We’re talking about idols here, not just the golden statues, but the idea of idolatry. What does it truly mean to make something a god?
R. Chanina b. Antignos, quoted in the Sifrei Devarim, offers a fascinating perspective. Why, he asks, is it called "Molech"? It’s not just a specific deity, but anything that people choose to rule over them. Anything! Even a splinter, even a pebble, if it holds sway over your actions and thoughts, can become a Molech. It's about misplaced power, isn't it? The things we elevate to a position they don't deserve.
And what about the term "other gods" – acherim? Here, the Sifrei Devarim takes us on a linguistic journey. They are called acherim, because they come acharei – after – the last of creations, meaning mankind. We, human beings, created these gods and then called them “gods.” So, who's really in charge here? It flips the script, doesn’t it? We are the creators, yet we bow down to our own creations.
The text then dives into a tricky passage from Devarim (Deuteronomy) 15:16, "and you bow down to them." The implication is stark: You bow down to them, but not to Me, says the Divine. It echoes the story of the Golden Calf in Shemot (Exodus) 32:8, "and they bowed down to it and they sacrificed to it." It’s a direct contrast, a choice between true devotion and misplaced worship.
But here’s where it gets really interesting. Some say that if the Israelites hadn’t joined the name of God to the idolatry of the Golden Calf, they would have been utterly destroyed. Think about the verse: "These are your gods, O Israel, who (plural) brought you up from the land of Egypt." (Exodus 32:8). The use of the plural "who" is jarring.
R. Shimon raises a critical point: Isn't joining the name of Heaven with idolatry itself punishable by extermination? After all, it is written in Exodus 22:19, "He who sacrifices to a god will be destroyed, other than to the L-rd alone!" So, what does the plural "who" mean? He explains that they made many calves. It wasn't just one instance of idolatry, but a proliferation of false idols.
The Sifrei Devarim further illustrates this with a passage from II Chronicles 29:7: "They have also shut up the doors of the ulam (the Temple hall), and they have put out the lamps, and they have not offered a burnt-offering in the holy place to the G-d of Israel." They weren't just neglecting the Temple; they were actively offering incense to something else, somewhere else. They weren’t offering to the G-d of Israel in the holy place but in chullin – a profane place.
What’s the takeaway here? It’s not just about avoiding statues or rituals. It’s about understanding the nature of power and devotion. It’s about recognizing the things – the splinter, the pebble, the idea – that we allow to rule over us, and choosing instead to direct our worship and our actions toward the truly sacred. What are the "splinters" and "pebbles" in your life that you might be inadvertently elevating to the status of "gods"? Something to ponder, isn't it?