That Golden Statue! And I DON’T mean OSCAR!

The Berlin Film Festival hands out the “Golden Bear.”  The Venice Film Festival awards the “Golden Lion.” And, as we saw last Sunday night, in a flash of glitz and glamour, The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bestows the “Oscar,” a golden naked man holding a sword and standing on a pedestal of film. (The “golden” fellow is, for the record, pewter plated with copper, nickel, silver and a thin coating of 24-karat gold with a production cost of $500 each) Oscar is, without a doubt, the most coveted and recognizable film award in the world.

We always use the words “coveted” and “Oscar” in the same sentence. And, as we know, “coveting” is not usually a good thing. So, upon consideration, the one nation that really sees its award in the right perspective is the Netherlands Film Festival.  They award the “GOLDEN CALF!”  (After all, the Netherlands is known for its dairy cows!)  To quote film festival jury member Martin Koolhoven “the Dutch Calvinist culture is more relativizing than proud: this is why the Golden Calf is such a good prize, because of the wink that is included. We have a golden calf and after all it is sinful to worship it."

Magically coinciding with the timing of the Oscars, this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tisa, Exodus 30:11–34:35, recalls the incident of the “golden calf.”  Moses goes up to Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments.  Some of the people become extremely agitated when their leader doesn’t return when expected.  Some decide to make a physical representation of  “the god of Israel” in the form of a golden calf and proceed to worship it.  And, just as some people brought gold and other precious materials to build the Tabernacle earlier in the Book of Exodus, now others, in their insecurity, melt down their gold for an idol.

We know that a “mixed multitude” left Egypt along with the Israelites.  Perhaps they were the idol makers and worshipers!  Nevertheless, as angry as Moses is when he sees them cavorting around the golden calf (remember, he smashes the first set of Tablets), what really upsets him is that those Israelites who DID believe in HaShem, who DID NOT contribute their gold for the molten statue, and who DID NOT worship the idol simply stood by, did nothing, and let it happen!

One of the best discussions I have with our Bar and Bat Mitzvah students during
our “one-on-one study sessions together is about the concept of “idols and
idolatry.”   The term “idol” certainly has a different ring to it these days.  Thanks
to “American Idol” teens have a somewhat unusual take on the word.

I have this discussion to prepare them for the “lead-up” to the recitation of the Shema, the key statement of the Jewish faith. “Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, The Lord is One.”  We delve into the “Oneness” of God.

Prior to the Shema, our B’nai Mitzvah boys and girls stand before the congregation and read a passage that illustrates for them, and us, the destructive power of idol worship.  Here is the passage:

“We must be reminded that only God is to be worshipped, or else we might worship idols; power, wealth or prestige, or other false gods can claim people today as easily as 3,000 years ago.

To worship something means to give everything one possesses, all of one’s talents and energies to this end. Thus, the person who worships power may sacrifice honor for power, may neglect family for power, and may destroy character for power.

That is why thrice daily we recite the Shema, so that we may be reminded that there is but one God in the universe to whom we should be truly dedicated.”

In a secular world, we would call this passage “Character Education.” But collectively as Jews we know it is only by putting our faith in God’s teachings, rather than idol worship, that we have endured. Not only is it the core of our faith, it is the source of our strength, and the wellspring of our value system. It is these words that have guided our people and have kept us in every generation,  

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Rose




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