At the conclusion of Parshat Yitro, after the account of the giving of the Torah, Hashem instructs Moshe to exhort the people not to make “gods” of silver or gold and to build altars only of earth or stone. This is separate from the warning given at Har Sinai not to have other gods, and it is in conjunction with the instructions that immediately follow the giving of the Torah concerning the proper structures for the worship of Hashem.
It is well known how the Torah proceeds from the account of the revelation at Sinai to the conferral of the minutiae of Jewish law in next week’s parsha, Mishpatim. This brief interlude at the end of Yitro interrupts that progression.
Alshich in his commentary points out that Moshe is told to emphasize that Hashem spoke to Israel “from the heavens” (Shemot 20:19). This precludes the possibility of any construct here on earth manifesting the presence or the “voice” of G-d. But the Torah is going a step further, as the language here specifies that Hashem spoke “to you.” The revelation at Sinai was not some shamanic rapture that impacted Moshe alone, or a few initiates. The people asked Moshe to relate Hashem’s message to them because they were terrified by the experience of hearing His voice directly, but they all had had that immediate visceral and personal experience.
There cannot possibly be a substitute for the experience of encountering the knowledge of Hashem once it has directly impacted upon one’s consciousness. Other people who have formed intellectual concepts of divinity or who have accepted the assurances of religious leaders who claim to possess such knowledge might be led astray or tricked by charlatans into worshipping idols. But Moshe is reminding Israel of what we already know – we have all felt the presence of Hashem directly and we heard “His voice” calling to us from on high. There is no substitute for this that can be built on earth from silver or gold.
The message continues that altars must be built of earth, in most cases assemblies of stones and dirt to join them. Here again the implication is that we must not imagine that knowledge of the Divine is something beyond our comprehension or reserved for an elect who are isolated from the rest of the community. The duty and the privilege of serving Hashem is common to all of Israel. The altar is built of the earth we all tread; it is situated in “every place where my name is recalled” (Shemot 20:21).
A generation after the Alshich, this sentiment was echoed by the Shela HaKadosh, as a message tailored to the Jews dwelling in the nations of the gentiles during our long exile. He said that in such a situation, we might find ourselves induced by the gentiles (i.e., the Christians) or even the Muslims (who are monotheists as we are) to abandon the Torah of Moshe. Rather than employing their usual methods of coercion and intimidation, they might try to impress us with tales of the marvels performed by their prophets or false gods. They might even demonstrate magical powers or displays of great wealth that will amaze us in their presence. But every one of us should retain the memory of our encounter with the true presence of the Divine in Creation. There is nothing they can tell us or show us that can begin to compete with the truth we already know because it is something we have felt and experienced firsthand.
