A Statue?

I once had the privilege of hearing Rabbi Gavriel Ginsberg speak on the concept of avoda zorah, of idol worship. Back in the day, people would create statues and then actually believe that these statues were gods. They would pray to them, leave food offerings and sacrifices for them, place them in prominent places in the house, etc. etc. Sounds kinda kooky, right? I mean, we're talking about something that you would create with your own hands. How can a creation of your hands and will and skill have more power than you? How can it be a god? It just doesn't make sense to today's world. So one would think that the idea of idol worship is simply a thing of the past. It's something that doesn't apply today, and so the second of the Ten Commandment, that you shall have no other gods, isn't something that we would have to worry about in our day to day lives. R'Ginsburg said no. The concept of idol worship hasn't disappeared, it's simply changed face.

Yesterday, as part of the Toronto International Film Festival, I had the opportunity to go see Chris Rock. He was being interviewed about his new movie, Good Hair. The interview was interesting, as it's always interesting to learn about new people, especially those who enjoy worldwide fame. However as I was sitting in the theater, listening to the interview, I began to learn a social lesson. People can be blinded by the concept of "fame". I'll admit that there were times where I was laughing, but frankly they were few and far between. I happen to find Chris Rock most funny, which is why I went, but this wasn't a comedy show. He was talking about his new movie. Now it's not that he didn't say anything funny, but most of the time, it was just a regular conversation. And yet, throughout the entire show, the power of his "fame" simply took over the entire theater to the point where everybody was rolling with laughter at the most inane comments. Things that were either just not funny, or perhaps mildly amusing, had people almost falling out of their seats with laughter.

Last night I came to realize exactly what R'Ginsburg was trying to say. Idol worship today is not about statues. Today, we take ordinary people and elevate them. Okay, there's nothing wrong with that. That's probably a normal thing, to have role models and what not. The problem comes when you elevate them to such a level that you are willing to go to extreme lengths for them. When you obsess about them. When that person comes to fill your life. We see this almost on a daily basis; sports stars, actors and actresses, politicians. One could almost say that the paparazzi are the biggest idol worshipers we have today. They spend all their time trying to take pictures of normal people. Yes celebrities have fame, and money, and are well known, but at the end of the day, they are normal people who just happen to be good at their job.

Now I'm not saying that we should immediately do away with the concept of celebrity. Not at all. Socially it's probably a very important and necessary concept. All I'm trying to say here is that while yes it is most interesting to see what these celebrities do and whatnot, we should try to remember that real celebrities often go unsung. Your waiter, your store clerks, your librarian.....These are all examples of people who work hard everyday and are as proficiant, if not more so, at their jobs as any "celebrity". And yet these people, who have much more of an impact on your daily life then you perhaps realize, often go unnoticed.

I suppose, at the end of all this, what I'm trying to say is that, while following celebrities is fun, one must take care that it does not become all consuming. Standing in the rain for hours on end simply for a glimpse of one, this today is what idol worship is, and that is how we can, G-d forbid, come to violate the second of the Ten Commandments.