Giving One's Seed to Molekh/2

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Giving One's Seed to Molekh

Exegetical Approaches

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Idolatry

The Molekh prohibition involves idolatry.  This position subdivides regarding whether the injunction bans the specific act of child sacrifice or the more general consecration of children to the service of foreign gods.

Sacrifice

The verse forbids immolating one's children, and this was how Molekh was worshiped.

"וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" – This opinion understands that "וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" refers to one's children.
"לְהַעֲבִיר"
  • To pass through – According to most of these commentators, "לְהַעֲבִיר" means "to pass through (fire)". As evidence of such a custom of child immolation, Ramban points to the verses of Devarim 12:31, Melakhim II 17:31, Melakhim II 23:10,1 Yirmeyahu 7:31, and Yirmeyahu 19:5.
  • To sacrifice – R. Saadia suggests that "לְהַעֲבִיר" is simply synonymous with "to sacrifice".
  • To burn – Alternatively, "לְהַעֲבִיר" may be a metathesis of the word "להבעיר" (to burn).2
Doubling in "לֹא תִתֵּן לְהַעֲבִיר" – The Mishna, Sifra, and Yerushalmi suggest that each verb denotes a distinct action, and only one who does both is culpable.  One must both give the child to the Molekh priest and have him burned.
"מֹּלֶךְ" – According to most of these commentators, "מֹּלֶךְ" is the name of a specific idol. Ibn Ezra identifies him with the god of Ammon who is so named in Melakhim I 11:73 However, Targum Yerushalmi (Neofiti) translates "מֹּלֶךְ" as a name for idolatry in general.4
Context – Though most of Vayikra 18 deals with sexual offenses, it is prefaced by a general injunction against adopting the practices of the Egyptians and Canaanites.5 Thus, the unique prohibition against the Molekh is included as yet another example of the immoral actions of these nations.6  Nonetheless, its placement is still somewhat awkward, as one would have expected it to either precede or follow the sexual prohibitions rather than interrupt them in the middle.  As such, one might suggest that the connection is the wasted seed;7 sacrificing a child is a loss of one's seed like the sexual prohibitions which follow.
Parallel Verses – According to this approach, Vayikra 18:21 is dealing with the same prohibition as Devarim 12:31 and 18:10.8 This is supported by Melakhim II 23:10, "לְהַעֲבִיר אִישׁ אֶת בְּנוֹ וְאֶת בִּתּוֹ בָּאֵשׁ לַמֹּלֶךְ", which combined the passing through fire and Molekh in the same action.9
Desecration of God's name – The desecration emanates from the rejection of God in favor of idolatrous practices.

Consecration

The verse forbids consecrating one's children to the service of Molekh.

"וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" – The word refers to one's children.
"לֹא תִתֵּן" – This approach would understand the term to refer to giving over one's children to the practice of another religion.
"לְהַעֲבִיר"
  • Serve – The Septuagint and Samaritan Pentateuch read "להעביד", meaning "to serve", instead of "לְהַעֲבִיר".
  • Transfer – The opinion cited by Ibn Ezra asserts that since the verse does not mention fire, the verb has nothing to do with burning. Rather, it simply means to "transfer" (to switch one's child from Judaism to the Molekh religion). According to this read, the verbs "תִתֵּן" and "לְהַעֲבִיר" would be synonymous.
  • Pass through – The other commentators understand the word to mean to pass through and suggest that, as part of the consecration, the child is passed between two fires10 (but not burned by 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.  According to this reading, the term "תִתֵּן" refers to the general prohibition of consecrating one's child to idolatry while "לְהַעֲבִיר" explains the process through which one would do that.
"מֹּלֶךְ" – Rashi and Ramban maintain that this is the name of a specific foreign god.11 However, the Septuagint seems to understand this to be a generic name for any divine "ruler".
Context – As above, this position might assert that the prohibition is included here both as an example of the Egyptian and Canaanite abominations that needs to be avoided and of wasting seed.
Desecration of God's name – As above, the desecration stems from the rejection of God in favor of foreign gods.

