Enosh אנוש
son of Shet; idolatry began in his generation
Enosh is born in the year 235, while Adam is still alive. One enigmatic verse is said of him: «then people began to call upon the name of the Lord.» The sages link the verb to the root meaning «profane» and read it in reverse: that is when the Name began to be desecrated.
Maimonides, opening his Laws of Idolatry, explains how. People reasoned that since God had set the stars to serve the world, they deserved honour like a king's ministers. They built temples and brought gifts, believing they were fulfilling the Creator's will. A generation later children grew up who knew only the idols. Thus, in his account, all idolatry began not in wickedness but in misplaced piety.
Tradition says the sea rose and flooded a third of the land in response. Enosh lived 905 years and died in 1140. His name simply means «man» — fragile, mortal, prone to error.