Sanhedrin 63: Idol Worship Then and Now

A brief summary of the main ideas presented in today's daf:

• all transgressions may be considered to be one transgression
• an idol might be honoured or disgraced by bowing (or other actions)
• once a person claims that an idol is his/hers, s/he has transgressed
• a Mishna forbade us from hugging, kissing, sweeping or spraying an idol
• These are punishable not by death but with lashes
• possibly only vowing and swearing are punishable with lashes
• swearing in the name of idolatry may be considered to be another way to entice people 
• a story is told of a boy among many in Yerushalayim with a distended belly.  He is found on a waste heap with an idol.  Eliyahu told him to say the sh'ma to better his life, but the little boy replied that he did not know G-d's name as his parents never taught it to him.  He kissed and hugged the idol until his stomach exploded.  When he fell onto the idol on the ground, he fulfilled a saying that had been suggested earlier by Eliyahu.

Today we continue to struggle with what it means to worship G-d; what it means to worship an idol.  Most modern Jews would find it simple deny idol worship.  And yet our devotion to all things unrelated to G-d - our cell phones, our egos, our success in the working world - suggests that we do worship some sort of idol.  Dedicating time and energy to a Jewish-informed relationship with G-d requires commitment to a community, prayer, and meeting obligations that might seem meaningless.  It is that struggle to create meaning that will allow us to connect with G-d in today's world.  But we cannot force others to spend that required time and energy.  Working on our own connection with G-d is the best way to avoid idol worship.