Sanhedrin 64: Embodied Evil Inclinations, Molech's Children and Liability

The rabbis discuss what Steinsaltz describes as a set of prophetic visions in the time of the second Temple.  The people underwent a spiritual transformation at that time.  These stories suggest the animation of concepts that are more ephemeral.

• The people fast and pray to be rid of their evil inclination to worship idols.  A raging lion cub emerges from the Holy of Holies.  It screams in pain, very loudly, when it is caught and one of its hairs is pulled out.  The rabbis hold it in a lead box with a lead lid so that its screams will not be heard and its represented evil will be contained.

• The people fast and pray to be rid of their evil inclination to partake in forbidden sexual relationships.  This evil inclination is embodied as well.  However, the people cannot find a day-old egg to feed to the sick, for the chickens are not becoming impregnated when the evil inclination is captured. The people know that they cannot ask for a partial gift, so that some acts of intercourse can be permitted.  Instead, they gouge out the eyes of the embodied inclination, which has led to our distaste for sexual relationships with family members but not eradicating all other appropriate and sinful sexual desire.

• A Gentile woman vowed to worship every idol if she recovered from an illness.  She kept her vow until she reached Ba'al Peor, where she was told to eat diarrhea-causing spinach and beer and then defecate in front of that idol.  She retorted that she would rather become ill again.  The people of Israel were told that they were not like her, for they were tightly bound to idols and only lightly attached to G-d.  

• A Jewish man is hired with his donkey to accompany a Gentile woman to Ba'al Peor.  She stops and enters while he waits.  When she returns, he asks her to wait.  "Aren't you Jewish?  Why would you worship?"  He said that it was not her concern and approached the idol. He then defecated in front of the idol and used its nostril to wipe himself in an act of defiance and disrespect.  However the idol-worshipers praised him, saying that no-one had ever worshipped the idol with such respect.

The rabbis use this last tale to better understand intentional and unintentional idol worship.  Mercury is discussed again.  One is liable for throwing a stone at Mercury, even if it is intended as an insult, simply because Mercury is worshipped by throwing things at it.  Even if one removes the stone thrown, the rabbis agree that s/he is still liable because the absence of a stone leaves a place for another stone to be thrown.  

A new Mishna teaches that parents are liable when they pass their children to the priests of Molech, but only if they both pass their child to the priest and also have their child walk through the fire (a ritual where children walk on lattice between two rows of fire).  

The rabbis discuss the importance of a number of considerations:

• the act of passing through the fire in an unusual way - jumping over a bonfire, like at Purim, might be permitted
• Molech is considered to be a superstition rather than true idol worship
• passing over a toothpick or pebble that is on fire is liable if that practice is usual
• one is not liable for passing his grandchildren to Molech
• one is not liable for passing all of his children to Molech
• one might pass any of his children, even one who is blind, and be liable
• passing 'oneself' to Molech does not make one liable for these particular punishments
• the punishment of karet, being excommunicated from the World-to-Come
• blasphemy is spoken of along with idol worship
• forms of the word karet might suggest different consequences: 
• hikkaret, excommunication from this world (ie. premature death), and 
• tikkaret, excommunication from the World-to-Come