One Stone, Multiple Paths

וְלֹֽא־תָקִ֥ים לְךָ֖ מַצֵּבָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׂנֵ֖א י״י֥ אלקיך.  Rashi says לא תקים לך מצבה – מצבת אבן אחת, להקריב עליה אפילו לשמים מזבח אבנים ומזבח אדמה צוה לעשות, ואת זו שנא כי חק היתה לכנענים. ואף על פי שהיתה אהובה לו בימי האבות, עכשיו שנאה, מאחר שעשאוה אילו חוק לעבודה זרה.  It needs to be explained what changed, why was a מַצֵּבָ֑ה good for the Avos but prohibited afterward? 

The Gemorah (Nedarin 22a) says one who makes a נדר its as if they are building aבמה .  What is the comparison?  The Maharal (Nesiv Shalom Ch. 2) explains that a single מזבח unites Klal Yisroel together.  Similarly, we are united through one Torah.  When one accepts upon himself additional prohibitions, he is leaving the general Klal and is like one who builds their own במה, who also leaves the Klal. 

In light of this idea, we can understand the difference between the days of the Avos and afterward.  In the days of the Avos, there was no Klal Yisroel, there was a family that devoted itself to serving Hashem; everyone was an individual looking for their way to serve Hashem.  One’s person’s avodah had nothing to do with anyone else.  It is only after the forming of a Klal that there must be a united Klal Yisroel.  One’s avodah can’t be separate from everyone else, it must be united.  A מזבח is a collaboration of many stones, it is everyone coming together, not separate individuals.

Rav Hirsch gives a different explanation.  He says  that a matzavah, the  singular stone, represents G-d’s involvement in the world.  This was the task of the Avos to recognize Hashem’s involvement to the world and then teach it to to the world.  However, post the giving of the Torah what’s wanted is our avodah of bringing together many stones to serve Hashem. It is the avodah of mankind which is desired.  Elul is אני לדודי ודודי לי, first there must be the אני לדודי, to start with one's own עבודה.

It's also noteworthy that my great-grandfather points out that the Rambam disagrees with Rashi and doesn't hold the מצבה is one stone.  The Rambam says in the Laws of Avodah Zarah (6:6) מַצֵּבָה שֶׁאָסְרָה תּוֹרָה הִיא בִּנְיָן שֶׁהַכּל מִתְקַבְּצִין אֶצְלָהּ וַאֲפִלּוּ לַעֲבֹד אֶת ה' שֶׁכֵּן הָיָה דֶּרֶךְ עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים, the Rambam identifies the the matzavah as not a singular stone, but as a structure in the manner of idol worshipers.