In the midst of the dancing at a friend’s chasuna, I once witnessed a young man drop to the floor and begin doing push-ups at the feet of the chosson, hoping to add to his simcha. Next to me stood an avreich, who became quite anxious, “How can he do such a thing on a stone floor? The Torah forbids prostrating oneself on a stone surface as it says in the Torah, “You shall not emplace a flooring stone (even maskis) upon which to prostrate” (Vayikra 26:1).” For this reason, we always place a paper or towel on the floor before bowing down during the Yomim Noraim services.
Is it really forbidden to do pushups on a stone floor? Some people have a custom to never bend down on their knees, even to look for something that fell under a couch. Is there a basis for this stringency? During davening on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur the gabbai always distributes papers for the sections at which we fully bow. Why in some shuls do they pass out large ones and in other shuls only small ones? In honor of the approaching Yomim Noraim and their special tefilos we will explore the parameters and obligations associated with the issur of even maskis.
What Could be Wrong with a Rock?
The Torah forbids prostrating ourselves on a stone flooring. Why? Rashi (Megilla 22b) explains that stone flooring is like the floors in the Beis Hamikdash. It would seem that Rashi’s intent is that imitating the Beis Hamikdash’s structure detracts from its honor, similar to the mitzvah of lo sa’asun iti, which includes a prohibition to build a home in the architecture and measurements of the Beis Hamikdash (see Minchas Chinuch 349, Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 141).
The Rambam (Avoda Zara 6:6) differs as to the reason for this prohibition. He says that idolaters customarily placed a large stone before their deities in order to bow on it when worshiping their gods. As such it is inappropriate for the Jewish people to do likewise when davening to Hashem.
A third explanation, offered by the Chinuch (ibid), is that an onlooker might mistakenly think that one is bowing to the rock itself.
The commentaries (see Minchas Chinuch ibid) posit that the Rambam’s explanation carries a very severe consequence. According to the Rambam that the prohibition to bow on a stone surface is rooted in avoda zara, it has the status of avizrayu d’avoda zara. Avizrayu d’avoda zara are actions that, while not technically in violation of avoda zara, are nonetheless encompassed by the prohibitions due to their likeness to actual avoda zara. As is well known, avoda zara is amongst the three Torah offenses that one must give up his life in order not to transgress. Less known is that even things that are closely associated with avoda zara (avizrayu d’avoda zara) carry this same stringency. As such, one must give up his life before bowing down on a stone floor if it is avizrayu d’avoda zara.
However, according to Rashi that the Torah proscribed bowing to protect the honor of the Beis Hamikdash, one certainly need not give up his life to avoid transgressing. The Minchas Chinuch questions this very significant conclusion as we lack decisive information as to the Torah’s unrevealed intent. He concludes that this issur like most others, does not require one to give up his life.
Face Down
The issur of even maskis is specifically bowing with one’s face touching the floor (Mishna Brura 131:41). During one of the most spiritually powerful moments of the Yomim Noraim, I sadly witnessed a young man violate this mitzvah (on a rabbinical level as we will explain). In our shul they pass out large white papers, and he positioned his carefully under his knees. He placed no separation between his forehead and the floor. Ensuring a separation between one’s knees and the floor has no source in halacha. Rather the entire issur is on one’s face. Intending to save people’s Yom Tov clothes from unnecessary dirt, the gabbai passed out large papers that suffice for both one’s knees and his forehead. There are some who mistakenly assume that the large paper is all to facilitate the mitzvah and not just to save on dry-cleaning. In truth a very small paper suffices.
It Takes Two
There are two factors in determining the permissibility of prostrating oneself during prayer. Likewise these factors determine in a non-permissible case whether doing so is a Torah issur or a rabbinic injunction. The first factor is the type of flooring, and the second factor is the form of bowing: whether kneeling and lowering ones head to the floor as we are accustomed to do on Yomim Noraim, or fully prostrating oneself with hands and feet extended.
