Published February 11, 2010
We tend to think that idol-worship is an all-or-nothing proposition: You either believe in G-d or believe in idols. But it isn’t that simple.
This week’s parsha warns that when we enter Eretz Yisrael we must not worship the gods of the Canaanite nations, but rather we must destroy them. “You shall worship Hashem, your G-d, and He shall bless your bread and your water,,,” (23:25)
On this pasuk, the Ramban explains that most idol-worshipers recognize that G-d runs the world. And their intention in worshiping idols isn’t to reject G-d, but rather to improve their odds for better parnasa.
They worship the sun because they discovered that the sun has influence on their crops. They worship the moon because they saw that it influenced the movement of water in their fountains and underground reservoirs. Via the moon and the sun they came to worship the other heavenly bodies. And of course it made perfect sense to worship the angels that serve Hashem.
This pasuk comes along and says “worship Hashem” alone, and your bread and water will be blessed. You don’t need to worship other gods - whether it’s the sun and the moon or the stock market and real estate investments—to feed your family.
If we have it clear that it is Hashem alone who provides for our needs, then it isn’t too difficult to give up some of the gods that keep us from living in Eretz Yisrael.
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