Q&A: Be Killed Rather Than Transgress for Nothing?
Be Killed Rather Than Transgress for Nothing?
Question
Hello Rabbi!
Let’s say someone comes up to me and tells me, “Bow to the idol or I’ll kill you.” According to Jewish law, I would have to refrain. But I know I have absolutely no interest in that bowing, and I’m not worshipping idols at all—I’m just trying to appease the person standing in front of me and go on living.
What’s the point of dying for something so foolish if I know it won’t affect me at all?
Thank you!
Answer
This is a relatively easy question. There is an obligation to be killed rather than transgress even for the appearance of idol worship and for its accessories, especially in a time of religious persecution. The harder question is: when is the obligation to be killed actually part of the core law of “be killed rather than transgress”? After all, if you do not believe, then it is not idol worship (see Maimonides, Laws of Idol Worship 4:6). It seems to me that Nadav Shenarav addressed this in his article “Thoughts on Idol Worship” (search for it online).
I think that in the past, religious worship was understood differently than it is today. A person really could engage in idol worship because of the threat. The claim is that although this is indeed forbidden, one could still believe that there is something real to it.