Idolatry Is A Modern Problem

In my previous article, I make the claim that idolatry nowadays does not exist in the same manner as it once had, but that it must still exist in some way. The reason I make this claim is that idolatry is so vital an enemy of the Jewish spirit and so in opposition to living in accordance with Hashem’s principles that it must have taken on a new form, which I will elaborate here and in future articles, with the Almighty’s help. Since this idea is somewhat novel, I would like to preface what this is not. I will not be making the claim that the wooden and stone idols of centuries and millennia ago hold the same sway over the human spirit as they once had. Nor will I make the claim that this new disguised idolatry is one which we must go to biblical lengths to eradicate. I will rather make the claim that the same purpose of idol worship from millennia ago still exists today. The desire for power, wealth, status, and comfort are a few of these goals, which were once obtained through physical mediums, the idols of yore. Today, rather than stone, wood, and clay, something as trivial as wealth, to something as complicated as our own mind are our mediums of choice. As the prophet Yirmiyahu (17:19) says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and painfully weak: who can know it?” In this article I will point out examples of the rituals of idol worshippers, as well as clarify in a broad sense what modern day idolatry is.

The idols of yore were not simply wood and stone. Each idol and ritual were cruel and frightening, yielding toward darkness and not light. To spare you from some of the truly repugnant rituals, I will simply reference the sources to which you can look for the full account. Although I would not recommend it as a strong stomach is required. Take for example, the Terafim which Rachel stole from her father’s home. According to Rabbeinu Bahya and Ibn Ezra (Rabbeinu Bahya on Bereishit 31:19), to create these idols the worshippers practiced human firstborn taxidermy. Worshippers did this to extract information regarding their enemies, as information was power. This is convenient for the worshiper in a chaotic world, as they were safe from execution and believed that they had power over their enemies. As the prophet Zecharya (10:2) clearly states however, “The Teraphim spoke delusion.” If this was not enough, let’s take the Mayans and Aztecs as our example (The Religions Book pgs. 42-45 by: DK Publishing) – we are all perhaps familiar with the virgin sacrifice, a horrendous ritual designed to appease their gods’ desire for blood. Unfortunately, this was just the tip of the iceberg. These idol worshippers had feasts in which ceremonies were dedicated to the mass murder of slaves and prisoners, including men, women, and children. Their religious texts are riddled with their gods’ affinity for the hearts of men. It is important to note that this mode of practice clearly protected the people in power in these cultures from having to reflect on their own sins, because anything chaotic or unfortunate was simply remedied by an offering of flesh and blood to gods desiring these sacrifices. If the misfortune was not alleviated, clearly more sacrifice was desired. Note that in Judaism, the answer to misfortune was never more Korbanot, or sacrifices. If anything, as the prophet Micha states in open defiance of all of the above modes of worship (Michah 6:7-8), “Would Hashem be pleased with thousands of rams, With myriads of streams of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, The fruit of my body for my sins? “You have been told, O man, what is good, And what G-d requires of you: Only to do justice And to love goodness, And to walk modestly with your G-d.”

It is thus evident that some features of idol worship are; access to rituals, usually only by the powerful, safety from the consequences of the ritual for the powerful, and benefitting mostly the powerful with just enough relief left for those who survived the ritual. Replace the word ritual in the previous sentence with “decision making” and you have a pretty good overview of modern day idolatry.

Lest you think the idea that idolatry exists today is a reach, and perhaps blasphemous based on the Talmud in Sanhedrin which mentions its abolishment, I would like to direct your attention to minds much greater than my own. Let us take a journey throughout the millennia, starting with the Talmud in which times the allure for idols of wood and stone was abolished. Shabbat: הק recounts, “Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says… One who rends his garments in his anger, or who breaks his vessels in his anger, or who scatters his money in his anger, should be like an idol worshiper in your eyes… Rabbi Avin said: What verse alludes to this? “There shall not be a strange god within you, and you shall not bow to a foreign god” (Psalms 81:10). What is the strange god that is within a person’s body? It is the evil inclination.” This sentiment is echoed centuries later by Maimonides in Hilchot Avodah Zara VeChukot HaGoyim. So much does the Rambam emphasize this sentiment that he quotes a Sifre which says, “we learn that anyone who has accepted the validity of a false god denies the Torah in its totality. Conversely, one who denies the validity of false gods has accepted the Torah in its totality.” If the Yetzer Hara is tantamount to idol worship, then listening to it is rejecting the Torah! This is not a trivial matter. Again, we should not think that these words were written as an echo of a bygone age, that it does not resonate with our modern “enlightened” society. Modern Jewish scholar Professor Kenneth Seeskin, in his book “No Other Gods – The Modern Struggle Against Idolatry,” writes that “idolatry in the modern age is generally considered a moral error rather than an intellectual one. If God is the only thing in the universe worthy of worship, then anyone who becomes obsessed with the desire for wealth, beauty, fame, or power is said to idolize them. From a modern perspective then, idolatry is a universal phenomenon.”

As we can see, there is much more to idol worship than meets the eye. One of the main barriers to our world being worthy of Hashem’s Shekhina, idolatry, is very much present. The battle is not over and we must continue to fight. With Hashem’s help, in future articles I will point to modern day examples of idol worship that may be present in our own lives, with due caution, as well as the steps we can take to smash the false gods of our time. May we win the war against idol worship.

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Dovidchai Abramchayev graduated with a BS in accounting from Lander College for men. He is pursuing a CPA and works in the NFP audit industry. In his spare time he learns Torah, Philosophy, and Theology.