Greetings. It seems that the statement of Rashi and others concerning "yayin nesach" has implications for Jews who converted to Christianity and then returned, or Jews who decided to die al kiddush hashem rather than undergo baptism.
According to Rashi, the non-Jews today are not practicing avodah zarah but merely observe routines of their ancestors, and are not "baki" in any avodah zara as people were in ancient times. This evidently was argued because in Rashi's time wine was used as a means of currency and barter between Jews and non-Jews.
If so, this means that the "conversion" to Christianity is not so serious when a person wants to rejoin the Jewish religion, and means that people did not have to die al kiddush hashem - as was the case mentioned by Rambam about Jews who "converted" to Islam.
Furthermore, it means that there is no real issur in entering a church for purposes of friendship with non-Jews or examining art and historical locations.
Finally, it raises the very issue whether today's non-Jews have the status in general of Bnai Noach rather than "Akum" in general, including non-Jews who are not particularly connected to their Christian religions.
Thanks,
David Goldman
1) It should first be pointed out that the statement of Rashi in Avodah Zarah 7b (DH Be Golah) is not something original stated by Rashi, but in fact it was stated much earlier by the Gemara in Chulin 13b, that "Nochrim ouside Eretz Yisrael do not worship idols, but they merely carry out the motions of their forefathers." Tosfos (DH Nochrim) writes that it follows that even the Nochrim in Eretz Yisrael are not so fanatic that it should be considered that their actions have the intention of Avodah Zarah. We learn from this that already in the time of the Gemara, intense idol-worship had become diluted.
2)
(a) There is a separate Mitzvah of dying for Kidush Hash-m. This is cited by the Rambam in Sefer ha'Mitzvos as the 9th positive Mitzvah of the Torah. The Rambam writes that we are commanded to publicise the belief in Hash-m, and not be frightened by any damage that we might suffer as a result. Even if a tyrant comes to force us, we should not listen to him, but we should give up our life and not mislead the tyrant into thinking that we have denied the Torah even though in our hearts we believe in Hash-m.
(b) We learn from the Rambam that the requirement of the Torah to give up our lives in order not to worship Avodah Zarah applies even if we do not believe in it. The fact that it appears to the onlooker that a Jew is worshiping idols is a sufficiently strong reason to require the Jew to sacrfice his life.
Kol Tuv,
Dovid Bloom
Thank you. But if what they have is not really avoda zara or worship of idols, then the issue of self-sacrifice in such a case would not be relevant, no?
1) It seems that the answer lies in what the Rambam, Sefer ha'Mitzvos, Aseh #9, writes:
"We must give ourselves over to death, and not mislead the tyrant to think that we have denied our own religion even if in our hearts we believe in Hash-m."
Even though the tyrant might not really believe himself in his own Avodah Zarah, it is still a victory for him when he forces the Jew to worship Avodah Zarah, because that way he thinks that the Jew has abandoned the Torah, which is a Chilul Hash-m. Therefore, it is a Kidush Hash-m to make it clear to the world that we still believe in the Torah, and we have to sacrifice our lives for this Kidush Hash-m.
2) There is a source for this in the Gemara in Megilah 12a, where Raban Shimon bar Yochai said that in the time of Haman, the Jews deserved to die because they bowed down to the idol, even though they only did so because they were afraid that Haman would kill them.
Chanukah Same'ach,
Dovid Bloom