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The Idols of Vanity

 

The Torah commands us at the end of Parashat Behar, לא תעשו לכם אלילים– not to make idols (26:1).

 

This command might at first seem irrelevant to us, as we live in a time where nobody bows down to statues the way they did in the ancient world.  But when we look a bit deeper, I believe this mitzvah is extremely important and presents us with a crucial lesson for our lives.

 

Let's begin with the story of three great men who risked their lives to obey this command.

 

During the time of the Babylonian exile, the emperor Nevuchadnetzar had a large statue built, and he ordered everyone in the kingdom to bow down to this statue.  There were three righteous Jews who worked in the king's palace – Hananyah, Mishael and Azaryah – and they refused to bow to the idol, even at the threat of the death.  Nevuchadnetzar ordered that they be thrown into a furnace, but they miraculously survived.

 

The Gemara in Masechet Sanhedrin (92b) makes a remarkable comment about this story.  From the pesukim in the Book of Daniel that tell this story, the Gemara notes, it appears that Hananyah, Mishael and Azaryah made a point of keeping on their official uniforms when they were being thrown into the furnace.  Even during these moments, when it seemed that they were going to be killed, they did not change into simple clothes.  They insisted on wearing their official garb.  The Gemara learns from this that אפילו בשעת הסכנה לא ישנה אדם את עצמו מן הרבנות שלו – even when a person is in danger, he shouldn't compromise his dignity.  He should remain composed and maintain a respectable demeanor even when he's under duress, when his life becomes challenging and even when it is at risk.

 

Hananyah, Mishael and Azaryah were heroes not only for steadfastly remaining loyal to Hashem under the threat of death – but also for doing it with composure and dignity.

 

This aspect of their story perhaps sheds light on the Gemara's comment later (93a) about the aftermath of this miracle.  The Gemara states that people ridiculed the other Jews following this incident, telling them, יש לכם אלוק כזה ואתם משתחוים לצלם – "You have a G-d like this, and you're bowing to an idol?!"

 

The people saw not only the great miracle – but also the honor and dignity displayed by Hananyah, Mishael and Azaryah.  They turned to the other Jews and asked, "You have a G-d who can elevate you to such great heights – how can you lower yourselves by bowing to idols?  This is how great you could become – and you choose to get involved in silly idols, instead?"

 

"Idols" are the antithesis of the stature of greatness embodied by Hananyah, Mishael and Azaryah.  They are our model of dignity, of honorability, the respect with which a Jew is supposed to live.  The Torah strictly warns us, לא תעשו לכם אלילים – not to compromise our stature by getting involving in silliness, in vanity, in nonsense.

 

One of the "idols" of our time is gossip.  We so often find ourselves speaking about other people – about who might be getting engaged, who might be breaking up, who might be expecting a child, who might be buying a new house, who might be switching jobs or opening a new business, who might be getting divorced, and so on.  I highly recommend when such conversations start to take a step back and ask the question that the non-Jews asked our ancestors after the miracle of Hananyah, Mishael and Azaryah:

 

יש לכם אלוק כזה ואתם משתחוים לצלם – We have such a G-d, and we're getting involved in such pettiness? 

 

We are Hashem's special nation, and this is what interests us? 

 

We were given the Torah, the potential for kedushah, for spiritual greatness – and we waste our time talking about other people's personal affairs that have nothing to do with us, and that we know nothing about?  Aren't we better than this??

 

Let us remember the Gemara's timeless teaching: לא ישנה אדם את עצמו מן הרבנות שלו.  At all times, let's keep our dignity, our self-respect, our sense of self-worth and self-importance. 

 

We matter too much to waste our time on nonsense.  Our mission is too significant for us to allow ourselves to bow to "idols," to meaningless things.

 

Let's stay far away from the idols of vanity, from things that don't really matter, that have no value, that we have no reason to concern ourselves with – and instead devote our time, our energy, and our attention to the things that really matter, that have real value, and that really should concern us. - Joey Haber

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https://itorah.com/weekly-inspire/the-idols-of-vanity/15/31303