Let’s start with the flooring. The Torah explicitly mentions stone. What about other kinds of floors? The Gemara (Brachos 34b) provides a leniency, allowing one to fully bow on the floor. If one leans on his side this doesn’t constitute actual prostrating. The Hagaos Ashiri (Brachos 20) writes that this leniency is limited to kneeling but not when one extends his hands and feet. However, he concludes, if the flooring is not stone, shifting onto one’s side suffices to permit even fully extending one’s hands and feet. The Ashiri’s last statement confounded the Beis Yosef. Why, when praying on a non-stone floor, should there be any need to turn on one’s side? The Torah explicitly forbade stone flooring. But all other flooring should be perfectly permitted? The Beis Yosef suggests that fully prostrating on a wooden floor or the like is rabbinically forbidden lest one come to do so on an actual stone floor. Alternatively, the Rivash (412) quotes Rav Shrira that even a non-stone floor is included out of concern that beneath it may lie a stone floor that was covered over. Though a separation suffices to avoid violating this issur, that option is limited to non-permanent flooring which is independent of the ground. The Mishna Berura (ibid 40) cites the Beis Yosef’s (O.C. 131) explanation and excludes Rav Shrira’s explanation. Thus, the Torah issur of even maskis is specifically on a stone floor, and non-stone floors are rabbinically included as a safeguard.
The second factor, the form of the bowing, depends on exactly how one bows. The Torah proscribes only full prostration, with both hands and feet extended. On the other hand, if one bows to his knees and lowers his head to the floor, as is our custom on the Yomim Noraim, there is no Torah prohibition. Nonetheless, out of concern that one come to fully prostrate with all limbs extended, even fully bowing down while kneeling is rabbinically forbidden.
Now we will expound the interdependent effects of these two factors. When both factors are met, i.e. a stone floor and fully prostrating oneself with extended limbs, the bowing constitutes a Torah prohibition. Bowing without extending hands and feet on a stone floor is rabbinically proscribed. Likewise, one who fully bows, extending both hands and feet but on a non-stone surface, violates a rabbinic decree. However, if both the form by which one bows and the flooring are only rabbinically proscribed, one is permitted to do so without any separation between his face and the floor beneath. Bowing on one’s knees on a carpeted surface is thus permissible (Mishna Brura ibid 40). Nonetheless, the prevalent custom is to place a separation underneath one’s face even on a non-stone floor (see Shu”t Levushei Mordechai O.C. 104).
Push-ups
Where does exercise fit into to all of this? In Torah terminology, prostrating describes an act of submission. An example is when Yaakov Avinu challenged Yosef’s dreams, “Could it be that I, your mother and brothers will bow to you?” (Bereishis 37:10). I know of no mention in the entire Tanach that utilizes the word “prostrate” in any other fashion. The question of push-ups was posed to Hagaon Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv ztz”l, who responded that this issur only includes an act of prayer. Thus push-ups and other forms of exercise that involve lying face down on the floor are not subject to the prohibition of even maskis (Shu”t Avnei Yashfe 2:7). Similarly, bending down to search under the couch or the like is totally independent of this issur.
Undeniably, there are those who have a seemingly superfluous custom to never to bend down on their knees even when permissible. It has been suggested that this novel tradition is rooted in the following story from Sefer Shoftim (7). Hashem, concerned that the Jewish people might attribute their military victory to their own strength, commanded Gidon to filter out the majority of his standing army. He was to go battle with only a handful of soldiers to assure the extraordinary nature of the triumph. How was he to deplete his ranks of 10,000 soldiers? Hashem commanded him to lead the soldiers to a body of water to drink. Whoever cupped water in his hand and drank was accepted for battle. However, those who lowered to their knees and drank as a dog does were excluded. Rashi explains that habitually bowing on their knees indicated a partiality to bowing to avoda zara. The posuk says only three hundred people passed this test. Thus, it is possible that this custom, while not halacha, is founded in the Navi and is symbolic of a Jew’s detestation for avoda zara and its like.
Summary
The Torah forbids fully prostrating oneself on a stone surface, extending both hands and feet.
Rabbinically, it is forbidden to fully prostrate oneself even on a non-stone surface.
So too, it is rabbinically forbidden to bow one’s head to the floor even without extending one’s hands and feet.
Bowing as we do on the Yomim Noraim on a non-stone floor is permitted. However the custom is to place something between us and floor even on non-stone floors.
The prohibition is limited to prayer. As such, exercise such as push-ups are permitted even on a stone surface.
Earthen tiles are not considered stone (Magen Avraham ibid).
Balatot are considered stone (Shu”t Avnei Yashfe ibid) because they contain pieces of stone.
B’ezras Hashem our tefilos will be mercifully accepted and we will merit a sweet new year.
