No paintings or photographs in your house? Kids shouldn't be allowed to draw or colour what they see or is in their hearts? No sculptures? How about National Geographic? Are they breaking God's law?
When the people complained and murmured about the bread which came down from heaven, God sent them a severe punishment: "...In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died. Then the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover." Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered." (Numbers 21:6-9, NAB)
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him, may not perish; but may have life everlasting." (St. John 3:14-15, DRB)
Are only serpents exempt from this command?
Only if there are serpents in heaven.
It's a Jewish thing. I'm not sure you could understand...
I have some very nice pictures of birds. However, it would be a bit weird to kneel before the blue bird asking for his help before God.
So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover."
And if you read a little further you will find out exactly what happened. The pole that was meant to save the people became itself an object of worship.