Over the Moon

The Gemara in Avodah Zarah discusses the fact that Rabban Gamliel owned pictures of the moon. These images facilitated the questioning of witnesses who came to testify about the new moon. If the witnesses were unable to describe what they had seen, Rabban Gamliel would ask them to select the moon’s appearance from a lineup of drawings. It seemed like a brilliant and practical idea. However, the Gemara notes that there is a biblical prohibition against making images of the moon, leading to the question: why was Rabban Gamliel permitted to draw pictures of the moon?

The pasuk in Shemos (20:20) states, “You shall not make [images of] what is with Me.” A beraisa in Rosh Hashanah 24b explains that this includes a prohibition against fashioning images of the sun, moon, stars, constellations, humans, and angels. The Shulchan Aruch rules that it is only prohibited to fashion a raised image of a human—such as one embossed on a coin. Rav Yaakov Emden addressed this issue in a real case: a coin had been minted in honor of a rav, bearing his likeness. Rav Yaakov Emden ruled that not only was this not an honor, it was a biblical violation. It is certainly forbidden to carve or mold a human figure. However, one may draw or paint a likeness of a person, since it is flat and not raised.

But why, then, did the Gemara take issue with Rabban Gamliel’s pictures— weren’t they simply drawings, flat depictions of the moon? Since they were not raised, they should have been permitted. Most Rishonim explain that because the sun and moon appear to the naked eye as flat images in the sky, even drawing flat representations of them is prohibited. This contrasts with angels (when seen, by merit) or humans, who appear three-dimensional. The Shulchan Aruch indeed rules this way. Accordingly, the Gemara assumes that Rabban Gamliel should not have been allowed to draw even flat images of the moon, even for the purpose of facilitating eidus (testimony) for kiddush ha’chodesh.

The Gemara implies that rendering incomplete depictions of these celestial bodies is permitted. For example, one may draw only part of the sun. The Sfas Emes wonders why the Gemara didn’t simply suggest that all of Rabban Gamliel’s drawings were incomplete depictions. After all, he was showing the witnesses drawings of the new moon, which is, by definition, only a sliver—not a complete circle. The Sfas Emes answers that one may not even draw a sliver of the moon, since that is how the moon naturally appears during that phase. By contrast, a sliver of the sun would be permitted, because the sun appears full throughout the day unless obscured by clouds. Therefore, one may draw a partial sun at the edge of a page or depict the sun with a portion blocked by clouds. (The Mesivta Gemara includes illustrations of the sun with a small section shaded to make it incomplete. Some argue, however, that one should not even depict the sun as obscured by clouds, since that’s a natural occurrence.)

Given that even incomplete and flat depictions of the moon are forbidden, how was Rabban Gamliel permitted to possess them? The Gemara, grappling with this, suggests that Rabban Gamliel didn’t draw them himself but had a non-Jew draw them on his behalf. While it is usually prohibited to ask a gentile to perform an action a Jew may not do (amirah l’akum), in this case, it was allowed because the drawings were essential for fulfilling the mitzvah of kiddush ha’chodesh. (See Tosfos.)

Nevertheless, the Gemara raises another concern: Rabban Gamliel still should not have been allowed to keep the pictures, since people might suspect him of using them for idolatry. The Gemara accepts this concern but offers an explanation for why Rabban Gamliel was an exception. The concern of chashad (suspicion) generally applies to individuals. But since Rabban Gamliel was the Nasi, and his office constantly had people coming and going, any suspicion directed at him would extend to the group—and a group is not subject to such suspicion. Therefore, Rabban Gamliel was above suspicion.

The clear implication is that, in a private home, one may not own pictures of the moon, and this is codified in the Shulchan Aruch. If you own textbooks or magazines containing images of the moon, you may be violating a clear halacha. Quick! Toss out those science books and magazines!

However, the reason the Shulchan Aruch prohibits possession of such images is the concern of suspicion—people might think the owner worships the celestial bodies. Today, this concern no longer applies. In some areas of halacha, it’s hard to determine whether a law changes with societal norms. Here, the answer is clear. Already the Vilna Gaon wrote that some of the suspicions mentioned in Yoreh De’ah 141 no longer apply. The Chochmas Adam, writing later, was even more lenient. It is hardly a stretch to say that no one would suspect a science magazine reader of worshiping the moon.

This was the position of Rav Dovid Feinstein, zt”l. Regarding the question of whether one should cover pictures of the moon in children’s textbooks, he stated: “It’s not even worth being machmir; why would you want to plant foreign ideas in the children’s minds?”

Still, one final question remains: even if a group is above suspicion of avodah zarah, one person actually drew the pictures. We still maintain that drawing images of the moon is biblically forbidden. So why should it be permissible for Rabban Gamliel to keep them? Perhaps someone will suspect that he drew them himself! Rav Shlomo Eiger, explaining Tosfos, answers that the Gemara is only concerned with suspicion of avodah zarah, which is a grave sin. The prohibition against drawing images of celestial bodies, while biblical, is not as severe. Therefore, Chazal did not institute added restrictions to avoid suspicion of this lesser transgression.

Rav Gavriel Kraus, a dayan in Manchester, once asked Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, whether schoolchildren are permitted to draw pictures of the sun and moon. Rav Moshe ruled like the Sefer Yad Ka-Ketanah, which holds that only drawings of the sun that people would look at and say, “That resembles the sun,” are prohibited. Accordingly, older children should not draw pictures of the sun and moon. However, young children may, since no one would look at their drawings and say they resemble celestial bodies. Still, Rav Moshe added: why encourage children to draw such images? Once they improve and their drawings start to resemble the sun and moon, they will have to stop!