127. Serving Idols

Avodas Kochavim 3:1

If a person worships idols intentionally, as an act of rebellion against God, he is liable for the penalty of kareis (spiritual excision). If there were witnesses who warned him, he is stoned to death. If he served idols inadvertently, he must bring a sin offering.

Avodas Kochavim 3:2

The idolatrous nations established different types of service for each individual idol, many very different from one another. For example, the idol Peor was served by relieving one’s bowels in front of it. Mercury was served by throwing stones at the idol, or by removing those stones. The same is true for other idols. One would not be liable for violating the prohibition against idolatry if he relieved himself in front of Mercury or threw a stone at Peor; one would have to serve the idol in its own fashion. We see this from Deuteronomy 12:30, “Take care not to be ensnared to follow them…inquiring after their gods, saying, ‘How did they serve them?’” For this reason, the courts must be familiar with the type of service performed for each idol, as an idolator is only stoned when we know that he acted in the manner in which the idol is typically worshiped.