Avodah Zarah 55A

״אסף אסף כל מעל פני האדמה נאם ה׳, אסף אדם ובהמה אסף עוף השמים ודגי הים והמכשלות את הרשעים [וגו׳]״, וכי מפני שהרשעים נכשלים בהן יאבדם מן העולם? והלא לאדם הן עובדין, ״והכרתי את האדם מעל פני האדמה [וגו׳]״.

“should I utterly consume all things from off the face of the earth? says YHWH. should I consume man and beast? should I consume the fowls of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the stumbling blocks of the wicked, and should I cut off man from off the face of the earth? says YHWH” (Zephaniah 1:2–3). Should God remove objects of idol worship from the world due to the fact that the wicked stumble because of them? If so, He would have to destroy all of humanity as well, as do not idol worshippers also worship people? This is expressed in the continuation of the verse: “And should I cut off man from off the face of the earth? says YHWH.”

שאל אגריפס שר צבא את רבן גמליאל: כתיב בתורתכם: ״כי ה׳ אלהיך אש אכלה הוא אל קנא״, כלום מתקנא אלא חכם בחכם, וגבור בגבור, ועשיר בעשיר?

§ Agrippas the general asked Rabban Gamliel: It is written in your Torah with regard to idol worship: “For YHWH your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24). Doesn’t jealousy arise only in the following cases: A wise man might be jealous of another wise man, and a mighty man might be jealous of another mighty man, and a rich man might be jealous of another rich man? If so, why is God jealous of objects of idol worship, which are not gods?

אמר לו: אמשול לך משל, למה הדבר דומה? לאדם שנשא אשה על אשתו, חשובה ממנה ⁠— אין מתקנאה בה, פחותה ממנה ⁠— מתקנאה בה.

Rabban Gamliel said to Agrippas: I will relate a parable to you. To what is this matter comparable? It can be compared to a person who married a second wife in addition to his first wife. If the second wife is more distinguished than the first wife, the first wife is not jealous of her, and she does not feel anger toward her husband. But if the second wife is less distinguished than the first wife, she is jealous of her.