Ki Sissa: When a Prophet Confronts a People

The Haftarah of this week’s parshah, Ki Sissa, describes the action that the prophet Eliyahu took in a period of distress for the Jewish people. Like every period of distress, this one came about because of the people’s blurred thoughts and confused understanding. To restore clarity, Eliyahu gathered all the prophets of Baal3 and the entire Jewish people for a confrontation. He challenged the Jews,4 “Until when will you continue vacillating from one side to the other? If G‑d is the L‑rd, follow Him; and if Baal is,follow Baal.”

The question arises: Why did Eliyahu challenge them, “Until when will you continue vacillating from one side to the other?” Seemingly, his question should have been, “Until when will you serve Baal? It’s time for you to stop worshiping this false deity and start proclaiming ‘G‑d is the L‑rd.’ ”

This question can be resolved by clarifying the difference between serving false deities and vacillating between sides.

In truth, it is difficult to understand: How can a Jew possibly serve a false deity? The Jews are “believers, the descendants of believers.”5 Denying G‑d’s existence, Heaven forbid, is entirely unnatural for them.

The possibility for them to do so can be understood according to Rambam’s explanation6 that, initially, mankind began to worship false deities because they believed that G‑d’s beneficence flows to this world through intermediaries, the stars and the constellations. For this reason, they bowed down to and honored the stars and the constellations so that these intermediaries would facilitate the flow of Divine beneficence.

In truth, however, although Divine beneficence flows through such channels, one should not bestow honor upon them, for they are nothing more than an ax in the hands of a chopper.7 To clarify this point, Chassidus8 explains that there is a difference between one’s parents – whom one is commanded to honor – and intermediaries like the stars and the constellations – whom not only are we not commanded to honor, but are prohibited to worship.

When parents conceive a child, their actions are performed in partnership with G‑d, as our Sages state,9 “There are three partners in [the conception of] a child: the Holy One, blessed be He, his father, and his mother.” Although G‑d is the primary partner – as our Sages continue, “the Holy One, blessed be He, implants in him the soul…” – a child is obligated to honor his parents because they had the choice whether to conceive him or not. This is also the point of a saying of our Sages,10 “The wine belongs to the owner, but the waiter deserves favor,” i.e., although the wine does not belong to the waiter, he deserves recognition for his willingness to serve it. Similarly, even though G‑d is the source of a child’s life, his parents deserve honor for choosing to conceive him. By contrast, intermediaries like the stars and the constellations have no choice but to convey Divine beneficence. They are no more than an ax in the hands of a chopper.

Thus, for a Jew to honor and bow down to them constitutes the worship of a false deity,11 one of the most severe transgressions, as our Sages state,12 “The worship of false deities is a severe transgression. Conversely, anyone who denies idolatry is considered as if he acknowledges the entire Torah.”

Accordingly, the original reasoning behind the pagans’ worship of false deities was based on their misconception that they would receive material beneficence from this worship.13 Their worship was based on their self-interest.

This is also the reason why a Jew, even though he is a “believer who descends from believers,” can stumble and sin by worshiping false deities, Heaven forbid. He is not serving the false deity out of an inner, essential connection, Heaven forbid; he serves it solely because of perceived self-interest.

(When a Jew serves G‑d, it is not only so that G‑d will provide him with his needs. Instead, a Jew is deeply and wholeheartedly devoted to G‑d, without the thought of receiving a reward. By contrast, one who serves a false deity does so only because of the benefits he thinks it will bring him.)

To refer back to the narrative with Eliyahu, this is the reason the Jews served Baal, as implied by the verse,14 “Ever since we stopped burning incense…, we have lacked everything.”

Although a person generally serves false deities for the sake of the benefits he thinks he will receive because of it, there are two common approaches to such service: worshiping false deities in earnest and vacillating between the sides.

When a person earnestly serves false deities, he genuinely believes that they grant him beneficence. Thus, although he acts out of self-interest, he is honest and truthful, genuinely believing that serving the false deities will cause them to grant him beneficence.

By contrast, a person who vacillates from side to side lives in a state of confusion. There are some people who have no certainty whatsoever; they are always in a state of doubt. From time to time, they realize that the worship of false deities is insubstantial. Nevertheless, they continue to vacillate from one side to the other.

Another manner of shifting sides is what the Sages referred to as shituf,15 a belief that there is a “partnership” between these deities and G‑d. One who has adopted this way of thinking believes in G‑d but also, לְהַבְדִּיל, in a false deity.

In truth, when one who serves a false deity either with shituf or out of confusion – even when he does so merely in speech or performs an act of worship without believing in the false deity at all – is committing a very serious transgression, one which a Jew will innately avoid, even if doing so requires him to sacrifice his life, as stated in Tanya.16However, when a person becomes used to vacillating from side to side, he does not take such transgressions so seriously because he also serves G‑d from time to time.

On this basis, it can be understood why vacillating from one side to the other is in many ways worse than serving false deities. True, as a whole, serving false deities is worse. An idol-worshipper is always in a depraved state; he denies G‑d, Heaven forbid.

Nevertheless, when it comes to teshuvah, one who shifts from one side to the other is at a greater disadvantage, because it is much harder for a person who continually vacillates to return to G‑d in complete and genuine teshuvah. There are two aspects to this point:

a) When a person who genuinely believed in a false deity realizes that “G‑d is the L‑rd” and until that point he had made a bitter mistake, he fully recognizes the gravity of the sin he committed. As a result, he will turn to G‑d in teshuvah as he should, sincerely regretting his past conduct and resolving to change his ways. Then, his teshuvah will be accepted; to borrow the prophet’s wording,17 “he will repent and be healed.”

