Leviticus 19:4

Go not astray after the worship of idols, nor make gods for yourselves that are molten: I am the Lord your God.

Do not turn Do not even direct your attention to them by looking at them.

idols [Hebrew: ’elilim] i.e., graven images. They are called ’elilim because they are false, as in “you are all physicians of no value [Hebrew: ’elil]” [Job 13:4]. It is also plausible that the word comes from ’el , meaning something that lacks substance.

molten images which supposedly receive their power from the heavens. There is no need for any God other than Me; therefore Scripture states, I am God your God . The verb turn is in plural form, as is the verb make , to teach us that whoever sees such a thing, and does not reveal it, is considered an accomplice.

He states, ‘Al tiphnu’ (Turn ye not) unto the idols, the term tiphnu (turn ye) being of the expressions: and if thy heart ‘yiphneh’ (turn away); whose heart ‘poneh’ (turneth away) this day., 29:17. The verse [here] is thus stating that one’s heart should not turn away to the idols, to believe that there is some benefit in [worshipping] them, or that the events that they foretell will really transpire; rather, they and all their activities should appear to him as things of nought, and vanity, and future events occur only by decree of the Most High. And so also have our Rabbis said: “It is forbidden to look at the statues [of the idols] themselves, because it says, ‘Turn ye not’ unto the idols.” Thus the Rabbis included within this prohibition even looking at the statues, so that one should not allow one’s thoughts to dwell on their matters at all.
He states, nor make to yourselves molten gods, thus prohibiting them from the very moment that they are made. Admonitions against idolatry are stated in the Torah in many places.
In the Midrash of Vayikra Rabbah the Rabbis mentioned concerning this section [of the Torah the following text]: “Rabbi Levi says: Because the Ten Commandments are included in this section [therefore it was proclaimed to the full assembly]. I am the Eternal thy G-d, and here it is written, I am the Eternal your G-d. Thou shalt have no other gods, and here it is written, nor make to yourselves molten gods. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Eternal thy G-d in vain,, Verse 7. and here it is written, And ye shall not swear by My Name falsely. Remember the Sabbath day,, Verse 8 (Vol. II, pp. 306-311). and here it is written, and ye shall keep My Sabbaths. Honor thy father and thy mother, and here it is written, Ye shall fear every man his mother and his father. Thou shalt not murder, and here it is written, Neither shalt thou stand idly by the blood of thy neighbor. Thou shalt not commit adultery, and here it is written, Profane not thy daughter, to make her a harlot., Verse 29. Thou shalt not steal, and here it is written, Ye shall not steal., Verse 11. Thou shalt not bear false witness, and here it is written, Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people. Thou shalt not covet, and here it is written, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Thus far is the text of the Midrash.

When the Torah now continues with the second of the Ten Commandments by warning us אל תפנו אל אלילים, the Torah elaborates that it is not only forbidden to make oneself such deities in order to worship them, etc., but that it is equally prohibited to display respect for such deities worshipped by other peoples as their gods. Nothing is to be done which would indicate that one invokes the supposed “power” of such deities to further one’s personal interest and concerns.

ואלוהי מסכה לא תעשו לכם, “do not make for yourselves a molten deity.” What is the meaning of the word: “for yourselves” in this verse, seeing that we have been forbidden to make such images for gentiles? What G–d means here is: “do not make it for others, neither accept what others have made for you as deities.”