The Idols in Jacob’s Camp!
Adapted from Rabbi Braun’s sermon in 5778
When you live in a Diaspora there is always some of the outside culture that seeps into the Jewish community. Some of it is good and some of it is bad. The question in every Diaspora is “how much of the bad seeps in”?
That is not a new question. That question is addressed in this morning’s parsha in a strange request/demand that Yaakov makes of his family.
בראשית פרק לה
א) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֔ב ק֛וּם עֲלֵ֥ה בֵֽית־אֵ֖ל וְשֶׁב־שָׁ֑ם וַעֲשֵׂה־שָׁ֣ם מִזְבֵּ֔חַ לָאֵל֙ הַנִּרְאֶ֣ה אֵלֶ֔יךָ בְּבָרְחֲךָ֔ מִפְּנֵ֖י עֵשָׂ֥ו אָחִֽיך
Hashem instructs Yaakov to return to Beit El and construct an altar. At that point Yaakov turns to his household and says:
ב) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יַעֲקֹב֙ אֶל־בֵּית֔וֹ וְאֶ֖ל כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר עִמּ֑וֹ הָסִ֜רוּ אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֤י הַנֵּכָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּתֹכְכֶ֔ם וְהִֽטַּהֲר֔וּ וְהַחֲלִ֖יפוּ שִׂמְלֹתֵיכֶֽם
“Put away the strange Gods that are among you”
What does that mean? Could it be that there was idolatry in Jacob’s house? Could they have been so affected by the house of Lavan and its environment?
Many of the commentators try and minimize the idolatrous influence?
The Midrash Sechel Tov (12th century Italy) writes that the word הָסִ֜רוּ is written without a yud to indicate that Yaakov was only speaking to Rachel and the Terafim that she stole. The word בְּתֹכְכֶ֔ם is written without a vav to indicate that it was only the servants and not his actual children that Jacob was worried about.
Radak explains that they had just finished destroying Shechem and plundering the city.
Part of the booty was gold and silver that had been shaped in forms, rings and earrings, that were used to serve their idols.
Yaakov did not want any hint of idolatry in the camp. He did not even want something that while not idolatry per say would even remind them of idolatry.
Others suggest that there was real idolatry in the camp.
The Targum of Yonatan Ben Uziel also points to Shechem as the source but in a very different way. He writes that Yaakov was demanding that they remove actual idols that they had taken from the “churches” of Shechem.
According to Targum Yonatan, there was real idolatry in their midst that had to be removed. They had actually gone to seek out the idols and take them from Shechem and there is no limit in his translation of the people involved.
Although they represent very different approaches to our question, the common denominator to all three is that they read אֱלֹהֵ֤י הַנֵּכָר֙ as idols.
The most interesting and intriguing suggestion comes from the Eben Ezra.
His premise is that we cannot be talking about real idolatry. It is simply unthinkable to him that our patriarch Jacob would have idol worshippers in his tent!
חלילה חלילה שישכב הנביא עם עובדות אלהי נכר
What then does the Passuk mean?
For the explanation he sends us to Devarim 31/16. There we find:
דברים פרק לא פסוק טז
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְקֹוָק֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה הִנְּךָ֥ שֹׁכֵ֖ב עִם־אֲבֹתֶ֑יךָ וְקָם֩ הָעָ֨ם הַזֶּ֜ה וְזָנָ֣ה׀ אַחֲרֵ֣י׀ אֱלֹהֵ֣י נֵֽכַר־ הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר ה֤וּא בָא־שָׁ֙מָּה֙ בְּקִרְבּ֔וֹ וַעֲזָבַ֕נִי וְהֵפֵר֙ אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּרַ֖תִּי אִתּֽוֹ
Hashem informs Moshe of his intending death and shares the unfortunate news that after his death the people will get up and go astray after the
אֱלֹהֵ֣י נֵֽכַר־ הָאָ֗רֶץ.
The simplest explanation is that the Jews will follow the God’s of the strangers in the land, i.e. idolatry.
In that case as well the Ibn Ezra does not follow the simplest explanation, rather he suggests as follows.
We know that Hashem is one and never changing. It is the receivers of the divine presence who change and experience God differently. Part of our divine service is to “guard the power of the receiver” according to the place in which you find yourself.
And that is what it means when Yaakov tells his family, remove the אלהי הנכר from within your midst.
What in the world does that mean?
Possibly it means that Ibn Ezra thinks that the proper way to serve Hashem (without any hint of avodah zarah to it) differs from place to place, because we’re different in different places, so that we are open to, able to experience Hashem, in different ways. He further seems to think there are correct and incorrect ways to experience Hashem in each place, and that experiencing Hashem in France in the way appropriate to the US (but not to France) qualifies as אלהי נכר הארץ. So Ya’akov was telling his kith and kin, as they entered Israel, to rid themselves of their Charan or Padan Aram ways of serving Hashem, since those are foreign to how we are supposed to experience Hashem in Israel. (Rabbi Gidon Rothstein)
That is fascinating. It means that to properly serve God we have to be aware of the opportunities and dangers/ challenges that are unique to the location in which you live.
I am not sure that is really what Yaakov was telling his family, but the lessons for us are pretty poignant.
America has its own sets of challenges and opportunities. We have to be aware of both before we begin to discover the best way for us to serve Hashem.
The challenge of Modern Orthodoxy is to recognize what is good and let it in and recognize what is bad and keep it out. Hopefully we are up to the challenge!
