Avodah Zarah 46 – Bowing Down to an Egg Stood on One End

If stones were dislodged from a mountain and were then worshipped – some say that they are prohibited for benefit, but some say that they are permitted. The reason for them to be permitted is that they are analogous to a mountain. Just as a mountain which has not been affected by the hand of man remains permitted, so too the stones. The reason for them to be prohibited is that the phrase “You shall surely loathe it” denies the above analogy.

This argument is connected to the following one: if one stood an egg upright in order to bow down to it, what is the law? If he did bow down to the egg, it is surely prohibited. The situation here is that the Jew stood the egg up, but before he had a chance to bow down to it, an idolater came and worshipped it. Standing up an egg is impermanent. Does it clearly demonstrate the Jew's desire to worship it, in which case it would be prohibited, or is it just an object in the possession of the Jew, in which case the non-Jew cannot forbid it by bowing down to an object that is not his? This question stands unresolved.

Art: Diego Velázquez - Old Woman Frying Eggs