You shall tear down their altars, smash their pillars, burn their asherim with fire, cut down the graven images of their gods, and destroy their name from that place.
English: “And their asherim you shall burn” — But we hold that attached idolatry is not forbidden! Rather, the verse is needed for a tree that was planted from the outset for idolatry.
On the daf / in context: An ordinary tree that was later worshipped remains permitted (as attached growth), but a tree planted specifically as an asherah is forbidden and must be burned.
Type of Learning
Derash on the verse (Sifrei / Bavli) — distinguishing a tree planted for idolatry from one later worshipped.
What Is Learned
A tree planted from the beginning for idolatry must be burned; a tree later used for worship is not automatically forbidden while still attached.