Study Avodah Zarah folio 43B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
לא אסרה תורה אלא בדמות ארבעה פנים בהדי הדדי.
This does not include the sun and the moon, as the Torah prohibits the fashioning only of a figure of all 4 faces of the creatures of the Divine Chariot together (see Ezekiel 1:10). All other figures, which are not in the likeness of the ministering angels, are permitted.
אלא מעתה, פרצוף אדם לחודיה תשתרי! אלמה תניא: כל הפרצופות מותרין, חוץ מפרצוף אדם?
The Talmud raises a difficulty: If that is so, let the fashioning of a figure of a human face alone be permitted. Why then is it taught in a baraita: Figures of all faces are permitted, except for the human face?
אמר רב יהודה בריה דרב יהושע: מפרקיה דרבי יהושע שמיע לי, ״לא תעשון אתי״ — לא תעשון אותי, אבל שאר שמשין שרי.
Rav Yehuda, son of Rav Yehoshua, said: I heard in a lecture of R' Yehoshua that there is a different reason why one may not fashion a figure of a human face; the verse states: “You should not make with Me [iti]” (Exodus 20:20). This can be read as: You should not make Me [oti]. Since the human being was created in the image of God (see Genesis 1:27), it is prohibited to fashion an image of a human being. But fashioning figures of other attendants of God is permitted.
ושאר שמשין מי שרי? והתניא: ״לא תעשון אתי״ — לא תעשון כדמות שמשי המשמשין לפני במרום, כגון אופנים ושרפים וחיות הקדש ומלאכי השרת!
The Talmud asks: And is it permitted to fashion figures of other attendants of God? But isn’t it taught in another baraita that the verse: “You should not make with Me gods of silver” (Exodus 20:20), is interpreted to mean that you should not make figures of My attendants who serve before Me on high, For example: ofanim, and seraphim, and the sacred ḥayyot, and the ministering angels?
אמר אביי: לא אסרה תורה אלא שמשין שבמדור העליון.
Abaye said: The Torah prohibits fashioning figures of only those attendants that are in the upper heaven, i.e., the supreme angels in the highest firmament, but it does not prohibit fashioning the celestial bodies, e.g., the sun and the moon, despite the fact that they too are located in heaven.
Text data via Sefaria: William Davidson Edition - English and William Davidson Edition - Vocalized Aramaic, CC-BY-NC; edition provenance: Koren. Display terminology has been modernized for readability.