In this week’s
Torah reading, we recount what our Tradition considers to be a shameful episode
in the wanderings of the People Israel.
With their salvation at the Red Sea fresh in their memories, really only
weeks behind them, they are gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai awaiting
Moses. Their leader has ascended the
mountain to receive God’s instruction. Thinking
that Moses is tarrying too long – after all, 40 days is a long time to
be waiting – they’re worried. And they’re
a bit awestruck by the lightning, thunder, and smoke coming from the
mountaintop.
So they do the only natural
thing – they ask Aaron, whom Moses has left in charge, to fashion a Golden
Calf. I mean, you can relate to it…can’t
you? Last time your children were
frightened by a nocturnal thunder storm and came, quaking, into your bedroom, it
was the first thing you thought of, wasn’t it?
Mummy, I’m scared from the thunder!
Now, now, child…let’s melt all our gold jewellery and make a calf!
Okay, maybe not! So, focusing on the exact action being taken,
it is probably difficult for us to relate to our ancient forebears and
understand why they did exactly what they did. At times when we have been left frightened by
events and circumstances, we’ve never thought to find comfort in the
construction of an idol. Or have we?
If you’ve followed my pulpit
thoughts over time, you know that I consider materialism to be our ‘idolatry of
choice.’ When we are frightened or
distressed, we have a tendency to want to buy something, to possess
something new. Even if we don’t articulate
it quite clearly, we believe in our gut that the object of our desires,
whatever it may be at the moment, will make us happy and solve our problems. More than that, it will take away our pain,
our fears, and our feelings of inadequacy.
It will save us. Just as
the Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai thought that a Golden Calf would save
them. This is when materialism, the
quest for material things, becomes a form of idolatry.
An example. A young man is
filled with angst because the women are uninterested in him. So he goes out and buys an expensive sports
car, thinking it will attract women to him.
Now it may very well achieve that after a fashion. But even if it does, the women so attracted
will not bring him happiness! But it’s far
easier to go out and buy a sports car, than to search one’s soul and figure out
exactly what one is missing and how to achieve it. Obviously, this is just an example; one man’s
sports car is another man’s yacht, is a woman’s expensive jewellery or wardrobe
or whatever.
As I usually do when I speak on this subject, let me make the
disclaimer: I’m not advocating asceticism. I'm not saying it is evil in any way to buy
nice things for yourself or those you love, assuming you can afford them, and
enjoy! Rabbi Don likes to spend money as
much as you do. Most of you know that I
have a little boat that I enjoy. And we
have nice tchotchkes in our home.
And I’m contemplating plunking down a considerable sum soon for another
ukulele, this one a precision-crafted banjo uke.
Our Tradition, and common sense, do not counsel self-denial. But our Tradition does counsel against
– and shouts out against loudly for all to hear – thinking that things
will ultimately make us happy. And we
all know this instinctively. And I can
prove it.
Remember when you were young and got something new that you desired? Do you remember how your grown-up relatives
reacted when you showed them your new thing?
Unless I miss my guess, it was: Use
it in good health! That’s what I
heard all the time, whenever my parents bought me something new, whether a toy,
a bicycle, or new clothes. My aunts,
uncles and grandparents – and the grown-up Jewish neighbours – would react the
same way: Use it in good health! When I reached the age where I was buying
things for myself, my parents would say concerning that new car, or that kayak,
or the stereo…Use it in good health! This
is not just a quaint sentiment. Rather,
it is an acknowledgement of what’s really important in life.
So don’t be an ascetic. Are the
bills are paid? Is the fridge is full? Have you saved for a rainy day? All that, and there’s still money in your
pocket? Buy something you’ve been
desiring, and enjoy! But understand that
whatever that something is, it will not make you happy. Mishnah Avot counsels us: Who is rich? The one who is happy with his portion. Enjoy an indulgence, but happiness comes
from appreciating the things that really matter. Health.
Love. (And I don’t mean the ‘love’
that comes from someone impressed by that new sports car.) Relationships that are mutually
supportive. And knowing that God is
there to inspire you to reach for the things that matter. Even if knowing God, whom we cannot apprehend
in a sensory way, is sometimes difficult.
Our ancient ancestors, during their wanderings in the desert and
afterward, made a lot of mistakes. Time
and again, they gravitated toward the material and away from God, and when they
did it did not avail them. Let’s learn
from their mistakes. Let’s be careful
about the Golden Calves that we tend to construct and think of as salvific. Let’s focus on the right things, and
therefore give ourselves a ‘leg up’ in the quest to achieve happiness.
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