349. Get Up!: The prohibition against bowing down on a carved stone

We may not bow down on a carved stone. This includes both a stone carved with figures and one chiseled and polished smooth. The reason for this prohibition is that doing so was an idolatrous practice – to the stone itself. Doing so – even in worship to God – was prohibited lest observers mistakenly think that the one bowing down was participating in idolatry.

The verse specifies that one may not bow down on a carved stone “in your land” – as opposed to in the Temple. Even though the floor of the Temple was made of cut and polished stones, it was permitted to bow down on them because it is clearly being done in the service of God.

One is permitted by the Torah to bow down on a carpet regardless of how ornately it may be decorated. Stones are permanent and historically have been objects of worship. Cloth wears out rather quickly and lacks the permanence to serve as an idol. Accordingly, no one will think that someone bowing down on a cloth or a mat is worshipping it. There are, however, certain rabbinically-enacted stringencies. For example, according to many authorities, a carpet that is attached to a stone floor does not count as a separate layer. On the other hand, there is also a difference between the full prostration (called pishut yadayim v'raglayim - outstretching arms and legs) that is forbidden under Torah law and the bowing down that we do on Yom Kippur (called kiddah), in which only our knees and heads touch the ground. Many people prefer to err on the side of caution; ask your rabbi for guidance in this matter.

This mitzvah applies to both men and women in all times and places. In the Talmud, it is discussed in tractate Megillah on page 22b. It is codified in the Shulchan Aruch in Orach Chaim 131 (in the Rema). This mitzvah is #12 of the 365 negative mitzvos in the Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvos and #161 of the 194 negative mitzvos that can be fulfilled today as listed in the Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar of the Chofetz Chaim.