Idolatry, graven images, and ...Christmas?

I was recently asked, "The Bible declares, 'Thou shalt not make graven images.' Yet Catholic churches are filled with images and statues of saints. Hindus worship G!d in many forms such as Shiva, Krishna, and Kali, Muslims and Buddhists and Jews build beautiful and elaborate mosques and temples in which to worship G!d. How do you feel about the issue of G!d/worship with and/or without form?"

This question first requires me to distinguish between the issues of religious pluralism and avodah zarah. While too much pluralism can lead to a blurring of boundaries, too little can lead to rigidity and denial of the common bonds we share as humans. Is it possible to be totally accepting and non-judgmental of the beliefs and worship practices of non-Jews, while at the same time not compromising one’s own beliefs? Rebbe Gelberman, z’l, certainly espoused such a way. So do I.

The Rabbinic consensus, based on the Talmud (Avodah zarah 17a,) can be said to support that it is forbidden for a Jew to enter a church, even if just to admire the architecture or artwork. This body of opinion spans generations, comprised by leading medieval rabbis such as Maimonides, Rashba (Rabbi Solomon ben Aderet), Ritba (Rabbi Yom Tov ibn Asevilli) and Rosh (Rabbi Asher ben Yechiel), as well as contemporary orthodox halachists.

However, over the centuries there have been so many rulings on every possible subject that one can always find some Rabbis in favor of the topic under discussion, and other Rabbis arguing against it. That is the Jewish way. Ultimately it is not so much a matter of “what do the Rabbis say?” but “which Rabbi do I follow along with my own informed conscience on the matter?” Rabbis are teachers, not gurus, so informed choice is a much more mature spirituality over blind obedience.

Simply entering a non-Jewish house of worship does not equate to worshiping there. One could be going for any number of reasons, such as admiring the art/architecture, attending a wedding, or learning about the religious tradition of another for the sake of dialogue. For there to be such a high fence erected around the Jew indicates an inappropriate fear that just being in a building could entice the Jew to leave their faith. Why are we so afraid? Rather, it seems to me that ignorance is the real danger. Fear of entering a church may have been relevant in certain countries in earlier periods, but does not apply today. Afterall, Rabbinic tradition saw no problem with entering a bath house created by non-Jews, even if it contained idolatry within it, as the idols were purely for “beauty” (Hilkhot Avodah zarahh 7:18). Seder Nezikin, which concerns civil and criminal law in an entirely Jewish community, tells us that Jews have always lived among non-Jews, and therefore have constantly negotiated boundaries that allow for business and personal relationships with others, while still enabling one to maintain a clear Jewish identity.

As noted on myjewishlearning.com, “The Hebrew prophets fought against the worship of Baal and the other foreign gods, but nowhere in the Bible are the other nations condemned for worshiping their gods…” In Mishnah Tractate Avodah zarah (4:7) it is stated that the Jewish elders were asked in Rome why G!d does not destroy idols, and to this the elders replied that men worship the sun, moon, and stars and G!d refuses to destroy the world G!d  created “because of fools.” If, on the other hand, G!d were to destroy only those idols for which the world has no use, it might inadvertently confirm that the undestroyed idols therefore had some kind of  power.

A very high and wide fence has been placed around idolatry when it comes to Jews and our writings, teachings, and traditions. While the mere intention to commit a sin is not counted as a sin elsewhere, when it comes to idolatry, even the mere intention to worship idols is pronounced sinful (Kiddushin 40a). Yet, in the 3rd century, Rabbi Yohanan said that Gentiles outside the land of Israel are not true idolaters, but simply continue in the ways of their ancestors.

Personally, I cannot conceive of an image or statue as ever coming close to portraying G!d accurately. Anything a human can make pales in comparison to HaKodesh Who creates and imbues all. The notion that I can somehow contain the essence of G!d within such a finite form seems to me what constitutes idolatry, not the graven image itself. On the other hand, our worship spaces can be aesthetically pleasing, because it lifts our spirits higher. In fact, within Judaism we have the tradition of hiddur mitzvah, literally meaning, “the beautification of a mitzvah,” derived from Exodus 15:2 which tells us, “This is my G!d and I will glorify [Him].” This challenges us to think about not simply following a mitzvah perfunctorily, but doing so with intentionality, purposefulness, and thoughtfulness, elevating it to an even higher spiritual level. Many mitzvot require a physical object, and hiddur mitzvah allows us to make it more personally meaningful, by bringing more attention and mindfulness to the mitzvah. It also helps involve all of our senses in the mitzvah, thereby fulfilling the commandment to love G!d with all our heart, soul, and strength, to bring our whole selves.