Sexual Misconduct

The verse, like those around it, refers to sexual offenses.  Commentators disagree regarding the exact nature of the prohibition and upon who it devolves:

Sexual Relations with a Non-Jewess

The verse prohibits carnal relations with a non-Jewish female.

Who is intermarrying? These commentators (in contrast to the position below) understand that the prohibition is upon the person himself.12
Why is there a prohibition?
  • Sifre Devarim and R. Yishmael emphasize that the children that are born from a union between a Jew and non-Jew will become "אויבים למקום" (enemies of God). It seems that the problematic issue for them is not so much the actual intermarriage as that the product of the union might turn to idolatry.
  • The others might suggest that the act of relations with a non believer is itself problematic.
"וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ לֹא תִתֵּן" – These commentators13 might understand "וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" to be referring to one's semen,14 in which case the verse is explicitly speaking of having intercourse.15
"לְהַעֲבִיר" – The Peshitta translates "לְהַעֲבִיר" as "למבטנו" (‎"לעבר", to impregnate).16 According to this understanding, the double formulation "תִתֵּן לְהַעֲבִיר" speaks of two stages – intercourse that leads to conception.
"מֹּלֶךְ" – Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan) seems to understand "מֹּלֶךְ" to be a general term, referring to all idolatry,17 while the rejected possibility in the Mishna and the Peshitta appear to understand it to refer to an idolatrous woman.
Context – According to this approach, it is readily apparent why this verse is found in the middle of the list of sexual offenses in Vayikra 18. It immediately precedes the offenses of bestiality and homosexuality and is likely connected to the problem of wasting one's seed.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.
Motivation – Biblical source for prohibiting intermarriage – Besides the contextual motivation, this position might be driven to read the verse in this manner in order to find an explicit prohibition against intermarriage (which is not limited to the seven nations).
Desecration of God's name – See Ezra 9:2 which similarly views relations with foreign women as a desecration of God's name,19 as it causes an intermingling of God's holy seed with the other nations.

Intermarriage of Daughter

The verse forbids marrying off one's daughters (or sisters) to non-Jewish men.

Who is intermarrying? In contrast to the above approach, this position understands the sexual prohibition to be focused on the person's daughter.21 This would make the prohibition exceptional in the chapter, for all the other unions are prohibited on the individual himself.
Why is there a prohibition? Kirkisani emphasizes that the problem relates to the product of the union, who will be worshipers of idolatry.  Jubilees likely agrees.22
"וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" – This position understands the term to refer to one's daughters.23
"לֹא תִתֵּן"
  • Marrying off – According to this position, "תִתֵּן" refers to giving in marriage.
  • Giving – Kirkisani also raises the possibility that the verse reads "do not [marry your daughters to idolators and thereby] give of your descendants to sacrifice to the Molekh".  As the children born of the intermarriage will likely become idolatrous, by agreeing to the marriage a father is in effect giving over his descendants (מִזַּרְעֲךָ) to idolatry.
"לְהַעֲבִיר" – According to Kirkisani the word means to sacrifice.  The offspring of the union will sacrifice to the Molekh.24
"מֹּלֶךְ" – Jubilees seems to understand this to refer to a worshiper of idolatry, though Kirkisani views it as a general term for all idolatry.
Context – Kirkisani explicitly states that the advantage of this read is that it fits within the larger context of the chapter, as it simply speaks of another example of an illicit union.
Motivations – Besides the contextual motivation, this position might be driven to read the verse in this manner so as to find an explicit prohibition against general intermarriage (that is not limited to the seven nations).  This is an extremely important issue for Jubilees and a theme that the book returns to repeatedly.
Desecration of God's name – Exogamy leads to the diminishing of the Jewish population and thus to a desecration of God's name.25