Throwing Stones to Mercury

We’re up the point in masechet Avodah Zarah where the Mishnah and Gemara discuss throwing stones to Mercury as a means of worshipping it. Thus, on Avodah Zarah 49b-50a, to give a flavor:

אָמַר רַב יִצְחָק בַּר יוֹסֵף אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁנָּשְׁרוּ מִמֶּנּוּ — דִּבְרֵי הַכֹּל אֲסוּרוֹת, וַאֲפִילּוּ לְמַאן דְּאָמַר: אֵין עוֹבְדִין לִשְׁבָרִים — הָנֵי מִילֵּי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה דְּלָאו הַיְינוּ אוֹרְחֵיהּ, אֲבָל הָכָא דְּמֵעִיקָּרָא תַּבּוֹרֵי מִיתַּבְּרִי — הַיְינוּ אוֹרְחֵיהּ, כִּי פְּלִיגִי בִּסְתָמָא.

Rav Yitzḥak bar Yosef says that Rabbi Yoḥanan says: In a case where it is known that these stones fell from the pile of stones, everyone agrees that they are prohibited, and this is the halakha even according to the one who says: Idol worshippers do not worship fragments. As that statement applies only to a form of idol worship where that is not the normal manner in which it is worshipped. But here, where the stones thrown onto the pile are broken stones from the outset, this is its normal manner of worship. They disagree only when it is not specifically known where these stones came from.

בִּמְקוֹרָבוֹת נָמֵי, דְּאִיכָּא לְמֵימַר מִינֵּיהּ נְפַל — דִּבְרֵי הַכֹּל אֲסוּרוֹת, כִּי פְּלִיגִי — בִּמְרוּחָקוֹת.

Furthermore, everyone agrees that also in the case of stones that are near the stone pile dedicated to Mercury, with regard to which it can be said that they fell from it, they are prohibited. Rabbi Yishmael and the Rabbis disagree only when the stones are distant.

Basically, there is a Markulis structure / pillar made up of two stones and a third stone on top. The worship is by throwing stones at this structure.

There are similarities to the Muslim practice of Stoning the Devil, namely throwing at three pillars. To quote Wikipedia.

The Stoning of the Devil (Arabic: رمي الجمرات ramy al-jamarāt, lit. "throwing of the jamarāt [place of pebbles]")^[1][2][3] is part of the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. During the ritual, Muslim pilgrims throw pebbles at three walls (formerly pillars), called jamarāt, in the city of Mina just east of Mecca. It is a symbolic reenactment of Ibrahim's (or Abraham's) hajj, where he stoned three pillars representing the Shaitan (or Satan), and Muslims' temptation to disobey the will of Allah.

I’ll recycle / redo something I wrote about on parshablog many years ago. There is a verse in Daniel 11:30:

וּבָ֨אוּ ב֜וֹ צִיִּ֤ים כִּתִּים֙ וְנִכְאָ֔ה וְשָׁ֛ב וְזָעַ֥ם עַל־בְּרִֽית־ק֖וֹדֶשׁ וְעָשָׂ֑ה וְשָׁ֣ב וְיָבֵ֔ן עַל־עֹזְבֵ֖י בְּרִ֥ית קֹֽדֶשׁ׃

Ships from Kittim will come against him. He will be checked, and will turn back, raging against the holy covenant. Having done his pleasure, he will then attend to those who forsake the holy covenant.

Ibn Ezra interprets this as referring to events of the past. Thus:

ויבן על עזבי ברית קדש - הם אנשי ירושלים שקשרו על מלך והרגו אנשיו וחללו המקדש, המעוז שהיה לישראל, כמו: גאון עוזכם, ובאה זאת המלה על דרך הארון הברית שפירושו הארון ארון הברית, וככה הספר המקנה היין החמה. עתה ספר חרבן בית שני,

Those who leave the sacred covenant - they are the men of Jerusalem who conspired against the king and killed his men and desecrated the sanctuary – the stronghold that was Israel’s.

He continues that this is a reference to the destruction of the Second Temple.

Karaites wanted to interpret that verse as a prediction about the future, and about Muslims in Mecca at the Ka’aba. Ibn Ezra takes a strong stand against them. Only the Beit HaMikdash is the Temple, and these interpreters themselves desecrating the Temple. Thus:

ויש לתמוה מחכמי צדוקים שפירשו זה לעתיד, ואמרו: כי המקדש היא מיכ"א שיחוגו עליה הישמעאלים והסירו התמיד, החמש תפילות ונתנו השיקוץ עכו"ם ואלו התועים, איך יתכן שיקרא מקדש רק ירושלים לבדה, וככה שמה בלשון ישמעאל בית ואיך הוא מיכ"א קדש, והלא פקחו אלה העורים את עיניהם וראו כי יש במיכ"א שיקוץ עד היום והלא מרקוליס שאליו יחוגו כל ישמעאל ממזרח וממערב לזרוק אבנים שם, ואלה המפרשים חללו המקדש.

One is surprised by Sadducee sages who interpreted this as referring to the future. They said that the sanctuary is Mecca, around which the Ishmaelites circle. and they put aside the daily sacrifice the five prayers (the Salat). and they set up the abomination, idolatry. And they are the mistaken. As is it may be that miqdash/sanctuary refers to Jerusalem alone. Thus it is that in the Ishmaelite language its name is “house”(al-ka’aba). And how is it that Mecca is sacred? Didn’t those blind ones open their eyes and see that in Mecca there is an abomination to this day? Is it not Mercury, around which all Ishmaelites, from east and west, circle to throw stones? And these interpreters have desecrated the sanctuary.

He then challenges the Gaon who seemed to interpret a later verse about a certain sultan or caliph (the Kedari, head of the kingdom of Yishmael), pointing out that the verse describes the figure as one who does not know women but this one was well known as a lover of women.

He continues by pointing to verse 18, which states:

וְלֶאֱלֹ֙הַּ֙ מָֽעֻזִּ֔ים עַל־כַּנּ֖וֹ יְכַבֵּ֑ד וְלֶאֱל֜וֹהַּ אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹא־יְדָעֻ֣הוּ אֲבֹתָ֗יו יְכַבֵּ֛ד בְּזָהָ֥ב וּבְכֶ֛סֶף וּבְאֶ֥בֶן יְקָרָ֖ה וּבַחֲמֻדֽוֹת׃

He will honor the god of fortresses on his stand; he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly things, a god that his ancestors never knew.

and, objecting to the idea of interpreting it as Muslims, Ibn Ezra writes:

ועוד: מה יעשה בכתוב לאלה אשר לא ידעוהו אבותיו?! ועוד: אם היה אלה עכו"ם אין תשובה ממרקוליס, כי זה ידעוהו אבותיו ולא סרו אנשי מיכ"א למשמעתו, עד שנשבע להם שלא יסיר עבודת מרקוליס, ואין צורך להאריך.

And further, what does one do with the scripture “a god their ancestors did not know?” (v.38) And further, אֱלֹ֙הַּ֙ refers to idols, then this is not a return from Mercury. Because this one, their ancestors did know, and the men of Mecca did not turn to obedience to him [Mohammed] till he swore to them that he would not put aside the service to Mercury. And there is no need to expand.

Interesting…