It’s a question that has echoes through Jewish tradition, and one that comes up in a fascinating discussion about bowing down, prostration, and the very nature of God’s glory.
The question at hand: how could the Israelites, knowing the honor due to God, prostrate themselves before something that was created? Isn't that, well, a bit too close to idolatry?
The answer, as we find it explored in rabbinic literature, hinges on intention and understanding. We’re not worshipping the visible glory, but rather the One who bestowed that glory. The visible glory, the kavod, is a sign, a symbol. Think of it like this: we bow and pray before God in the presence of the Sanctuary in Jerusalem. As Maimonides, the Rambam, explains in his Sefer HaMitzvot, the “glory of God” can refer to that created light where the Holy One dwells. Remember when "the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai" (Exodus 24:16)?
But sometimes, kavod refers to God's very essence, God's truth. As in, "Show me, please, Your glory" (Exodus 33:18). To which God responds, "For man shall not see Me and live" (Exodus 33:20). Big difference. This idea of shared names and attributes is key. Our sages, the Razal, point out that the name of God is "shared" – applied to judges, angels, and the Almighty. Even the term Shekhinah, the Divine Presence, shares this characteristic.
What about bowing down to people? Is that ever okay? It's a valid question. After all, Abraham bowed before the sons of Heth to acknowledge their kindness in granting him a burial plot. Rabbi Saadia Gaon even translates this as "he worshiped at the tent of El-Berith." Joshua prostrated himself before an angel. Nathan and Bathsheba bowed before King David. Scripture's full of these examples.
So, what's the deal?
The Talmud, in Sanhedrin 61b, dives deep into this. There's a debate between Abaye and Rava. If someone serves an idol out of love or fear, is he liable? Abaye says yes, because he has prostrated himself. Rava disagrees, saying that unless the person accepts the idol as a deity, he's not liable.
The Gemara (the rabbinic commentary on the Mishnah) brings up a braita, a teaching outside the Mishnah (the earliest code of rabbinic law), that clarifies: "You shall not bow down to them… but you may bow down to a person like yourself." But what about someone like Haman, who demanded to be worshipped? Well, the verse continues, "And you shall not serve them." Haman is served out of fear, blurring the line between respect and forced servitude.
The key takeaway? It’s forbidden to bow down to any created being in a way that suggests worship. We don't want to repeat the Haman situation, where someone effectively sets himself up as an idol. That's why Mordecai refused to bow! But bowing to a person as a sign of respect and honor? That can be okay. That’s why Joshua could bow to the angel – because he saw him as a messenger of God, not as a deity in himself.
As the book Ha'Ikarim explains, these acts of prostration, when done to honor God through his emissaries, are acceptable. It's all about context and intention. And as our Sages said, "Raise a person to his appointed position, and he will prostrate himself before you." There are even customs among some to prostrate and kiss the feet of esteemed individuals, an act of deep respect, not worship.
Ultimately, these discussions show us that the boundaries of religious practice aren't always clear-cut. They require careful consideration of intention, context, and the underlying principles of Jewish law and thought. So, the next time you find yourself in a situation where reverence is called for, remember this: it's not the act itself, but the meaning behind it that truly matters.
And regarding what you wrote: "Furthermore, in light of what is said about the honor of God, who is the Creator of light, how could the Israelites go out of their tents and prostrate themselves to a created being?" They do not worship the visible glory, but rather the One who bestowed His glory upon them. The visible glory is merely a sign and symbol for them, for the Almighty does not confine Himself to a physical dwelling like we bow down and pray before Him in the presence of the Sanctuary and Jerusalem, for the Lord has chosen Zion as His dwelling place. The Rambam (Maimonides) has already explained in Chapter 4 of the "Sefer HaMitzvot" (Book of Commandments), that the glory of God is sometimes used to refer to the created light that the Holy One, blessed be He, dwells in a specific place, as it is written: "And the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it, etc." (Exodus 24:16). And sometimes it refers to God's essence and truth, as in the verse "Show me, please, Your glory," and the response is, "For man shall not see Me and live," indicating that the glory mentioned here is the essence of the Almighty. The phrase "Your glory" is used to magnify and praise it, etc. And similarly, we find in the words of our sages (Razal) that the name of God is shared by judges, angels, and the Almighty. The name Shekhinah (Divine Presence) is also shared with what I mentioned earlier. I noticed that you raised the question here regarding whether it is prohibited to prostrate oneself before a person, as long as one's intention is not to accept him as a deity and not to worship him, but rather to humble oneself before him or express gratitude for the good he has done. For indeed, our forefather Abraham prostrated himself before the sons of Heth, acknowledging the kindness they had shown him by granting him a burial plot. Similarly, Rabbi Saadia Gaon translated: "And he bowed to the people of the land, the sons of Heth, and he worshiped at