avodah zarah

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew עבודה זרה (“foreign worship”).

Noun

avodah zarah (uncountable)

1. (Judaism) idolatry
   • 1992 September 8, Yechezkal Shimon Gutfreund, “Not a Charm?”, in soc.culture.jewish‎^[1] (Usenet):

     One SCJ commentator said how he felt that the custom of kissing the mezzuzah was something that should be banned as being too close to avodah zarah.

   • 2022 September 1, Rabbi Elie Feder, Gematria Refigured, Mosaica Press, →ISBN, page 44:

     The eradication of the mindset of avodah zarah is a lifelong quest.