Idolatry. The very word
conjures up images of statues to which people – idolaters – bow down and
worship. The idea is very foreign to us,
to say the least. Most Jews – or
non-Jews for that matter – in this day and age cannot imagine bowing down to,
and worshipping a statue or other representation of the Holy. It just isn’t attractive to us, on any level.
Yes, we may know
that there are other religions around that use statues, icons, and other kinds
of physical images to represent the Holy.
We may know that Catholic Churches, shrines and even homes are full of
statuary. We may know that Eastern
Orthodox Christians fill their churches, shrines and homes with painted
icons, usually set in very ornate frames.
We may know that Buddhist temples, shrines and homes usually have a
statue of a pot-bellied Buddha displayed prominently. But have you ever discussed the how’s and
whys of using these images with an educated Catholic, Eastern Orthodox or
Buddhist? If so, you learned that these
are just representations used to help the believer visualise the Holy. They are objects of veneration, not
worship. This sounds like subtle
wordplay, but I don’t believe it is. We
Jews do not make any images to represent the Holy, because our Tradition
forbids it. But we understand that other
traditions are looser in this area. Yet,
this does not mean that those other traditions are, by definition,
idolatrous. They’re just different.
So, other religious
traditions use various kinds of images.
But their adherents do not necessarily believe that those images truly are
gods. We Jews, therefore, have more
in common than we might think with our neighbours whose religions are more visually
expressive. Really, I’m guessing that
few of us have any attraction for the practice of idolatry. As least, for the notion of idolatry that
involves cultic worship of objects.
If that’s so, then
what are we to learn from this week’s Torah reading, concerning the Golden
Calf? If we have no desire to craft one,
and worship it, what is supposed to be our take-away from this chapter of
Torah? Let me put it differently. When the Torah prohibits specific acts, we
can assume that, in its time, the prohibited act held a popular attraction for
the people Israel. So, the Torah is
insistent about avoiding idolatry. And
yet, we would be hard-pressed to find a Jew for whom idolatry is attractive. Does that mean that we’ve advanced beyond
this attraction? Should we be patting
ourselves on the back because we do not see statues as gods, and pour out
libations to them?
Much as I think that
we should see ourselves as deserving an occasional pat on the back, I
don’t think that we rate it in this case.
Because idolatry is still very much alive and well, including amongst us
Jews. But it is a more difficult form of
idolatry to recognise, than the statue-worship of the ancient past.
Idolatry, by
definition, means to attach salvific powers to some material object. In other words, to look upon something
as having the power to ‘save’ you. From
falling into the abyss. From a future of
oblivion. From an unhappy life. We don’t look to statues, and worship them,
so that they would save us in this way.
But we still practice idolatry.
We call it something else: materialism.
Some of us think of
materialism as an impulse to collect stuff. But
what it really is, is something more.
It’s the deep-seated belief that stuff will make us
happy. Will save us from oblivion or
falling into the abyss. Will, in effect,
‘save’ us…from whatever it is that we fear.
You’ve
heard this from me before. I can hear the rolling of eyes out there…even with
my hearing loss! But it’s something
worth repeating, because it is such a common pitfall. When we believe that something is going to bring us the life we yearn
for, then we are engaging in idolatry. Plain
and simple. The point of the Golden Calf
narrative is not that the people felt a desire to craft a lovely and expensive
object. It’s that, once it was crafted,
the people proclaimed: This, Israel,
is your God, who brought you out of Egypt.
Asceticism
has never been popular among Jews.
Common among our people is a work ethic and drive to get ahead. These have resulted in success after success
among Jews, even in times and places where our very existence has been
precarious. Successful Jews have historically
displayed a strong tendency to philanthropy, generously supporting causes both
internal and external to the Jewish community.
But we’ve also internalised that there is no shame whatsoever in
enjoying the fruit of one’s wealth with whatever possessions one desires. Whether it’s ornate and well-furnished homes,
expensive automobiles, fine dining, holidays abroad, salon and spa indulgences,
whatever! Jews generally do not
criticise one another for their conspicuous consumption. We don’t begrudge it of one another. When one of us buys some new indulgence, how
are other Jews likely to react? By
telling them: “Use it in good
health.” Or, simply: “Enjoy!” We simply take it for granted that it is
natural to enjoy the fruits of our labours and success. We only look askance at conspicuous spending
by those who do not also support causes generously.
So
when I caution against materialism, I’m not suggesting that spending money on
ourselves is in any way ‘sinful.’ I
certainly counsel moderation in spending, avoiding the use of credit as much as
possible, and making judicious economic choices. But nothing in our tradition condemns us when
we indulge ourselves a bit.
When
I caution against materialism, what I’m afraid of is the tendency to attach the
assumption of salvific powers to material objects. And sadly, we do it all the time. If I only had that new sports car, I’d be happy. All the women would flock to me and I’d never
want for anything. If I only had that
diamond, I’d be satisfied. I would know that my partner loves and cherishes me. The pitfalls of thinking that stuff will bring you happiness, are two. First, stuff never brings happiness. It may
bring some pleasure. But never
happiness. So your quest to find
happiness in stuff, is doomed to failure from the start.
The second pitfall is that, whilst you’re seeking happiness through stuff, that quest is deterring you from what really brings happiness.
So
maybe that’s
the lesson we can draw from this week’s
Torah reading, from the account of the Golden Calf. I’m guessing that, for most of us in this room,
there’s no particular attraction to building, and bowing down to, and
worshipping through sacrifice and other acts of devotion, objects. Statues and the like. But the more subtle form of idolatry, the
form that leads us to collect objects and believe that they will bring us
happiness, is something that we do instinctively. And it’s wrong. But more importantly, it prevents us from
achieving happiness.
But
it’s not only physical objects that can be idols for us. Our emotions, our passions, can also be, in
and of themselves, idols. Think about
it. The Israelites built a Golden
Calf. And then they proclaimed it to be
the God that led them out of Egypt. And
that proclamation – and the belief upon which they based that proclamation – formed
an instant barrier between them and their True God. In the same way, we form feelings towards one
another. Sometimes, those feelings are
positive. But often they are not. And when they are not, they form barriers
between us. They stand in the way of
what we see as the rational commitments that we owe one another. I know I’m supposed to love you…but I’m so mad that I need to strike out at
you. Physically or as some other sort of
expression of our will. So we have a
tendency to treat one another poorly. Even
though we know we’re not supposed to. Because our emotions get the
better of us. And we cling to those
emotions. We cling to them, until they
absolutely rule the way that we act. To
the point that we have no particular desire to step back from those emotions. Let alone, know how to step back.
Our
emotions are what make us human. But
when we allow them to lead us to mistreat one another, then we have made idols
of them. We have become idolaters. We have stepped away from the Jewish ideal,
as much as we would have, had we crafted a Golden Calf and worshipped it.
So
I ask you this morning: what is your
Golden Calf? Is it the stuff that you’ve gathered around you, in the hopes that it will bring you
happiness? Or is it the raw emotions
that lead you to mistreat someone else, that is to treat them in a way you
would find hurtful? In either case, you would
be practicing a form of idolatry. And
that would be unfortunate. Because it would
not be a very good statement about a Jew who identifies with God and the Torah.
And it will ultimately, not bring you
happiness. Idolatry, of whatever kind,
will only bring you misery. And you were
not born to be miserable. Shabbat
shalom.
No comments:
Post a Comment