By contrast, since a person who constantly shifts from one side to the other also believes in G‑d, when later he realizes that he erred, he doesn’t feel the full gravity of his sin. He thinks, “Have I committed such a serious sin? Initially, I was acting out of confusion and my actions were merely superficial. In truth, I, like all Jews, have always been ‘a believer, the descendant of believers.’” Consequently, such a person will never feel genuine regret and his teshuvah will not be complete.18

b) A person who believes in a false deity – without shituf – is utterly spiritually defiled, Heaven forbid. He mistakenly believes that Baal is G‑d, Heaven forbid. Nevertheless, it is possible that even though he is cut off from the true G‑d, spirituality as a whole means something to him. He just misinterprets it due to ignorance.

By contrast, vacillating back and forth, following the approach of shituf reflects a drastic level of depravity. Not only does the person not seek a genuine connection to the true G‑d, he has no connection with the concept of spirituality as a whole. It doesn’t mean enough to him. The proof of this is the inner contradictions he faces. Even though he knows the truth, that G‑d is the L‑rd, he is perfectly happy, Heaven forbid, to temporarily trade G‑d for material benefits, to borrow Scriptural terminology,19 exchanging “the source of living water to hew out… broken cisterns.”

A person who serves false deities, if spirituality is important to him, will turn to G‑d in teshuvah wholeheartedly when he realizes his mistake. However, since spirituality does not mean anything to a person who vacillates from one side to the other – the only thing that is really important to him is getting by in the material world – even when he realizes that, in truth, material benefits are solely dependent on G‑d, he will not turn to G‑d in true teshuvah. He will repent only for the sake of material benefits.

The above applies with regard to a person’s own self. There is, however, another perspective from which one who shifts from one side to the other is worse than one who earnestly serves false deities – the effect his conduct will have on others.

When a person serves a false deity, Heaven forbid, no believing Jew will learn from him. Knowing that he denies G‑d, no one will share serious contact with him. When, by contrast, a person shifts from one side to the other, since he is also a believer, others may be influenced by him and emulate his example. In this way, he becomes one who causes others to sin, and causing others to sin is more severe than other transgressions.20

The Talmud21 relates that the Sages nullified the power of the evil inclination to serve false deities. However, today the tendency to shift from side to side is stronger than the evil inclination to serve false deities, whether that tendency is expressed in a refined manner or in a manner that is not so refined.22

There are people who, due to materially oriented motivations – their livelihood, illusory honor, or fear of what others might say – temporarily forego the observance of certain aspects of the Torah and its mitzvos. For a few days – or a few weeks – they place the Shulchan Aruch, together with G‑d, as it were, somewhere on the shelf so that people will not say that they are old-fashioned, or that they don’t understand what’s going on today. This is particularly true in America where the current mode is to abandon the old norms and go along with the spirit of the times.

Such a person is temporarily willing to sell G‑d, as it were, and his own soul so that people won’t say that he is old-fashioned, in order to receive illusory honor or money. (In truth, that money will go to doctors or the like, because money that originates from something against G‑d’s desires, will inevitably be spent on undesirable matters. Our Sages23 interpret the verse,24 “May G‑d bless you and protect you,” as “‘bless’ your possessions, and ‘protect you’ from harmful factors.” But a person who violates G‑d’s will lacks this Divine blessing and protection.)

A person must realize that vacillating from side to side is in many ways worse than serving false deities. To sum up the reasons mentioned above:

a) It is harder for such a person to genuinely turn to G‑d in teshuvah because he does not feel the severity of his sin. He will rationalize that his sin is not so severe because, overall, he is an observant Jew. What is so terrible if, for a short time, he makes small sacrifices for the sake of his livelihood or the like?

b) He is spiritually depraved. He is willing to sacrifice timeless, spiritual matters for material things of a temporary nature. He sells his eternal share in the World to Come for money and illusory honor.

c) He causes others to sin. If a person would go out and openly deny G‑d, he would be shunned entirely. When, however, he disguises those things that run contrary to the Torah and says that, for a brief time, they are not important – and moreover, supports his approach with a quote from Scripture or a saying of our Sages – he makes his position attractive and causes people at large to sin.

This is the lesson from this Haftarah. By challenging the people, “Until when will you continue to vacillate from side to side?” Eliyahu was emphasizing that such conduct is worse than the worship of false deities.

At that time, Eliyahu’s words aroused all the Jews to genuine teshuvah. They proclaimed,25 “G‑d is the L‑rd; G‑d is the L‑rd,” making that statement twice. At the Giving of the Torah, G‑d declared only once,26 “I am G‑d your L‑rd.” As explained in many sources,27this indicates that, through teshuvah, one reaches a higher level than before the sin, to borrow a Scriptural term,28 “a double portion of wisdom.”

The intent is not merely a double portion in a quantitative sense, but qualitatively so. The double portion represents a level that is incomparably higher than the first.

The above is relevant at present as well. All those who vacillate from side to side must turn to G‑d in teshuvah, thereby attaining “a double portion of wisdom.”

Our Sages29 teach that the Jewish people are “areivim one with another.” The meaning of the term in the context of the Talmudic passage is that they are mutually responsible. However, the literal meaning of the term is that they are “mixed together”; one person’s conduct affects another’s. To apply that understanding to the context of the present discussion, the light generated by the teshuvah of those who have vacillated will be drawn down to those Jews whom they, Heaven forbid, caused to sin and motivate them to turn to G‑d as well.

May G‑d bring this about with kindness and mercy and may those who caused others to sin – as well as those whom they motivated to follow them – turn to G‑d in teshuvah, achieving “a double portion of wisdom,” and may all proclaim together “G‑d is the L‑rd; G‑d is the L‑rd!”

Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 1, p. 183ff. Adapted from a sichah delivered on Shabbos Parshas Ki Sissa, 5717 [1957]