Check Your Idols
Parashat Re’eh, Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17
Rabbi David Friedman, Jerusalem
In today’s portion, Moshe continues his exhortations to the tribes before they enter their land of inheritance.
See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse — the blessing, if you listen to the mitzvot [instructions] of Adonai your God that I am giving you today; and the curse, if you don’t listen to the instructions of Adonai your God, but turn aside from the way I am ordering you today and follow other gods that you have not known.
When Adonai your God brings you into the land you are entering in order to take possession of it, you are to put the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount ‘Eival. (11:26–29 CJB)
Moshe explains to the people how to enter into a life of blessing. The Hebrew word “blessing” (berakha, ברכה) comes from the word for “knee.” In the ancient Jewish mind, to be blessed was to be given reasons to bow one’s knee in thanksgiving to the Almighty. This is what Moshe was helping the nation to experience. The other option was to live lives full of cursing. The word for “curse” (kelala, קללה) comes from the word “lightweight,” reminding us of the properties of a feather. So if one is cursed, one’s life has the effect and influence of a feather. Everything one does comes to naught. So Moshe pulls no punches here. He makes it quite clear that there are two options for the twelve tribes in the Land of Israel: a life of obedience and blessing or a cursed life.
The first exhortation is to listen to God’s instructions as they are taught by Moshe. “Listen,” or shema (שמע) in Hebrew, is best translated as “physically hear with the intention of carrying out what you hear.” That is, put yourself in a position to do what you are taught. The word is in its plural form, so Moshe was addressing the entire nation: all twelve tribes are being exhorted to do what they are learning and hearing.
Then Moshe tells them that they are to have a ceremony at the site of Shechem (close to today’s modern city of Nablus). This ceremony will have part of the people stand on Mt. Gerizim, and the others on Mt. Ebal, reciting the blessings and curses involved in obeying or disobeying God’s instructions. We later read about that ceremony in Joshua 8. It is a testimony to the enduring power of God’s words that even in modern times, the area around Mt. Gerizim (the hill of blessings) is green, while the area around Mt. Ebal (the hill of curses) is much dustier, much more desolate. That is how those two high places looked when I went there on a personal pilgrimage just one month ago. “When Adonai your God brings you into the land you are entering in order to take possession of it, you are to put the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount ‘Eival” (11:29 CJB).
Moshe concludes this section with his constant and repeating point: “And you are to take care to follow all the laws and rulings I am setting before you today” (11:32 CJB).
It is amazing how heartfelt obedience to God influenced matters then (and now, too!). It is perhaps paralleled, to some degree, by the parent-child relationship. Those of you who are parents know that nothing is more pleasing than when your child does something they know will please you with all their heart. It makes us parents happy, grateful, and pleased. I imagine God looks at things similarly when his people do what pleases him with all our hearts.
It is worthwhile to note the very first thing on the to-do list of God’s instructions is to deal with idolatry. It is written:
You must destroy all the places where the nations you are dispossessing served their gods, whether on high mountains, on hills, or under some leafy tree. Break down their altars, smash their standing-stones to pieces, burn up their sacred poles completely and cut down the carved images of their gods. Exterminate their name from that place. But you are not to treat Adonai your God this way. (12:2–4 CJB)
And again, Moshe re-emphasizes this need:
Be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.” You must not worship your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things Adonai hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods. (Deut 12:30–31)
He continued, in this talk, to emphasize this line of thought:
If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to them or listen to them. (Deut 13:6–8)
We can see how crucial it was to eliminate all traces of idolatry. Idolatry is one thing that God would not tolerate, the quickest way to threaten the covenant relationship with him. Even the former places of Canaanite idolatry were to be destroyed. God did not want his beloved people to be tripped up and have their lives ruined by idolatry. Entrance into the Land of Promise was only the beginning. The presence of Jacob’s descendants in the Land was to be anchored by a covenant-based faithfulness to God. That is, their blessings would depend upon how well they followed God’s instructions, as explained in the covenants. It really wasn’t hard to please God: love him will all one’s heart, love one’s neighbors, and keep God’s instructions. That was the winning formula. And it is this winning formula that Moshe now takes pains to carefully impart to the people. This is what we see in our parasha this week.
Today’s parasha also contains part of Israel’s economic structure that is simply marvelous. Let’s remember that it was God who conceived this structure:
At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because Adonai’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. . . . However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land Adonai your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey Adonai your God and are careful to follow all these instructions I am giving you today. For Adonai your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. (15:1–6)
In today’s world, there is much ado being made about viable economic structures and policies. Countries really struggle to find a system that promotes national wealth and doesn’t bankrupt their citizens. In ancient Israel, all people were considered valuable; their economic welfare was to be a concern of everyone. A key to economic blessing was forgiveness of debts. God never meant for there to be poor people anywhere in the nation. By including these instructions, Moshe was tying together how doing what the Torah instructs promotes blessing in all of society, for everyone.
I get the feeling that after hearing this set of talks by Moshe, the prevailing attitude was an enthusiastic “Yala, kadimah” (Modern Hebrew for “let’s get up and go”). Moshe instilled confidence in God by his words. And we are told that that entire younger generation did indeed keep the Torah as they settled the Land: “Israel served Adonai throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything Adonai had done for Israel” (Joshua 24:31).
Moshe is a master instructor, and that is what we see him doing in today’s parasha. We would do well to pay attention today to the messages found in our still-precious Torah.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture citations are the author’s translation based on the NIV.