By Rabbi Moshe Pogrow
These words—lo saasun iti, mizbeiach adama taaseh li—mark the division between the Divine and the non-Jewish views of man’s relationship to G-d.
It is delusional to think that man can make for himself a god—that he can set before himself an image, a power, an institution, a man, as his own highest ideal, and that this thing he has chosen to worship will decide his fate.
It is delusional to think that man needs to make for himself a god—that to ensure his future, he should look to things of his own making. The heathen imagines that through these things he pays homage to the Power that rules the world and fulfills his duty by acknowledging his dependence on Him. But it is nonsense to think of man’s dependence on G-d in terms of fate and in the passive terms of human relationships.
These delusions have from time immemorial dominated the non-Jewish world, and have produced both crude and spiritual fetishism. In opposition stands the truth of Judaism, which is meant to put an end to idolatry, no matter what form it takes. Man cannot make for himself a god. Man cannot draw G-d near by representing the godly in a corporeal form; rather, man should draw himself near to G-d in every aspect of his life: by filling his whole being with spirituality and morality, and by subordinating all his activities to G-d’s commandments.
In order to attain closeness to G-d and to secure G-d’s protection and guidance, it is not G-d that man must influence, but himself. He should be preoccupied not with shaping his fate, but with shaping his deeds.
Man must recognize that G-d has no physical qualities he can influence. He has absolute freedom, free will, and unlimited power; He rules the world in freedom and has revealed His Will to man as the measure of all things.
To G-d’s Will man must surrender his whole being—joyfully, freely, and with all the strength of his personality. Only then will blessing shower upon him and bring success to his work.
Obedience to G-d out of free will is all that is necessary to bring blessing to man, community and individual. Nothing can take its place.
All subjective caprice is like heathenism and idolatry, for it is based on the delusion that man can arbitrarily exert influence over the shaping of his future, which is equivalent to the belief that man can bend the Will of the Divine. Thus man places his own ego on par with—even in opposition to— G-d’s will.
This is the essence of what Shmuel said to Shaul long ago: “Obedience is better than sacrifices; paying heed is better than the fat of rams; for the sin of witchcraft is disobedience, obstinacy, and following oracles are self-willed acts.”
Based on the commentary of Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch zt”l on Chumash, with permission from the publisher.
