Date: August 10th 2017

PARSHAT EIKAV – THE SHELF LIFE OF FLAWED THINKING


Parshat Eikav contains some of the rebuke that Moshe (Moses) directed at the Jews shortly before his death. As part of that admonition, Moshe recounted what transpired when the Jews worshipped the Golden Calf shortly after the Torah was given at Sinai.

The age old question is: Why did they do it?

The Commentary of Ramban (Parshat Eikav 10:16) answers that the Jews sinned because they hadn’t completely abandoned the acceptance of idolatry acquired (absorbed) in Egypt. This profane belief still resided subliminally in their minds, and it came to the fore and led to the sin of the Golden Calf. The words of the Ramban take on far deeper significance when one considers the circumstances and events leading up to that terrible sin. From the onset of the Exodus to the sin of the Golden Calf, much transpired that both contravened the viability of Egyptian polytheism and affirmed the monotheism of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The Midrash (Targum Sheni Megillat Esther 1:1) lists ten instances in all of world history (past and future) of one ruler controlling the entire civilized world. Pharaoh, the Egyptian King of that time, was on that list. Yet, that mighty ruler was utterly humbled and brought to his knees by Hashem’s (G-d’s) open miracles and forced to free his 2,000,000 Jewish slaves. Pharaoh then recanted and pursued the Jews with his army to the shore of the Red Sea. The ocean miraculously split, and the Jews traversed it on dry land. Then, when the Egyptians gave chase, the split collapsed, drowning them all. The Song of Praise that the Jews then offered to Hashem is included in every day’s morning prayers. Hashem’s revelation during those moments was so intense that that even a lowly servant saw more of Hashem’s Essence than the prophet Yechezkel (Ezekiel) and all of the other prophets would see in later years (Midrash Mechilta, Beshalach 3). The Jews then traveled to Mount Sinai where th
ey received the Ten Commandments and the entirety of the Torah. At that time they reached yet greater spiritual heights – so much so that they were able to hear Hashem instructing Moshe to teach the Torah to the Jews (Rambam, Hilchot Yesodei Hatorah 8:1). They then actually heard Hashem pronouncing the first two of the Ten Commandments (Talmud Makot, 24a).

Nevertheless, forty days later they worshiped the Golden Calf saying, “This, Israel, is your god who brought you out of Egypt.” According to the Ramban, this occurred because the Jews never fully let go of the idea acquired in Egypt that idolatry was indeed legitimate. How could they have still believed this?

The Ramban’s explanation teaches a principle about the dynamic functioning of the human intellect. Once a mistaken idea lodges itself in the human mind, it can be extremely difficult to eradicate. Even when the error seems to have been totally replaced by truthful ideas, the underlying receptivity to the original distorted thoughts remains, though possibly in an unrecognized and dormant state. What can then occur is that under certain conditions, the distorted ideology might suddenly surface and compromise one’s thinking – even on a life-altering issue.

The Jews likely assumed that their previous acceptance of idolatry was completely displaced by the profound and ecstatic closeness to G-d that prevailed during the Exodus. They were wrong. When an all-powerful temptation to sin presented itself, their old mistaken way of thinking suddenly and unexpectedly resurfaced and precipitated a national debacle. Once a person has subscribed to an erroneous belief system, its mental and emotional imprints are incredibly durable.

Those who have made genuine spiritual strides should be especially mindful of this psychodynamic. Even years of faithful adherence to halachic Judaism and living among like-minded Jews does not guarantee that that the previous thinking has been completely abandoned. Though dormant and unrecognized, these thoughts and beliefs have not necessarily disappeared. They can emerge at any time and profoundly impact one’s thinking.


These ideas are particularly relevant to the raising and education of young children. Children do not have the maturity and critical thinking skills of adults. The ethical norms they are exposed to will therefore likely be accepted without reservation and then lodge in their young minds. When children are raised and educated in a Torah milieu, the beneficial impact of their upbringing can last for a lifetime. In this spirit the Torah writes, “Guide the youth properly, even when he is old, he will not stray from it” (Proverbs, 22:6).

Conversely, exposing children to unacceptable definitions of morality and religious faith can also permanently embed distorted moral thinking into their minds. Parents of young children should always bear this in mind. Once the immorality of “the street” lodges in those young psyches, those unacceptable standards can be extremely difficult to fully eradicate. Decades later, those unseen notions might suddenly emerge and a heretofore upright individual might end up being powerfully drawn toward positively reprehensible behavior. Parents should therefore carefully consider the type of media children are exposed to. What modern society considers “wholesome family fare” is often laden with messages, both subtle and overt, that are highly antithetical to the Torah’s sacred and unchanging standards of propriety and ethics.


The Ramban’s words furthermore indicate that it isn’t only children who are imperiled for a lifetime due to embracing misguided thinking. This week’s Torah’s portion, as explained by the Ramban, demonstrates that adults as well are similarly vulnerable to this psychodynamic. Flawed and sinful ideas can have an amazingly long shelf life.


This is an edited version of the Dvar that was previously emailed on July 25th 2013.


Last week’s Dvar mentioned that the ninth year of sending these emails just began, and it appealed for sponsorships of $120 or more from the readers. Some already volunteered.

FYI… The birthday celebration is still ongoing.


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