Today’s עבודה זרה

The reading of Kohelet led me to consult one of the first Artscroll books written in 1976. (I think Ruth was the very first Artscroll book to come out.) The overview of Kohelet is amazingly relevant to the time that we are currently living in. Shlomo Hamelech spoke of the vanities of this world, and how the pursuit of material gains and materialism, will not lead to happiness. The Artscroll quote from 1976 was as follows: “Man has always been hypnotized by belief in strange gods; whether they were called Baal, Emancipation, Liberalism, or science.” Today, the substitute for the beauty of a Torah way of life is Racism, Democracy, and Global Warming. In many circles, mostly secular, if anyone is accused of not properly respecting these three areas, they are looked at with disdain. The Torah is clearly not racist, as anyone of any color, is welcome to become part of the Jewish people. Democracy is also practiced provided that majority rule does not violate Halacha. And we are meant not to do things to contaminate the environment. The difference here lies with the fact that for observant Jews, these are aspects of Judaism. For the secular, democracy, racism, and global warming, become an end in themselves. This is what Shlomo Hamelech meant when he said that everything leads to futility. Without Hashem’s guiding Hand, we are living without real purpose or direction.