daf bit: Sanhedrin 62

[cellio]

The mishna says: he who engages in idol-worship is executed, if he served it, sacrificed to it, offered incense, made libations, prostrated himself, accepted it as a god, or said to it "you are my god". The g'mara raises the question of inadvertent transgression and discusses Shabbat. If one violates Shabbat but is unaware that it is Shabbat, or is unaware that his action is a violation, then he is not liable to death (though he still has to bring a sin-offering). So what about idolatry? The g'mara asks if it is even possible to commit idolatry inadvertently, arguing that if you thought you were in a synagogue worshipping God when you actually weren't you have no intent. According to the rabbis here, idolatry requires intent and does not occur at all without that intent, while a Shabbat violation occurs even if you didn't mean it. (60b mishna, 62b g'mara)

So the text here is saying that you can accidentally transgress Shabbat, in which case there is a lesser penalty than if you did it knowingly, but accidental idolatry is not possible -- either you did it and are liable to death or you didn't intend to and have no liability at all. It seems unlikely to me that this is the final word on the subject, given all the precautions we take to avoid accidental participation in practices that would be considered avodah zara (alien worship). Or is avodah zara in a different category than this?

Comments

[cellio]

Part of the mishna that I didn't quote in the original post but just added in a comment to 530nm330hz lists other actions that are transgressions but not capital offenses. Surprisingly to me, kissing and anointing the idol are on this latter list.