While G!d is without form, some humans need forms to better understand, and they use forms with which they are most familiar: the forms of creatures, nature, and humans. For me, a finite form can never contain the fullness of an infinite G!d, yet, I can certainly accept other religious traditions needing forms for their worship. I can appreciate their practices, and support their own need for using forms. Tosefta 1:3 states that “We ask after the welfare of Gentiles on their holidays for the sake of darkhei shalom, of promoting positive relations between Jews and Gentiles.” This supports the notion that the activities of our non-Jewish neighbors is overridden for the sake of maintaining positive relationships with these same neighbors, that certain restrictions can be bent for the sake of making peace or avoiding hatred. Healthy relations with the society in which one lives can be an intrinsically good thing, and it can at times justify permitting certain restricted practices even when Jews have little to fear from their neighbors. This approach is expressed in Yerushalmi (1:1) which states that the restrictions in the Mishnah are limited to non-Jews with whom one does not have a relationship. When it comes to a non-Jew whom one knows, then “it is permissible, because it is nothing more than flattering them.”

For example, as we have just completed another annual celebration where much of the world celebrates some form of Christmas, to show a colleague or friend that we understand that it is their holiday, and to act towards them in ways that are expected, is understood to be a form of good manners and respectful interaction, and not a way of supporting or identifying with the religious holiday per se. Yerushalmi goes so far as to apply this even to participating in the holiday celebrations: “We taught: If he enters a town and sees them rejoicing, he rejoices with them, for it is nothing other than flattering them.”

Is it not quite shocking to read that a Jew is permitted to participate in a celebration taking place on a pagan holiday? And yet, for Yerushalmi, the proper context of the Jew’s rejoicing is understood by all present, and the rejoicing is thus permitted. If the holiday party is not religious, even if it is holiday-themed, there is no problem. Further, even if there are religious elements, one could attend such parties for the sake of darkhei shalom to foster positive interactions, or, minimally, so as not to look bad or hurt one’s relationships with co-workers or clients, in laws or friends. As I have puszzled over this for years, this was good news for me to read!

For Rema, the mitzvah not to follow the ways of Gentiles focuses primarily on Gentile activities that are connected to other religious practices or sexual impropriety. Rema is saying that we need not see the larger society as taboo or evil. There can indeed be much good in it, although we still must protect ourselves against certain specific areas that run counter to our values and commitments. In essence, the Talmudic tractate of Avodah zarah is actually devoted to just this question: how to navigate and negotiate the larger, secular, and, at that time, pagan society. While different views are expressed, by and large the Talmud chooses to see areas of concern, but not to see the society itself as hostile. It forbids activities that can be seen as supporting or participating in pagan activities or that could lead to sexual improprieties or acts of violence. It forbids certain foods that might have non-kosher products in them.

Judaism emphasizes kavannah, intention. While we may look at the statues of Greek or Roman gods in museums and feel no resonance with them, we are not so different from the people who worshiped them sincerely, because we, too, idolize all sorts of people or ways of being; we idolize the marketplace, and money; we idolize the products of the fashion industry, including unhealthy notions of body image; even politics can be objects of idolatry. The extreme religious spectrums can be considered forms of idolatry, Judaism not excluded. Hasn’t Judaism always been a tradition that recorded debates rather than only the results of debates? Given ideas to steer rather than rulings to stifle? Even among the orthodox, we find the ultra orthodox, hassidic, observant, traditional, modern, etc., each of which sees itself as the true and sometimes the only carrier of “authentic” Judaism. Even among the more liberal and progressive-minded, we, too, can fall prey to idolatry. We need to guard against idolizing social justice and tikkun olam to the exclusion of tikkun hanefesh—prayer and a deep relationship with G!d.

At the end of the day, our idolatry is not found as much in statues and graven images as the motives, drives and intentions engraved upon our hearts. This is of far more concern to me than idolatry. Even though I personally do not need forms and images, or even a human embodiment of G!d, for my worship experiences, I fully support religious pluralism. Appreciating art is not the same as idolatry. Embracing religious pluralism is not the same as leaving Judaism. Judaism has never required non-Jews to convert to Judaism. Whether we like it or not, we live in a multicultural universe. Therefore, cultural diversity becomes the context for our religious life. I see this not as a matter of chance, but as a G!d-given opportunity. I would even argue it as an obligation today for Jews to learn about other faith traditions, to allow others to speak for themselves, to live with the contradictions and tensions that emerge, and ultimately to draw on what we learn to reflect upon our own religious culture and faith, in this way deepening our sense of what it means to us to be Jewish in the contemporary world. It is no longer an option for me to choose to engage with the other in terms of their faith tradition; it is a necessity. My neighbor’s religious identity is as central to their existence as mine is to me. It is thus incumbent on me, if I truly wish to love or respect my neighbor, to take their religious faith seriously. By so doing, I demonstrate my belief  that we are all created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of G!d. Graven images are not nearly so much of a problem nowadays as are rigidly engraved hearts.