶת בְּשָׂרֶךָ. כַּמָּה אִית לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ לְאִזְדַּהֲרָא עַל פִּתְגָּמֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, כַּמָּה אִית לֵיהּ לְאִזְדַּהֲרָא דְּלָא יִטְעֵי בְּהוּ, וְלָא יָפִיק מֵאוֹרַיְיתָא מַה דְּלָא יָדַע, וְלָא קַבִּיל מֵרַבֵּיהּ. דְּכָל מַאן דְּאָמַר בְּמִלֵּי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא מַה דְּלָא יָדַע, וְלָא קַבִּיל מֵרַבֵּיהּ, עָלֵיהּ כְּתִיב לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל תְּמוּנָה. וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא זַמִּין לְאִתְפָּרְעָא מִנִּיהּ, בְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, בְּזִמְנָא דְּנִשְׁמָתֵיהּ בַּעְיָא לְמֵיעָאל לְדוּכְתָּא, דַחְיָין לָהּ לְבַר, וְתִשְׁתְּצֵי מֵהַהוּא אֲתָר דִּצְרִירָא בִּצְרוֹרָא דְּחַיֵּי דִּשְׁאַר נִשְׁמָתִין.
R. Isaac applied to this commandment the maxim: “Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin” (Eccl. 5, 5). ‘How careful’, he said, ‘must one be not to err in regard to the meaning of the words of the Torah, and not to derive any doctrine from them which he has not learnt [from books] or heard from his teachers. He who gives his own interpretations of Scripture, not derived from these sources,transgresses against the commandment: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image….” The Holy One will punish him in the world to come, when his soul shall desire to enter into her place. She will then be thrust away, and she will be cut off from that region which is “bound up with the bundle of life” wherein are the other souls.
(רבי יהודה אומר מהכא) כְּמָה דְּתָנֵינָן, (קהלת ה׳:ה׳) לָמָּה יִקְצֹף הָאֱלֹהִים עַל קוֹלֶךָ. קוֹלֶךָ: דָּא הִיא נִשְׁמָתֵיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ. אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּיא, עַל דָּא כְּתִיב, כִּי יְיָ' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵל קַנָּא. מַאי טַעְמָא. מִשּׁוּם דְּקַנִּי לִשְׁמֵיהּ בְּכֹלָּא. אִי בְּגִין פַּרְצוּפִין מְקַנִּי לִשְׁמֵיהּ, מִשּׁוּם דִּמְשַׁקֵּר בִּשְׁמֵיהּ. אִי מִשּׁוּם אוֹרַיְיתָא.
Concerning such a man it is written: “Wherefore should God be angry at thy voice?” (Ibid.), “voice” symbolizing the soul.’ Said R. Hiya: ‘It is for this reason that to this prohibition are added the words, “for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God”. God is “jealous” above all for His Name, either because of the pictorial presentations wherewith His Name (character) is misrepresented, or because of the Torah when she is misinterpreted.
תָּנֵינָן, אוֹרַיְיתָא כֹּלָּא שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא הִיא, דְּלֵית לָךְ מִלָּה בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא דְּלָא כָּלִיל בִּשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא. וּבְגִינִי כַּךְ, בָּעֵי לְאִזְדַּהֲרָא, בְּגִין דְּלָא יִטְעֵי בִּשְׁמֵיהּ קַדִּישָׁא, וְלָא יְשַׁקֵּר בֵּיהּ. וּמַאן דִּמְשַׁקֵּר בְּמַלְכָּא עִלָּאָה, לָא עָאלִין לֵיהּ לִפַלְטְרוֹי דְּמַלְכָּא, וְיִשְׁתְּצֵי מֵעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי.
For the Torah, as we have been taught, consists entirely of His Holy Name; in fact, every word written therein consists of and contains that Holy Name. Therefore one must beware of erring in regard to this Name and misrepresenting it. He who is false to the Supernal King will not be allowed to enter the King’s Palace and will be driven away from the world to come.’
אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא, כְּתִיב הָכָא לא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל תְּמוּנָה. וּכְתִיב הָתָם, (שמות לה) פְּסָל לְךָ שְׁנִי לֻחֹת אֲבָנִים. כְּלוֹמַר, לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל, לָא תַּעְבֵּד לְךָ אוֹרַיְיתָא אַחֲרָא דְּלָא יַדְעַת, וְלָא אָמַר לָךְ רַבָּךְ. מַאי טַעֲמָא. כִּי אָנֹכִי יְיָ' אֱלהֶיךָ אֵל קַנָּא, אֲנָא הוּא דְּזַמִּין לְאִתְפָּרְעָא מִינָךְ בְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּנִשְׁמְתָא בַּעְיָא לְמֵיעָאל קַמָּאי, כַּמָּה זְמִינִין לְשַׁקְרָא בָּהּ, וּלְעַיְּילָא לָהּ גּוֹ גֵּיהִנָּם.
R. Abba derived the same lesson from the words from this commandment: “Thou shalt not make… any graven image (pesel)”, which he connected with the verse, “Hew (pesal) thee two tables of stone” (Ex. 34, 1), interpreting thus: “Thou shalt not ‘hew’ unto thee another Torah, which thou neither knowest [from books], nor hast learnt from thy master; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God and shall punish thee in the world to come when thy soul shall long to enter into the spheres of glory and stand before My Presence.” How many emissaries will then be ready to frustrate its desire and thrust it into Gehenna!1ai. “To hiss at it and to gaze at it in Gehenna.”.
תַּנְיָא, אָמַר ר' יִצְחָק, לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ וְגוֹ', דְּבָעֵי בַּר נָשׁ דְּלָא לְשַׁקְרָא בִּשְׁמָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא (ס"א דבר אחר לא תעשה לך פסל וגו' דבעי בר נש דלא לשקרא בשמיה דקודשא בריך הוא, ומאי איהו, דא ברית את קיימא קדישא דמאן דמשקר בהאי ברית משקר בשמא דקודשא בריך הוא) דְּקִשְׁרָא קַדְמָאָה, דְּאִתְקְשָׁרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, כַּד אִתְגְּזָרוּ. וְדָא הוּא קִיּוּמָא קַדְמָאָה דְּכֹלָּא, לְמֵיעָאל בִּבְרִית דְּאַבְרָהָם, דְּהוּא קִשְׁרָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא. וּבָעֵי בַּר נָשׁ, דְּלָא לְשַׁקְּרָא בְּהַאי בְּרִית, דְּמַאן דִּמְשַׁקֵּר בְּהַאי בְּרִית, מְשַׁקֵּר בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. מַאי שִׁקְרָא. הוּא, דְּלָא יֵיעוּל הַאי בְּרִית בִּרְשׁוּתָא אַחֲרָא. כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר (מלאכי ב׳:י״א) וּבָעַל בַּת אֵל נֵכָר.
According to yet another interpretation, this commandment includes the prohibition against the profanation of the sign of the Abrahamitic covenant, which sign is a symbol of the Holy Name. By means of this sign Israel entered into the first Covenant and union with the Shekinah, and he who brings it into a foreign domain is false to the Holy One Himself.
ר' יְהוּדָה אָמַר מֵהָכָא, (הושע ה׳:ז׳) בַּיְיָ' בָּגָדוּ כִּי בָּנִים זָרִים יָלָדוּ. מַאן דִּמְשַׁקֵּר בְּהַאי בְּרִית, מְשַׁקֵּר בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. מִשּׁוּם דְהַאי בְּרִית בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אֲחִידָא, וּכְתִיב לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל תְּמוּנָה אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וְגוֹ'.