the tent of El-Berith that he had erected." And Joshua prostrated himself before the angel. The Prophet Nathan and Bathsheba prostrated themselves before David. And we find many instances in the Scriptures where they prostrated themselves before a created being. In Sanhedrin, in Chapter Four of the laws of capital punishment (Sanhedrin 61b), it is stated: "It was stated: One who serves an idol out of love or fear, Abaye said: He is liable, because he has prostrated himself." Rava said, "He is exempt; if he did not accept it upon himself as a deity, then no, he is not liable." Abaye said, "From where do I derive this? Because we learned in a Mishnah: One who serves an idol, whether he serves, sacrifices, offers libations, prostrates himself, or accepts it upon himself as a deity, and one who says to it, 'You are my god.'" What does it mean by "whether he serves out of love or fear?" Rava said to you, "No, but rather as explained by Rabbi Yirmeyah (as Rashi explains: 'One who serves' refers to any form of worship that is its usual manner, and 'and one who sacrifices, etc.' refers to acts performed not in its usual manner, and ultimately, the beginning and end of the Mishnah refer to accepting it as a deity)." Abaye said, "From where do I know this?" As it is taught in a braita: "You shall not bow down to them" - to them, you shall not bow down. But you may bow down to a person like yourself. Could this even include serving someone like Haman? Therefore, the verse states: "And you shall not serve them." And as for Haman, he is served out of fear! And Rava? It is "like Haman" but not exactly Haman. "Like Haman" refers to himself, who is considered idolatrous. "Not like Haman" refers to someone else who, if they were like Haman, would be served out of fear, but here it is not out of fear. And Abaye said, "From where do I know this?" As it is taught in a braita: "The anointed priest is served out of fear." Rabbi (Judah) says (that one is liable for) unintentional act (done on Shabbat) and the sages say (that one is liable for) a concealed matter. And they are equal in terms of the liability of a sin offering brought by an individual. And they are equal in that one does not bring a guilt offering. What is the nature of this "unintentional act"? If one holds that it refers to one who read from the Torah and then inadvertently prostrated himself, his intention was for Heaven (to fulfill a religious duty). Rather, it means (the case of) one who saw a statue and prostrated himself before it. (This means) that he saw a statue resembling the king, as people were accustomed to make statues resembling the king, and one who saw it would prostrate himself before it in honor of the king. (However, there are) times when they worshiped it, and this person saw someone worshiping it and prostrated himself before him. If he did it intentionally, accepting it as an idol, then it is deliberate idolatry. But if he did not accept it as an idol, it is nothing (meaning it is not considered idolatry because he did not intend it for idol worship). Rather, isn't it out of love and fear (of God)? Rava said to you: When it says "permissible," it means complete permission. Does "permissible" mean concealment of the matter? No, when it says "permissible," it means the partial fulfillment of the commandment and the partial nullification of it. That is the explanation of the Gemara, along with some commentary by Rashi. And the lesson we learn is that it is forbidden to bow down to any created being other than a human. This is to ensure that one does not worship like Haman, who made himself an idol, as stated in the Megillah (Esther 9:19). If not for this, Mordecai would not have refrained from bowing down to him, as it is taught in the Talmudic teaching: "Do not bow down to them" - to them, you shall not bow down, but you may bow down to a person like yourself. This is to prevent oneself from being worshipped like Haman who made himself a deity. Instead, one may bow down to a person as a sign of respect and honor, not as an act of worship. Therefore, Joshua bowed down to the angel since he appeared to him in the form of a human being, as it is written: "And behold, a man was standing opposite him." Thus, he bowed down to the angel as a sign of respect and honor, not as a servant to be worshipped. And refer to the book Ha'Ikarim, Chapter 2, where it extensively explains the verses that attribute the term "kavod" (honor/glory) to the visible manifestations of God to the prophets in the name of Yahweh. It also applies the term to the Ark, as it is stated: "And it came to pass when the Ark set out... Arise, O Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered; and when it rests, he would say, Return, O Lord" (Numbers 10:35-36). Additionally, Joshua called the Ark "the Lord of all the earth" (Joshua 3:11) - see there for further details. And according to his opinion, the reason Joshua prostrated himself before the angel was because that act of prostration was for the honor of the Almighty, considering the angel as His emissary, and so on - see there for further details. And our Sages said, "Raise a person to his appointed position, and he will prostrate himself before you," meaning that a person of lesser status and lowliness, like a fox, when placed in a position of authority, will prostrate himself before the one who appointed him. Similarly, it is customary among us and among the Arabs to prostrate and kiss the feet of a distinguished person of high stature, and there is no prohibition in this. It is not an act of worship, but rather an act of showing respect and honor by prostrating oneself and kissing the person's feet.
