Sometimes idol worshippers would take a certain image, put it on a keli, a type of utensil, and then worship that utensil. Here, we’ll talk about a utensil that was found with an image that could have been an idol. What do we do in that type of scenario?
The Mishnah says: Somebody finds a utensil, and on them there is an image of a symbol that could be the sun, the moon, or a dragon. We’re not actually saying it’s just a round circle for the moon or the sun, but that there’s a representative of the sun that connects to Avodah Zarah (idolatry). For example, for the sun, it would be a king wearing a crown, seated in a chariot. That, for some reason, represents worship of the sun. So every type of Avodah Zarah had an associated type of person doing something; that’s how they worshipped.
So if a person finds an item like that, he has to bring it to the Dead Sea and throw it in there, and he has to presume that it is an idol. When he throws it into the Dead Sea, he’s fulfilling the obligation of destroying the idol and, at the same time, making sure that nobody benefits from it. If he does something with it, he could benefit from it. If he burns it or uses other forms of destruction, he could benefit from it in some small way. We don’t want to benefit whatsoever. Throwing it into the Dead Sea, where it will just stay down there and nobody will ever retrieve it, is the way to make sure no one ever gets their hands on it. Other types of images that are for decoration would be permitted.
Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says, “The images that we mentioned just now, about the sun, the moon, and the dragon, are only forbidden if they’re on a valuable utensil, because then we’re going to assume that they’re idols. Somebody put it on something nice; there’s a background to it. People would usually put an Avodah Zarah onto something that would adorn it, something that would look nice, like jewelry. But if they were on a lowly utensil, like a pot, something lowly, then they’re permitted, because we could make the assumption that they were only for decoration and not for worship.”
According to Tana Kama (the first Tanna), like we mentioned, the utensils that are problematic have to be thrown into the Dead Sea. Rebbe Yosei is going to give another option. Rebbe Yosei says, “You could even grind it to dust and then scatter it in the wind so that no Jew is going to benefit from it.” That fulfills the obligation of destruction as well. Or you could throw it into the Dead Sea without grinding it down, like Tana Kama said.
According to Hachamim—the rabbis, Tana Kama—grinding it up is something they don’t want to do, because even the dust of something could fertilize soil. Something positive could happen with it. But Rebbe Yosei says, “No, we’re not going to forbid that type of remote possibility of happening.” So fertilizing something could only happen with the combination of watering it with the sun and all that. So this is Rebbe Yosei. That’s not something we’re going to be Choshesh. That’s not something we’re going to be nervous for.
So the rabbis, Tana Kama, told back Rebbe Yosei: “Scattering the dust is not going to be okay, because the dust is going to provide zevel. It’s going to provide fertilizer for the ground when it falls to the ground. And a Jew who’s going to produce on the land is going to benefit from it.” Like the Pasuk (verse) says, “No part of the banned property, of the problematic Avodah Zarah, should cling to your hands.” Had a problem with the opinion of Rebbe Yosei, who said, “Let’s grind it up and throw it to the wind.”