Real Idols - Daily Dose of Wisdom

Abraham worshipped idols as did his father, Terach. Abraham was an intelligent man, as was Terach. But Abraham came to recognize the falseness of the idols, while Terach stayed behind.

Because Terach never truly believed in the idols and never truly worshipped them. But when Abraham worshipped idols, it was with all his heart, mind and soul, every hour of the day and night. It had to be real.

Everything Abraham did had to be real. And therefore, he found truth.

Based on letters and talks of the Rebbe, Rabbi M. M. Schneerson

From the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. To order Rabbi Freeman’s book, Bringing Heaven Down to Earth, click here.

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September 20, 2010

I think that the story of the akeidah (binding of Isaac) was when Avraham proved that he really had found truth. when he refrained from completing the sacrifice of his son Avraham was making the statement that no true God would want such a sacrifice.

unfortunately a common interpretation of the story of the akeidah is that avraham was willing to kill his own child in the name of God and that that should be considered praiseworthy.

D W

September 19, 2010

"If you really seek truth, truth will find you. Like Avraham, and unlike Terach, who was a phony impostor even in idolatry." I guess the same applies to impostors in one G-d worship.

Then is it better to be idolatrous seeking truth than not being idolatrous on paper only and not seeking the truth? Then it's the non seekers of truth who should be deemed as "real idolatry"! Sincerity is the first sign of a seeker of truth not what one boasts to be or advertises to the world about being non-idolatrous.

Yeke Yeke

October 31, 2009

Re: Yoni

I didn't see Yoni's comment before. I think he sums it up beautifully. It's great satisfaction to see someone really "gets it."

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman

October 31, 2009

I never knew that!

Esther Morozow
mel, vic

October 31, 2009

think so

I go along with the comment by YONI that when you believe in whatever you believe in with your whole heart and soul, the truth will find you.
For me, my heart is more truth than my mind, so therefore I "feel" the truth sometimes even before I know it.

Sandy Cee
Liverpool, Australia

October 30, 2009

to clarify

sorry about the bad grammar.
i didnt get the stories confused, i was taking this story about terach and applying to a different story about abraham. the one where he takes issac up the mountain to kill him.

in that story most people interpret the point of the story as that abe was willing to kill issac because g-d wanted him too.

however now after establishing that like terach abe served idols, it would make more sense that the great thing about the issac story was that abe himself wanted to kill issac as idol service but then it was great that he abandoned idols and chose not too, influenced by his belief in what a true god would want from him

October 30, 2009

Elucidation

This is based on a maamar of the Alter Rebbe printed in his siddur (Sukkot). He explains the difference between a person with da'at and one without. Da'at translates as a sense of conscious living.

Terach was not a man of da'at. He did what he did without delving deeply into it or truly believing in it. Abraham, however, took worship seriously. He pondered the brilliance of the sun, its power and its movement across the sky with great excitement and enthusiasm. And so, when he realized that the sun also set , that it was not all-powerful, that realization shook him to the bone.

That same wakeful, deliberate state of mind that brought Abraham's original enthusiasm over sun-worship and other forms of idolatry brought him eventually to realize the one true G-d.

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman

October 30, 2009

It means

I think what the author is trying to do is explain that when the approach to something, even as heinous as idolatry, is with the whole mind and heart, positive will be the fruit. Subjective truth leads to ultimate truth. If you really seek truth, truth will find you. Like Avraham, and unlike Terach, who was a phony impostor even in idolatry.
Great Lesson.

YONI
teaneck, nj

October 30, 2009

Envisioning

To all of us the truth comes in a different way. Some of us have the ability of envisioning things by seeing them, and some of us have the ability to Envision things by simply seeing them.

But most important is to see the image, start acting like the image and sooner or later we become like the image. All of us share one thing in common and that is the image of G-D in thoughts and acts of deeds.

Everything must start at one point and grow. Eternal patience brings peace and with peace clarity and with clarity comes harmony with G-d and with ourselves. Then and only then can we materialize our thoughts into reality. It works with us !!!!!!

Roberto d' Goldstein
Miami, Fl

October 30, 2009

Real Idols

Besides the English and, therefore the grammar being wrong in places, the context is confusing and I am not at all sure of what point is being proposed for the reader. Terach stayed behind because he never truly believed in idols?? Abraham worshipped idols with all his heart, mind and soul, every hour of the day and night!! How does he then manage to question the efficacy of the idols, when everything he did had to be real?? Did you mix up the two people,Abraham and Terach, in the text?? Very confusing. please elucidate.

Simcha Baker
Modi''in, ISRAEL

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