Va'etchanan

Modern day Idol worship

This week’s Torah Portion Va'etchanan - וָאֶתְחַנַּן starts with Moses praying to Hashem that he can enter the land of Israel. In the fourth Aliyah a repetition of the Ten Commandments, and the sixth with the Shema. So much to choose from, I want to focus on what Moses said on remembering the covenant and the foolishness of worshiping idols.

Take care, then, not to forget the covenant that the LORD your God concluded with you, and not to make for yourselves a sculptured image in any likeness, against which the LORD your God has enjoined you. - Deuteronomy 4:24

There you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, that cannot see or hear or eat or smell. - Deuteronomy 4:28

When I was younger I did not understand how anyone could worship a lifeless idol. It is brought down in Sanhedrin 64a that the people prayed and fasted to remove the evil inclination of idol worship, so we are not at the same level as temptation as before.

Today we have an idol that is more advanced. My phone can see me with its camera, hear with a microphone, and eats electricity. You can even have one smell with an air quality sensor.

People line up Overnight for the new Iphone

How Apple became so popular people line up overnight for its new products

“Earlier this year, legendary journalist and reviewer Walt Mossberg compared the fanaticism and devotion to Apple to a religion--the Church of Apple. I really like this comparison, because there really isn't another way to describe the Apple phenomenon. Even when I traveled to Apple headquarters to cover its launch events, back when I was an editor at Mashable, it felt as if I was walking on holy ground.” - The Church of Apple Is a Religion Because We Made It One

Phone addiction is real, and many reach for our phones the moment we are alone or bored. We must work to limit our time on our phones, or use them only as a tool to better ourselves. We do not want to be worshiping our phones by performing the ritual of checking notification 96 times a day. At the very least a screenless Saturday or the prescription known as Shabbat.