the foreign gods of today

Today the notion of idolatry is very foreign to us. Organized religion in many parts of society is viewed with scorn, and pagan worship would be viewed today as antiquated, if not worse. Yet the Torah repeats over and over the prohibition of Avodah Zarah, foreign worship, and warns the Jewish People against engaging in such practices. For instance in Parshat Vayelech we read:

When I bring them to the land which I have sworn to their forefathers [to give them], a land flowing with milk and honey, they will eat and be satisfied, and live on the fat [of the land]. Then, they will turn to other deities and serve them, provoking Me and violating My covenant.

כ כִּי אֲבִיאֶנּוּ אֶל הָאֲדָמָה | אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי לַאֲבֹתָיו זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ וְאָכַל וְשָׂבַע וְדָשֵׁן וּפָנָה אֶל אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וַעֲבָדוּם וְנִאֲצוּנִי וְהֵפֵר אֶת בְּרִיתִי:

It is clear that back in the day, paganism was popular in the broader culture and a tremendous challenge for the Jewish People to avoid in their own spiritual yearnings.

The Talmud in Sanhedrin (64) notes that foreign worship was such a great challenge to the future of the Jewish People, that the Men of the Great Assembly prayed that the inclination towards such activity be removed from among the Jewish People- and their prayers were answered! This leaves us with the question: Do the verses, such as the one quoted above, that refer to foreign worship continue to have relevance today? And if so, how are we to understand it’s lessons for 21^st century Jews?

I came across a beautiful idea, quoted in the name of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. Reb Shlomo suggested that foreign gods need not refer to idols or pagan practice. It could refer to Hashem, our one and only true God, when treated by us as “foreign”. If we view God as being detached from our lives, as a Being that does not care about what we do or what happens to us, then we have turned our relationship with Hashem into a foreign form of worship.

This idea is especially meaningful for me during this time of year. The reason why we take the Yomim Noraim so seriously is because Hashem is interested in us, cares for us and wants what’s best for us. Hashem is not merely our acquaintance, He’s our parent. He knows everything about us and cares what happens to us. This should not make us feel paranoid, but rather loved and inspired to live up to that degree of earned Divine love.