Rabbi Chaim Lobel
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH STATE
February 5, 2010
The second of the Ten Commandments reads: "You shall not have other gods before Me" (Exodus; Chapter 20, Verse 3).
Several verses later, the Torah commands "You shall not make images, with Me, of gods of silver and gods of gold" (20:20). Why the double warning?
The Sforno (1475-1550; 20:20) explains that, before the second warning, God told Moses to tell the Jewish people: "You have seen that from the heavens I have spoken to you" (20:19). God then warned the Jewish nation that, just as you have seen God with all His glory come down from heaven and speak to everyone, so too is it unnecessary to have any intermediary between us.
According to the Sforno, the second warning against creating images includes creating intermediaries between God and us. Just as God spoke directly to each Jew at Mount Sinai, so does each Jew have a direct relationship with God. Not only is an intermediary unnecessary, it is forbidden to create one.
At Mount Sinai, God gave the Torah and established a relationship with each Jew. It is that direct connection to God, that special relationship, that allows us to ask for sustenance, forgiveness, and strength from "our Father, our King."
By delving into the words of the Sforno, we can better appreciate our special connection to God. God wants us to speak directly to Him, just as He spoke directly to each of us at Mount Sinai. God has forbidden all intermediaries because He wants nothing between Himself and the children of Israel.
Imagine God's love for each of us that He desires to hear our prayers directly from every Jew. Imagine the sanctity of each person's relationship with God that nothing is allowed to come between Him and each Jew. Imagine the holiness of a Jew's prayer. Our bond with God at Mount Sinai has survived the generations and exists today within each of us.
Through all our hardships and uncertainties, when we pray to God, we can focus and truly appreciate that our "Avinu Shebashomayim," our Father in heaven, directly cares and connects with each of us.
Rabbi Chaim Lobel is spiritual leader of Young Israel of Aberdeen.
www.yiaberdeen.com