Komentarz do Powtórzonego Prawa 12:3

מזבח consists of many stones,

A tree that was worshipped. Although the asherah is connected to the earth and therefore should be considered as the earth itself, here is different. For man is involved at the very beginning when the seed is planted (Avoda Zara ibid.). Alternatively: Here [the verse refers to a tree that] was originally planted for the sake of idolatry. For according to all opinions, such a tree is completely forbidden (ibid. 48a), because it was planted originally for idol worship.

ואבדתם את שמם, "and you will destroy their name, etc." The question is asked in Avodah Zarah 45 what these words can possibly add when we have already been told to utterly destroy every place where idolatry had been performed? The sages answer that even the roots of the trees which were symbols of idolatry have to be uprooted. Rabbi Akiva says that the names of such sites have to changed to something degrading. Thus far the Talmud. Perhaps the Torah wanted to issue a special warning applicable only to the land of Israel, similar to what Maimonides wrote that in the Holy Land we have to seek out such places and destroy them, whereas in other countries we are not obliged to do this. This is why Moses emphasises the words מן המקום ההוא, "from that place."

V. 3. ונתצתם וגו׳ ihr sollt die Spuren des Heidentums in seinen Gottesverehrungen: מזבחותם, seinen Traditionen: מצבותם, und seinem Aberglauben: אשריהם, vertilgen. ואשריהם תשרפון באש, wenn der Baum von Anfang an zu ע׳׳ז gepflanzt worden, und wenn es oben Kap. 7, 5 heißt ואשריהם תגדעון, wonach der Stamm erhalten bleiben darf, so spricht dies von einem Baume, der בהיתר gepflanzt war und nachher ע׳׳ז Verehrung fand אילן שנטעו ולבסוף עבדו, bei welchem nur das אסור ward, was nachwuchs (siehe daselbst).

ונתצתם את מזבחותם, “you shall break down all their altars;” the phrase is a repetition as it is needed for the other half, the commandment to wipe out the names of these deities, (at the end of the verse). ואשריהם תשרפון באש, “and burn their asherim by fire.” In Deuteronomy 7,5, the Torah instructed that the asherim ought to be hewn down, מגדעון. Our sages explain this difference by saying that if these trees had been planted before they had been worshipped whatever had grown after that has to be cut down. If they had been planted after on that site idolatry had already been practiced, the entire tree or trees have to be burned.

מצבה of one stone only. It is the בימוס, the pedestal for idolatrous statuary, of which we learn in the Mishna (Avodah Zarah 3:7): A stone which one originally hewed for an idol’s pedestal is forbidden for use.

“The house of exaltation,” entitle, “The house of ruin,”, etc. Rashi explains (in Temurah 28b): “The term בית גליא denotes exaltation. The term בית כליא denotes ruin. Another version says בית כריא is a “bathroom,” from the phrase (See Yirmeyahu 18:20), “כורה שוחה (he dug a pit).” See the Aruch.

לכנות לה שם ,ואבדתם את שמם מן המקום ההוא: durch Umänderung des Namens, wenn die Örtlichkeit nach dem dort geübten Götzenkult genannt wurde, und zwar durch eine deprimierende Umnennung לגנאי (Aboda Sara 46 a).

ופסילי אלהיהם תגדעון, “and the graven images of their deities you must cut down. In Deuteronomy 7,5, we read that ופסיליהם תשרפו באש, “and their carved images you must burn.” This refers to these images having been carved into the trunk of the tree while the tree was still planted in the earth. If a figure had been carved into the trunk after it had been cut down, you must burn the whole trunk of that tree. If he had cut down the image without burning the tree, the tree may remain standing. An alternate interpretation of the differing methods for destroying symbols of paganism: in both instances either cutting down such symbols or burning them is the appropriate method of destroying them.

אשרה is a tree that had been worshipped (Avodah Zarah 47a).

ואשריהם תשרפון באש, “and their existing asherim you must burn by fire.” Seeing that the Holy Land had been designated as belonging to Israel by G-d, and at the time when the Israelites had said at the time of the golden calf: “these are your deities O Israel,” they yearned for a multiplicity of deities. As a result of this outcry, all the various deities served in the land of Canaan became partially owned by the Israelites. (Talmud, tractate Sanhedrin folio 63) Idols owned by Israelites can never be utterly annulled. (Talmud tractate Avodah Zarah folio 53) They must be destroyed utterly beyond any recognition physically.

ואבדתם את שמם AND DESTROY THEIR NAMES by giving them contemptuous nicknames. What they call בית גליא, “a sublime house”, you should call בית כריא, “a base house”, what they call עין כל, “the universal eye”, you call, עין קוץ “the thorn eye” (Avodah Zarah 46a).

ואבדתם את שמם, “you must abolish their names, even.” (Compare Numbers 32,38, their names had been changed)