Dust and Divinity: Why Bow to the Ground?

Our patriarch Abraham, upon meeting guests he believed to be Arabs, implores them: "Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet." Rashi, citing the Midrash, explains that these Arabs worshiped the dust on their feet. It's quite curious, isn't it? Throughout history, different cultures have worshiped various things: the Egyptians even revered the scarab beetle. But dust on one's feet? What could lead people to bow and worship mere dust, simple dirt?

The Maharal interprets this practice as a sophisticated theological outlook among ancient Arabs. They understood the Creator as so holy and transcendental that direct communication was impossible. Consequently, they sought out the lowest spiritual level to connect with the divine realm. Dust, being the lowest form of matter, represents a base material state. Correspondingly, the angel overseeing the dust is seen as the most humble spiritual entity. By connecting with this being, they believed they could commence their spiritual journey.

In his second explanation, the Maharal links this directly to the nomadic lifestyle of the Arabs. As wanderers reliant on their journeys, they worshiped the angel guardian of the paths—dust being a tangible symbol of the roads. Just as the calf worshipers bowed to a calf as a representation of their deity, the Arabs knelt before dust as a symbol of the Guardian of the Roads.

In contrast to the Maharal, who views this as a form of idolatry, albeit nuanced, the Ra'am and the Yafeh Toar propose a revolutionary interpretation suggesting these practices contain seeds of modern worldviews. Ra'am sees in dust worship an early expression of scientific atheism. According to his view, the Arabs didn't worship dust as a deity but saw it as an embodiment of an atomistic-materialistic understanding of reality. It's practically a pre-modern form of scientific heresy reminiscent of modern-day scientific atheism.

Yafeh Toar, on the other hand, perceives dust worship as an expression of early secular humanism. The dust on the Arabs' feet, symbolizing their efforts to make a living, reflects a belief in human power and achievement, separate from divinity. This interpretation, in a surprising way, precedes the spirit of the Industrial Revolution and modern belief in human progress.

The Shelah offers a different approach, viewing dust as a symbol of the sun's drying power. For him, it represents a form of celestial body worship, with dust symbolizing a cosmic force. This interpretation ties into the context of "the heat of the day," suggesting a cosmological understanding of the ritual.

According to the Rogatchover Gaon, pre-Islamic Arabs worshiped natural elements, particularly the earth and water. He bases his argument on Talmudic sources, specifically the mention of "the eagle in Arabia" in Tractate Avodah Zarah, and the description of the Kedarites worshiping water in Tractate Taanit.

A central point in his perspective is his harsh critique of Maimonides' ruling regarding Islam. Maimonides, in Hilchot Ma’achalot Asurot, stated that Muslims are not idol worshipers: "And any gentile who does not worship idols, such as these Ishmaelites." The Rogatchover argues that this ruling resulted from practical constraints of the time, as Maimonides lived under Muslim rule.

In the Rogatchover's view, these pagan elements didn’t completely vanish with the rise of Islam. He finds evidence for this in the Islamic crescent symbol, which, he argues, signifies the relationship between the moon and water through its influence on the tides. In this way, Islam symbolically preserves the ancient water rituals.

This stance might seem puzzling given the historical reality. Islam emerged as a movement vehemently opposed to paganism in any form. Muhammad's monotheistic revolution involved a robust battle against idolatry in all its manifestations. The Quran is full of harsh condemnations of paganism ("al-Jahiliyyah") and calls for complete devotion to the One God.

However, researcher M. Jacobovitz writes that historical documentation and archaeological findings from the pre-Islamic period surprisingly support the Rogatchover's stance. Anthropological research into ancient Arab cultures reveals a complex system of nature worship, with a special focus on the relationship between humans, the earth, and cosmic forces, as will be explored in the next article on this topic.