Giving One's Seed to Molekh/2

Molekh

Exegetical Approaches

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Idolatry

Child Sacrifice

The verse forbids immolating one's children to the Molekh.

Sources:First version of Targum NeofitiVayikra 18:21Vayikra 20:2About Targum Neofiti, Mishna SanhedrinSanhedrin 7:13About the Mishna, SifraKedoshim Parashah 10:3About the Sifra, first opinion in Sifre Devarim171About Sifre Devarim, the Rabbis in Midrash TannaimDevarim 18:9About Midrash Tannaim, Yerushalmi SanhedrinSanhedrin 7:10About the Yerushalmi, R. Saadia GaonVayikra 18:21About R. Saadia Gaon,  Ibn EzraVayikra 18:21About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, second opinion in RambanVayikra 18:21About R. Moshe b. Nachman

"וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" – This opinion understands "וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" to be referring to one's children.

"לְהַעֲבִיר"

• To pass through – According to most of these commentators, "לְהַעֲבִיר" means to pass through fire, burning the child. As evidence of such a custom of child immolation, Ramban points to Devarim 12:31, Melakhim II 17:31, Yirmeyahu 7:31, and Yirmeyahu 19:5.
• To burn – Alternatively, "להעביר" may be a metathesis of the word "להבעיר", and the verse says explicitly not to give one's child to be burned.¹

"מֹּלֶךְ" – According to most of the commentators taking this approach, "מֹּלֶךְ" is the name of specific idol.² However, Targum Neofiti translates "מֹּלֶךְ" as a name for idolatry in general.³

Context – Though most of Vayikra 18 deals with sexual offenses, it is prefaced by a general injunction not to follow the practices of the Egyptians and Canaanites⁴.  The unique prohibition against the Molekh is, thus, included as yet another example of the immoral actions of these nations.  Its placement is still somewhat awkward, though, as one would have expected it to either precede or follow the sexual prohibitions rather than interrupt them in the middle.

Parallel Verses – According to this approach, Vayikra 18:21 is dealing with the same prohibition as Devarim 12:31 and 18:10.⁵ This could be proven from Melakhim II 23:10, "לְהַעֲבִיר אִישׁ אֶת בְּנוֹ וְאֶת בִּתּוֹ בָּאֵשׁ לַמֹּלֶךְ", which refers to both passing in fire and the Molekh as the same action.⁶

Consecration

The verse forbids one to consecrate one's children to worship of the Molekh.

Sources:RashiVayikra 18:21Megillah 25aAbout R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, first opinion in RambanVayikra 18:21About R. Moshe b. Nachman, R. Yehuda in Sifre Devarim171About Sifre Devarim and Midrash TannaimDevarim 18:9About Midrash Tannaim, others in Ibn EzraVayikra 18:21Vayikra 20:1-6About R. Avraham ibn Ezra

"וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" – The word "וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" refers to one's children.

"לְהַעֲבִיר"

• Pass through – Most of these commentators understand the word to mean to pass through and suggest that the child is passed between two fires⁷ (but not burned within them).  R. Yehuda asserts that such an action symbolizes the making of a covenant (in this case with idolatry) and compares it to Yirmeyahu 34:18.
• Transfer – In contrast to the above, the opinion brought by Ibn Ezra explains "לְהַעֲבִיר" as "transfer", asserting that the verse prohibits transferring one's son's religion from Judaism to the Molekh religion.

"מֹּלֶךְ" – Rashi and Ramban maintain that this is the name of a specific foreign god.  Ramban agrees with Ibn Ezra that it likely refers to the Amonite god who is so called in Melakhim I 11:7.

Sexual Misbehaviors

The verse forbids either sexual relations with a non-Jewish woman, or marrying one's daughters (or sisters) to non-Jewish men.

Sexual Relations with Non-Jews

Sources:perhaps Jubilees30:7-16About Jubilees,⁸ rejected translation in Mishna MegillahMegillah 4:9About the Mishna, possibility in Sifre Devarim171About Sifre Devarim, R. Yishmael in various sourcesMidrash Tannaim Devarim 18:9Yerushalmi Megillah 4:10Bavli Megillah 25aAbout R. Yishmael, PeshittaVayikra 18:21About the Peshitta, Targum Pseudo-JonathanVayikra 18:21About Targum Pseudo-Jonathan

Who is intermarrying? Jubilees prohibits the father or brother of a girl from marrying her to a non-Jew.⁹ In contrast, the other commentators understand the prohibition to be referring to the man himself, prohibiting him from having sexual relations with a non-Jewish woman.

