The Idolatry of Stasis
砖诪讜转 专讘讛 讛:讟
讗状专 转谞讞讜诪讗 讚讜 驻专爪讜驻讬谉 讛讬讛 讬讜爪讗 讜讛讜专讙 诇注讜讘讚讬 讻讜讻讘讬诐 砖诇讗 拽讘诇讜讛 讜谞讜转谉 讞讬讬诐 诇讬砖专讗诇 砖拽讘诇讜 讗转 讛转讜专讛 讛讜讗 砖诪砖讛 讗状诇 讘住讜祝 诪壮 砖谞讛 (讚讘专讬诐 讛) 讻讬 诪讬 讻诇 讘砖专 讗砖专 砖诪注 拽讜诇 讗诇讛讬诐 讞讬讬诐 诪讚讘专 诪转讜讱 讛讗砖 讜讙讜壮 讗转讛 讛讬讬转 砖讜诪注 拽讜诇讜 讜讞讬讬转 讗讘诇 注讜讘讚讬 讻讜讻讘讬诐 砖讜诪注讬诐 讜诪转讬诐 讘讜讗 讜专讗讛 讛讬讗讱 讛拽讜诇 讬讜爪讗 讗爪诇 讻诇 讬砖专讗诇 讻诇 讗讞讚 讜讗讞讚 诇驻讬 讻讞讜 讛讝拽谞讬诐 诇驻讬 讻讞谉 讛讘讞讜专讬诐 诇驻讬 讻讞谉 讜讛拽讟谞讬诐 诇驻讬 讻讞谉 讜讛讬讜谞拽讬诐 诇驻讬 讻讞谉 讜讛谞砖讬诐 诇驻讬 讻讞谉 讜讗祝 诪砖讛 诇驻讬 讻讞讜 砖谞讗诪专 (砖诪讜转 讬讟) 诪砖讛 讬讚讘专 讜讛讗诇讛讬诐 讬注谞谞讜 讘拽讜诇 讘拽讜诇 砖讛讬讛 讬讻讜诇 诇住讜讘诇讜
讗专状讬 讘专 讞谞讬谞讗 讗诐 转诪讛 讗转讛 注诇 讛讚讘专 讛讝讛 诇诪讜讚 诪谉 讛诪谉 砖诇讗 讛讬讛 讬讜专讚 诇讬砖专讗诇 讗诇讗 诇驻讬 讻讞 砖诇 讻诇 讗讞讚 讜讗讞讚 诪讬砖专讗诇 讛讘讞讜专讬诐 讛讬讜 讗讜讻诇讬谉 讗讜转讜 讻诇讞诐 砖谞讗诪专 (砖诪讜转 讟讝) 讛谞谞讬 诪诪讟讬专 诇讻诐 诇讞诐 诪谉 讛砖诪讬诐 讜讙讜壮 讜讛讝拽谞讬诐 讻爪驻讬讞转 讘讚讘砖 砖谞讗诪专 (砖诐) 讜讟注诪讜 讻爪驻讬讞转 讘讚讘砖 讜讬讜谞拽讬诐 讻讞诇讘 诪砖讚讬 讗诪讜 砖谞讗诪专 (讘诪讚讘专 讬讗) 讜讛讬讛 讟注诪讜 讻讟注诐 讜讙讜壮
Exodus Rabbah 5:9
R. Tanhuma said: [God’s Voice] went forth in two aspects, slaying the idolaters who would not accept it but giving life to Israel who accepted the Torah. As Moses said to them at the end of 40 years: ‘For what mortal ever heard the Voice of the living God speak out of the fire, [as we did, and lived]?’ (Deut. 5: 23). You have heard God’s Voice and lived, but the idolaters heard it and died. Come and see how the Voice went forth to each Israelite with a force proportioned to his individual ability鈥攖o the old, according to their ability, and to the young, according to theirs; to the children, infants and women, according to their ability; and even to Moses according to his ability, as it is said: ‘>As Moses spoke, God answered him in a Voice’ (Exod. 19:19)鈥攊n a voice that he could endure. . .
R. Yose b. Hanina says: If you are doubtful of this, then think of the manna that descended with a taste varying according to the needs of each individual Israelite. The young men ate it like bread, as it says: ‘Behold, I will rain down for you bread from heaven. . .’ (Exod. 16:4); the old, like wafers in honey, as it says: ‘. . .it tasted like wafers in honey’ (Exod. 16:31). To the infants, it tasted like their mothers’ breast milk, as it says: . . . It tasted like rich cream. (Num. 11:8)
Only in Hebrew leap years does Shavu’ot coincide with Parashat Beha’alotekha, but every day we are faced with the challenges that this midrash addresses. In response to verses from this week’s holiday and Shabbat Torah readings, we find ancient wisdom about the universal message of our Torah along with exclusionary statements about nonbelievers. How can we embrace a text that describes how God directly spoke to and fed our ancestors according to their individual needs and abilities while also slaying idolaters?
As my former 91快活林 instructor Rabbi Shai Held has taught, perhaps the greatest idolatry today is the cynical denial that our world can be radically transformed. Our ancestors, distant from God and liberty due to centuries of enslavement, suddenly encountered the sacredness of freedom, the rule of law, and the miracle of “bread from heaven.” Now we can each experience those changes as well. Just as the Israelites were oppressed, societal forces today persist in keeping certain groups physically and spiritually impoverished through lack of access to clean water, affordable food, and education. We must make these vital resources more available by sharing the blessings of manna and Torah we have received in order to fulfill this text’s vision of life-giving inclusivity.
