Parsha Mitzvot: Yitro: Mitzvah 28 – Concept 2

“You shall not recognize the gods of others in My Presence.” (Exodus 20:3) We may not entertain thoughts of any power other than God. (Rambam, Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah – The Fundamentals of Torah)

One of the major reasons why Jews must not acknowledge that God has any “junior partners,” is that since God has made us part of Himself, according deity status to any created phenomenon would make us deny our own elevated status in the universe. (Rabbi Moshe Alshich)