Rambam in Mishneh Torah, Foreign Worship and Customs of the Nations 7:9 speaking about idolatrous objects says that "everything it mingled with and its identity lost" is forbidden property.

Is Rambam saying that everything which an object of idolatry touches becomes contaminated and forbidden property, and must be cast into the Dead Sea?

I assume he means that since we do not know what the objects it is found with are used for, it is possible that they are all used for idolatry as well, and so we must cast them all off due to this suspicion?


Yes, idolatrous items contaminate, and things that get mixed with objects of idolatry are forbidden property. However, these are two separate laws.

The Rambam has already said that objects of idolatry are forbidden in benefit from the Torah (Hilchot Avodat Kochavim 7:2). Therefore he explains here that once an object of idolatry is mixed with or lost among something permitted, it all becomes forbidden to benefit from.

Objects of idolatry also contaminate from rabbinic law (Hilchot She'ar Avot Hatum'a 6:1). Therefore, any eligible object that touches it becomes impure. This can be problematic if it touches teruma, for instance. But it would not make the impure objects forbidden to benefit from.

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