According to Rashi, the altar and the asherah refer to the objects of idolatry themselves, and not to accessories used in the service of idolatry.
The words “you shall destroy their name” cannot be interpreted as a command to erase all memory of the idol. Were that the meaning, the Torah should first have commanded the destruction of the accessories of idolatry, which would appear to be a more significant matter.
Rashi therefore explains that one must give the idols a degrading name. In order for the new name to serve as a degradation of the idol, it must retain some connection to its former name.
On the verse:
“You shall break down their altars, shatter their pillars, burn their asherah trees in fire, cut down the carved images of their gods, and destroy their name…”
(Devarim 12:3),
Rashi explains:
“Altar”—an altar made of many stones.
“Pillar”—one stone. This is the bimos mentioned in the Mishnah: “A stone that he originally quarried for use as a bimos.”
“Asherah”—a tree that is worshipped.
“You shall destroy their name”—you must give them a degrading name. If it was called Beis Galya, “the House of Elevation,” call it Beis Karya, “the House of Excavation.” If it was called Ein Kol, “the All-Seeing Eye,” call it Ein Kotz, “the Eye of a Thorn.”
Several points require explanation.
Why does Rashi use the singular words “altar” and “asherah” in the headings of his comments, when the verse uses the plural forms, “their altars” and “their asherah trees”?
What does Rashi add by stating that the pillar is “the bimos mentioned in the Mishnah”?
Also, why does Rashi explain “you shall destroy their name” to mean that one should give the idols a degrading name resembling the original? Seemingly, by giving them such a name, one continues to recall their former name, contrary to the command to “destroy their name.”
The explanation is as follows:
The preceding verse states:
“You shall utterly destroy… their gods.”
(Devarim 12:2)
One might therefore have thought that the present verse introduces an additional command: that one must destroy not only the idols themselves but also the objects used in their service.
According to this possibility, “their altars” would mean altars used for libations; “their asherah trees” would refer to decorative trees, similar to the phrase “under every leafy tree”; and “the carved images of their gods” would refer to a place carved into a mountain upon which an idol was placed.
Rashi, however, does not wish to interpret the verse in this manner. The straightforward meaning of “their asherah trees,” and certainly of “the carved images of their gods,” is that these objects were themselves worshipped as idols.
We must therefore say that the commands to break down their altars, burn their asherah trees, and cut down their carved images are the details explaining how to fulfill the general command of the preceding verse, “You shall utterly destroy.”
Rashi alludes to this by using the singular expressions “altar” and “asherah” in the headings of his comments. He is not merely quoting the words of this particular verse in their plural form. Rather, he is defining the plain meaning of an altar and an asherah in general: they are objects intended for worship.
This also explains why Rashi adds that the single stone pillar is:
“the bimos mentioned in the Mishnah—a stone that he originally quarried for use as a bimos.”
Although the stone was initially quarried merely to serve idolatry, the continuation of the Mishnah indicates that the stone itself was later worshipped. It therefore became an object of idolatry itself, rather than merely an accessory.
On this basis, the meaning of “you shall destroy their name” can also be understood.
The phrase “the carved images of their gods” in Devarim 12:3 gives details of the command “you shall utterly destroy” in the previous verse. It is not a separate command concerning the destruction of accessories of idolatry.
Therefore, “you shall destroy their name” cannot mean that one must erase all memory of idolatry. Had this been its meaning, the Torah should first have commanded the destruction of the accessories of idolatry, which would be a more substantial matter than merely erasing its memory.
Rashi therefore explains that “you shall destroy their name” refers to a different matter, not to the literal erasure of the idol’s name. It means that one must call the idol by a degrading name.
For the new name to degrade the idol effectively, it must bear some connection to its original name. The degrading name then undermines and mocks the meaning the idolaters intended to convey through the former name.
This explains why Rashi gives the example:
“Ein Kol—Ein Kotz,”
“the All-Seeing Eye—the Eye of a Thorn,”
rather than changing the name to “Ein Klum—Nothing at All.”
Although a thorn can sometimes serve a useful purpose, such as providing food for an animal, describing the idol as a thorn is more degrading than merely describing it as nothing. A thorn suggests something harmful, irritating, and contemptible.
Rashi gives two examples corresponding to the two expressions in the preceding verse:
“Upon the high mountains and beneath every leafy tree.”
The name Beis Galya, which suggests elevation and height, corresponds to the idols placed “upon the high mountains.” They were placed there to suggest the supposed greatness and exalted status of the idol. The degrading name Beis Karya, “the House of Excavation,” transforms that claim of elevation into one of lowliness.
The name connected with a thorn corresponds to the idols worshipped “beneath every leafy tree.” The idolaters wished to portray their idol as a source of abundant blessing and influence, symbolized by the flourishing tree. Calling it a thorn exposes it instead as a source of harm and degradation.