Mishnayos Avodah Zarah Perek 3 Mishnah 5
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עבודה זרה פרק ג׳ משנה ה׳
With regard to the halakha in the case of the gentiles who worship the mountains and the hills, the mountains and hills are permitted, but what is upon them is forbidden. It is not prohibited to derive benefit from the mountains and hills themselves, and they can be used for planting, harvesting, and the like. But if gentiles coated them with gold or silver, it is prohibited to derive benefit from the coating, as it is stated: “The graven images of their gods shall you burn with fire; you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourself, lest you be snared by it; for it is an abomination to the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 7:25). Rabbi Yosei HaGelili says with regard to the verse: “You shall destroy all the places where the nations that you are to dispossess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every leafy tree” (Deuteronomy 12:2): The mitzva to destroy objects of idol worship applies to “their gods, upon the high mountains,” but not to the mountains themselves that are their gods. Similarly it applies to “their gods…upon the hills,” but not to the hills themselves that are their gods. The mishna asks: And for what reason, then, is an ashera forbidden? Doesn’t the verse also state: “And under every leafy tree,” which indicates that the mitzva to destroy objects of idol worship does not apply to the trees themselves? The mishna answers: It is because it is the product of human involvement and did not grow by itself, and the halakha is that anything that is the product of human involvement is forbidden. Rabbi Akiva says: I will explain and decide the matter before you. The verse does not indicate limitations to the halakhic definition of idols; rather, it is simply giving indicators of prevalent idolatrous practice: Everywhere that you find a high mountain, or an elevated hill, or a leafy tree, know that there is idol worship there.
הַגּוֹיִם הָעוֹבְדִים אֶת הֶהָרִים וְאֶת הַגְּבָעוֹת, הֵן מֻתָּרִין וּמַה שֶּׁעֲלֵיהֶם אֲסוּרִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ז) לֹא תַחְמֹד כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב עֲלֵיהֶם וְלָקַחְתָּ. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגְּלִילִי אוֹמֵר, (שם יב) אֱלֹהֵיהֶם עַל הֶהָרִים, וְלֹא הֶהָרִים אֱלֹהֵיהֶם. אֱלֹהֵיהֶם עַל הַגְּבָעוֹת, וְלֹא הַגְּבָעוֹת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם. וּמִפְּנֵי מָה אֲשֵׁרָה אֲסוּרָה, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיֶּשׁ בָּהּ תְּפִיסַת יָד אָדָם, וְכֹל שֶׁיֶּשׁ בָּהּ תְּפִיסַת יְדֵי אָדָם אָסוּר. אָמַר רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, אֲנִי אוֹבִין וְאָדוּן לְפָנֶיךָ. כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁאַתָּה מוֹצֵא הַר גָּבוֹהַּ וְגִבְעָה נִשָּׂאָה וְעֵץ רַעֲנָן, דַּע שֶׁיֶּשׁ שָׁם עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה:
Bartenura
הן מותרין. ההרים עצמן מותרין לזריעה ולחצוב מהן אבנים, דמחובר לא מיתמר:
ומפני מה אשרה אסורה. כלומר כי היכי דדרשינן אלהיהם על ההרים ולא ההרים אלהיהם, הכי נמי תחת כל עץ רענן אלהיהם, ולא עץ רענן אלהיהם, ולמה אמרה תורה דכתיב (דברים ז׳) ואשריהם תגדעון:
מפני שיש בה תפיסת ידי אדם. שאדם נטעו. וסבר רבי יוסי שאילן שנטעו ולבסוף עבדו אסור. ותנא קמא סבר, הואיל ובתחלת נטיעתו לא נתכוין לעובדו, אין העבודה שעובד אותו אחר שהוא מחובר אוסרתו, דהוי כמי שעובד להר. ואין הלכה כרבי יוסי:
אני אובין. אפרש:
ואדון לפניך. אחרי שאין לנו לדרוש מיעוט מתחת כל עץ רענן, יש לומר שלא נאמר אלא למסור להם סימנים, מקום שרגילים אמוריים לעבוד שם ע״ז כדי שיחפשום ישראל ויבערום. ומיעוטא דהרים וגבעות מיהא ממעטינן ממשמעותיה שלא צוה לנו לאבד ההרים. אבל עץ רענן צוה לנו לאבד שנאמר (שם י״ב) ואשריהם תשרפון באש:
הן מותרין – the mountains themselves are permissible for sewing [seed] and to hew stones from them that are attached and are not forbidden.
ומפני מה אשרה אסורה – meaning to say just as we expound (Deuteronomy 12:2): “[You must destroy all the sites at which the nations you are to dispossess worshipped] their gods, whether on lofty mountains [and on hills or under any luxuriant tree],” and not ‘on their lofty mountains, their gods’, so also “under any luxuriant tree” (ibid.,) their gods, and not ‘the luxuriant trees of their gods.’ And why did the Torah prohibit this? As it is written (Deuteronomy 7:5): “cut down their sacred posts.”
מפני שיש בה תפיסת ידי אדם – that a person planted it and Rabbi Yosi holds that a tree that a person planted and at the end worshipped is forbidden. But the First Tanna/teacher [of our Mishnah] holds that since at the beginning when it was planted, he did not intend to worship it, the worship that he performs after it is attached does not prohibit it for it is like someone who worships a mountain. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yosi.
אני אובין – I will explain.
ואדון לפניך – after we do not have to expound on the limitation from “or under any luxuriant tree,” one can say that it was not said other than to provide for them signs, a place where it is customary for Emorites to worship idolatry in order that Israel can search them out and destroy them. But the limitation of mountains and hills however, we eliminate from its implication for God did not command us to destroy the mountains, but [God] did command us to destroy luxuriant trees, as it states (Deuteronomy 12:3): “put their sacred posts to the fire.”