Why is there a prohibition? Jubilees understands the reasoning behind the prohibition to be an issue of intermarriage. However, Sifre Devarim and R. Yishmael emphasize the children that are born from a union between a Jew and non-Jew, and how they will become "אויבים למקום" (enemies of God).

"וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" – According to Jubilees, Sifre Devarim, and R. Yishmael, "וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" refers to one's children, either those one marries to non-Jewish woman, or those born of the non-Jewish woman. However, it is possible that the other commentators understand "וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" to be referring to one's semen.¹⁰

"לְהַעֲבִיר" – The Peshitta translates "לְהַעֲבִיר" as "למבטנו" (‎"לעבר", to impregnate).¹¹

"מֹּלֶךְ" – Targum Pseudo-Jonathan seems to understand "מֹּלֶךְ" to be a general term, referring to all idolatry.¹²

Context – According to this approach, it is clear why this verse is found in the middle of the list of sexual offenses in Vayikra 18.

Parallel Verses – The Sifre Devarim and R. Yishmael in Midrash Tannaim seem to understand "מַעֲבִיר בְּנוֹ וּבִתּוֹ בָּאֵשׁ" in Devarim 18:10 to also refer to intermarriage, although it is unclear what "בָּאֵשׁ" would mean.

Intermarriage

¹ See Divrei HaYamim II 28:3, which uses the word "וַיַּבְעֵר" but is otherwise similar to other verses which speak of "passing" children through fire.

² The verse in Melakhim I 11:7 calls the god of Amon "מֹלֶךְ", so Ibn Ezra suggests that perhaps this is the same god.

³ It is possible that Neofiti understands Molekh to be a form of sacrifice, instead of a name of a god. This can explain how Yirmeyahu 19:5 and 32:35 refer to the same actions of child sacrifice at גיא בן הנם as both "עֹלוֹת לַבָּעַל" and "לְהַעֲבִיר... לַמֹּלֶךְ".
See also the discussions in the ToseftaSanhedrin 10:4-5About Tosefta Sanhedrin and Yerushalmi SanhedrinSanhedrin 7:10About the Yerushalmi, regarding whether the prohibition is limited to giving one's children to Molekh or also includes giving them to other gods.

⁴ See Vayikra 18:3: כְּמַעֲשֵׂה אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר יְשַׁבְתֶּם בָּהּ לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ וּכְמַעֲשֵׂה אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מֵבִיא אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ . This approach would suggest that the verse refers both to their idolatry and their sexual offenses.

⁵ Note that the prohibition of Molekh in Vayikra 20 is immediately followed (verse 6) by the prohibition of אוב and ידעוני, just like in Devarim 18:10-11.

⁶ See also the three parallel verses in Yirmeyahu 7:31, 19:5, and 32:35. These three verses imply that "לְהַעֲבִיר אֶת בְּנֵיהֶם וְאֶת בְּנוֹתֵיהֶם לַמֹּלֶךְ" is equivalent to "לִשְׂרֹף אֶת בְּנֵיהֶם בָּאֵשׁ עֹלוֹת לַבָּעַל" and "לִשְׂרֹף אֶת בְּנֵיהֶם וְאֶת בְּנֹתֵיהֶם בָּאֵשׁ".

⁷ Rashi suggests that he is passed between two bonfires while Ramban proposes that he is passed through flames.

⁸ Jubilees does not explicitly comment on the verses in Vayikra. However, in its interpretation of the story of Shekhem, it forbids intermarriage in language very similar to that used regarding Molekh.

⁹ While Jubilees certainly prohibits taking a non-Jewish wife for oneself, he only talks here about marrying one's daughter or sister to a non-Jew. This is probably related to the context of Jubilees's comments, which is the story of Dinah.

¹⁰ Compare the previous verse, Vayikra 18:20, "וְאֶל אֵשֶׁת עֲמִיתְךָ לֹא תִתֵּן שְׁכׇבְתְּךָ לְזָרַע".

¹¹ Note that while this meaning of the root עבר is common in rabbinic (and modern) Hebrew, it is only found in one other verse in Tanakh: "שׁוֹרוֹ עִבַּר וְלֹא יַגְעִל תְּפַלֵּט פָּרָתוֹ וְלֹא תְשַׁכֵּל" (Iyyov 21:10). For more information, see Dictionary:עבר.

¹² Compare Targum NeofitiVayikra 18:21Vayikra 20:2About Targum Neofiti, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan Vayikra 20:2-5Vayikra 20:2-5About Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, and Targum YerushalmiVayikra 18:21Vayikra 20:2About Targum Yerushalmi, who also translate "מֹּלֶךְ" as "פולחנא נוכראה", although they understand "זַּרְעֲךָ" and "לְהַעֲבִיר" differently.