Wyjścia 22:19 Halacha: Mishneh Torah, Foreign Worship and Customs & Sefer HaMitzvot

The prohibitive commandment concerning such worship is deducted from what Holy Writ says: "Nor serve them" (Ex. 20.5; Deut. 5.9). Whereat are these words directed? At all other manner of worship, save bowing down, slaughtering sacrifice, burning incense, and compounding drink offering; for whosoever employs any of these kinds of worship to revive any form of idolatry, is guilty, although it be not the particular manner of its worship. For example? If one offered a drink offering to Peor, or slaughtered a sacrifice to Mercury, he is guilty, as it is said: "He that sacrificeth unto the gods, save unto the Lord only, shall be utterly destroyed" (Ex. 22.19.). Inasmuch as slaughtering sacrifices was included in worship generally, why was it singled out and separated from other modes of service? To teach you, even as slaughtering sacrifices is a particular manner of service dedicated to the Name, and whosoever offers sacrifices to another god is guilty of an offense punishable by stoning, whether its mode of worship was to slaughter sacrifices for it or whether it was not, even so every service which is dedicated to the Name, if he employed it in his service to another god, whether its manner of worship be so or not, is guilty. Even because thereof it is, moreover, said: "For thou shalt bow down to no other god" (Ex. 34.14), to prescribe guilt for bowing down to idolatry even if its mode of service be not so. So is also the law pertaining to offering incense and drink-offering, forsooth, stone-casting and pouring drink offering is one and the same thing.³Ibid. C.

That is that we have been prohibited from bowing to an idol. And that is His, may He be blessed, saying, "You shall have not bow to them" (Exodus 20:5). And it is clear that by our saying, idol, we mean anything worshipped besides God. And the intention is not only bowing and nothing else. Indeed, He mentioned one of the ways of worship - meaning to say, bowing - but we are also prohibited from sacrificing to them, to offer libations and to burn incense [to them]. And one who has transgressed one of these and bowed, sacrificed, offered libation or burned incense is liable for stoning. And the language of the Mekhilta (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 22:19) is, "'Whoever sacrifices to gods shall be proscribed' - we have [thus] heard the punishment. From where [do we know] the prohibition? [Hence] we learn to say, 'You shall not bow to them and you shall not worship them.' Sacrifice was included (in serving), and it was singled out to teach [that] just as sacrificing is distinctive in that we serve the Heavens in a similar way and one is liable for it, whether he worships it or he does not not worship it - so too, one is liable for all the ways that are similar to how we serve the Heavens, whether he worships it or he does not not worship it." And it has already been explained in the Gemara, Makkot (Makkot 23b) that this negative commandment is included in the 613 commandments. And that is their saying, "There were 613 commandments stated to Moshe at Sinai, etc." - as we explained about the first positive commandment (Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Commandments 1). (See Parashat Yitro; Mishneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah 1.)