As in many other parts of Book of Deuteronomy, Parashat Va’etchanan returns to the wanderings of the Jewish people in the desert and the need to observe the laws and statutes that Moses transmitted to them during their travels. In reading this portion, one gets the impression that Moses is continually repeating the same things, although in different ways, among them the Ten Commandments.

One of the issues featured prominently in this portion is the need to avoid engaging in the rituals of other peoples and with idolatry. Such was Moses’ entreaty regarding the events at Baal Peor, the need to eradicate the places of worship of the people across the Jordan – in Canaan – and in particular, he emphasized the need to remember the experience at Sinai at which God revealed himself by sound and not by an image – and the need to avoid worshiping foreign gods and idolatry.

Judaism can be defined by its active opposition to idolatry in all of its forms. We tend to think of idolatry in terms of its physical manifestations such as statues, amulets and totems, or in terms of belief in superstitions or astrology. As proposed by Prof. Asa Kasher of Hebrew University, anything in the world that has overriding importance in a person’s life, when taken to its extreme, may fall under the definition of an idol for that person. When taken in moderation, the drive for money, fame or  power can have positive personal and social benefits. However, when taken to extremes, without regard for competing and no less important values, such behavior enters the realm of idolatry. The negation of idolatry –  active opposition to all forms of idolatry – is thus, according to Prof. Kasher, a key to understanding Judaism.

Numerous beliefs and practices – both religious and secular – have the potential to become  idolatrous when taken to their extreme, whether in the social, political or personal realms. Examples of idolatrous behavior abound in modern life and in Israeli society, in particular.

In this Torah portion we are also explicitly warned:

Be careful, then, to do as your God has commanded you. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left.

Various interpretations have been given to this commandment by classical commentators:

• Ralbag (Rabbi Levi Ben Gershon, a French commentator from the 13th century) ascribed addition to the commandments to the right and the diminution of them to the left.
• Sforno (Ovadia Sforno, an Italian commentator from the late 15th to mid 16th century) similarly interpreted this commandment to mean that one should not add or detract from the commandments, even with good intent.
• Adin Steinsaltz (a modern commentator who passed away in 2020 in Jerusalem) interpreted this commandment to mean that one must fulfill the commandments with awe and fear just as one would have done upon hearing the voice of God at Sinai.

However, this commandment can also be interpreted with reference to any divided society and especially to contemporary Israeli society.

One of the features of current political discourse in Israel (as well as in other countries) is the widening gulf between those who define themselves (or who are defined by others) as leftist or rightist.  In this paradigm, the Israeli left is defined as in favor of governmental intervention in the economy and society, as raising the flag of human rights, women’s rights and gay rights, as being for a two-state solution for settling the Palestinian question, and as being generally secular in outlook, if not downright anti-religious. Similarly, and inversely, the right is identified as being laissez faire in economic and societal outlook, as placing the rights of Jews above others and as against attacks on traditional family values, as being opposed to the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel and, in general, as being traditional, if not zealous, in religious belief and observance. 

As you read the description of these typologies of right and left, you will identify them (but not necessarily identify with them). However, few of us fit neatly into one or the other of such typologies. In reality, most people are comprised of a complex mix of character traits and beliefs. Someone who supports transgender rights may also be against the two-state solution. Another person who strictly adheres to religious law may also be a member of a kibbutz. As many studies have shown, the way in which we perceive events and other people is strongly colored by our backgrounds – our nation, our tribe and our family – and that we tend to associate with people and groups – and vote – consistently in a manner that reinforces our biases. That’s all right and to be expected. Few of us change our basic outlook throughout our lives.

However, when we get carried away by our perceptions and get lost in the illusion that these caricatures represent reality and impute them to one or another actual person, we enter the realm of idolatry. Such polarization between left and right is a sure sign that Israeli society has slipped into idolatry. The potential for idolatry is inherent in any ideology or political position when taken to its extreme. These typologies, which are often reinforced by the most demonstrative adherents of these positions, run the risk of creating caricatures of us all, and thus of making us lose our humanity.

On this Tu B’av – the 15th of the month of Av, the celebration of love – we need to remember that each of us is comprised of a mixture of attributes that reflects the image of God within us. We are therefore commanded to acknowledge that the image of God also resides on the other side – with our political rivals – left or right – and that we must remember the great commandment:

“Love your neighbor as yourself”

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Tu B’av