Avodah Zarah 45a (מה.) — the Talmud in English

It is stated in the Torah [Deuteronomy 12]: “You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations that you are dispossessing worshipped their gods, upon the lofty mountains and upon the hills and beneath every lush tree".

And the Sages expounded: “their gods upon the mountains”—but not the mountains as their gods; “their gods upon the hills”—but not the hills as their gods. From this we learn that the mountains and hills, and anything attached to the ground, do not themselves become prohibited if they were worshipped; it is permitted to quarry stones from them, to sow in them, and the like.

Nevertheless, it is prohibited to worship them, and one who worships them is deemed to have worshipped idols in every respect, since he intended to worship idols and denied the fundamental principle of faith.

Our early authorities disagreed concerning this law [and Rashi wrote both interpretations]: Some say that the mountains did not become idols at all, and their offering, such as one who slaughters an animal for the sake of the mountains and hills, is not prohibited, because it is not an offering to idols, since the mountains and hills do not become idols .

Others maintain that the mountains did become idols, and their offerings are prohibited for benefit like other offerings to idols; it is only that the Torah decreed that the mountains themselves, although they become idols, do not become prohibited for benefit, and it is permitted to quarry from them and sow in them.

All this refers to the mountains themselves. But as for their coverings—for example, if they covered them with silver and gold and bowed down to them, that is, to the mountains—the coverings become prohibited.

The other laws concerning idolatry involving objects attached to the ground will be explained in the course of the sugya.

Mishna:

The gentiles who worship mountains and hills

and springs and everything that remains in its natural state—

they are permitted, but whatever is upon them

such as silver and gold coverings—

is prohibited

for benefit. The prohibition against benefiting from the coverings is derived from what

is stated

[Deuteronomy 7]: “

You shall not covet the silver and gold upon them.”

Rabbi Yosei HaGelili says:

It is stated in the Torah: “

Their gods upon the mountains”

and we expound:

but not the mountains

themselves as

their gods. ‘Their gods upon the hills’—

but not the hills as their gods.

And

if so,

why is an asherah prohibited?

Why do we not expound: “beneath every lush tree”—but not the lush tree as their god?

And why did the Torah prohibit an asherah, stating [Deuteronomy 7], “And you shall cut down their asherot”? Is the tree not attached to the ground?

Rabbi Yosei HaGelili answers: An asherah is different

because it involves human intervention

for a person planted it as a tree, even though it is now attached to the ground.

The Gemara will explain in what way Rabbi Yosei HaGelili disagrees with the first tanna.

Rabbi Akiva said: I shall explain

and reason

before you!

What the Torah stated—“You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations worshipped ... their gods upon the lofty mountains and upon the hills and beneath every lush tree”—does not mean that it intends us to expound from it, “beneath every lush tree”—but not the lush tree. Rather, the Torah gives the Israelites entering the Land of Israel—who did not know the abominations of the nations—signs identifying the places where the Amorites worshipped, and commands them to search there for idols in order to eradicate and destroy them. This is the meaning of the Torah’s statement:

Wherever you find a high mountain, an elevated hill, or a lush tree—

know that idolatry is there!

It follows from this that the idols, and not the mountains and hills, must be destroyed—

Indeed, this verse also does not indicate that every lush tree must be destroyed, but only that one must search there for idols. From another verse, which states, “And you shall burn their asherot with fire,” we learn that an asherah is prohibited for benefit and that we are commanded to eradicate it.

Gemara:

The Gemara clarifies the matter over which the first tanna and Rabbi Yosei HaGelili disagreed.

And Rabbi Yosei HaGelili—

is that not identical to the first tanna?

Do they not both maintain that mountains and hills are permitted?

Rami bar Hama said that Reish Lakish said: The covering of a mountain

is permitted

just

as

the mountain

itself is permitted. This law

is the difference between them

there is a distinction between them—

The first tanna maintains: The covering of a mountain is not like the mountain—

and

although the mountain is permitted, its covering

is prohibited,

which is what he stated: “But whatever is upon them is prohibited, as it is stated: ‘You shall not covet the silver and gold upon them’”—that is, everything upon them.

And

if

Rabbi Yosei HaGelili maintains: The covering of a mountain indeed

is like the mountain,

then just as the mountain is permitted and is not an idol, so too is the covering. And according to him, what the Torah stated, “upon them,” refers only to idols that are entirely detached .

Rav Sheshet explains that they disagree concerning “a tree that one planted and only afterward worshipped”.

That is: There is room to say that the asherah prohibited by the Torah is only when one planted a seed for the sake of an asherah and a tree grew from it, because in that case the “human intervention” was for the sake of idolatry —

But a tree planted not for the sake of idolatry and worshipped only afterward does not involve “human intervention” for the sake of idolatry; rather, its status is like that of mountains and hills.

Conversely, one can say that it is not comparable to mountains and hills. With regard to mountains and hills, there is no human intervention, and they never had any human intervention. But a planted tree does involve “human intervention,” even though when it was planted and human intervention was exerted upon it, that intervention was not for the sake of idolatry. Nevertheless, it is not comparable to mountains and hills. The growth added to the tree after it was worshipped is prohibited.

According to Rav Sheshet, the tannaim in the Mishna disagreed concerning this matter.

Rav Sheshet said: Everyone agrees

all the tannaim maintain that

the covering of a mountain is not like the mountain,

and they are prohibited for benefit.