בס”ד
Worse than Idolatry
Parashat Ki Tisa This week’s Torah reading is called Ki Tisa, and the main story it contains is the long story of the Golden Calf. Our sages added a reading of the prophets after the regular Torah reading (Melachim 1, ch. 18). In this additional reading we find a very interesting story about the prophet Eliahu and his questioning the Jewish people: until when are you going to step in two directions?
Based on Likutei Sichot, vol. 1, p. 183
This week’s reading is called “Ki Tisa When You Count,” and the main subject is the long story of the Golden Calf. I won’t go into the details of the story—you can read it on your own.
There was a time in history when the non-Jews ruling over the land of Israel forbade the Jews from studying Torah. In response, we instituted a practice: instead of reading from the Five Books of Moses, we read selected passages from the Prophets that related to the weekly Torah portion. This way, at the very least, we would not forget the concept of Torah reading.
Over time, this decree against Torah study was lifted for some reason, and we resumed reading the Torah as before. However, we continued the practice of reading from the Prophets alongside the Torah portion. This additional reading is called the Haftarah. Usually, the Haftarah has a connection to the weekly Torah portion.
The Haftarah for this particular week recounts a famous story about the prophet Elijah (Eliyahu) and his confrontation with the prophets of Baal and idolatry. The conflict escalated to the point where a fire came down from heaven, proving that “G-d is the L-rd!”—a declaration the people repeated upon witnessing the great miracle.
At one point in the story, Elijah asks the people: “Until when will you waver between two opinions?” Instead of simply questioning why they engage in idolatry, he asks why they try to follow both paths—worshipping G-d while also worshipping idols. This suggests that there is something even worse than outright idolatry: wavering between the two.
Why is this worse?
Idolatry is deeply rooted in human desires. People seek blessings from heaven—money, health, children, well-being—and when they feel that idol worship gives them results while prayers to G-d go unanswered, they may abandon G-d entirely in favor of idols. They place all their trust in the idols and move on.
However, there is an even worse scenario: Shituf (association). This is when a person believes in G-d, acknowledges Him as the supreme L-rd, but still thinks that other forces—idols, intermediaries—have power under G-d’s authority. They believe G-d is distant or uninvolved, so they pray to idols while still believing in G-d.
This back-and-forth uncertainty creates a worse spiritual state than outright idolatry. Here’s why:
- Doubt makes it harder to return to G-d.
If someone is fully committed to idolatry but later realizes it’s false, the path to repentance is clear—they abandon it completely and return to G-d. But if someone is constantly wavering, they remain stuck in confusion and doubt, making it much harder to recognize their mistake and repent. - Self-centered spirituality blinds a person.
If someone serves idols purely for personal gain—whether material or even spiritual—they become trapped in their own desires. Even if they have mystical experiences or feel spiritually fulfilled, they are focused on themselves rather than on truth. This makes them less likely to seek the real G-d. - It confuses others.
A person who is openly idolatrous is easy to recognize as being in error. Others will simply dismiss them as wrong. But when someone mixes belief in G-d with idolatry, they spread confusion. People who listen to them may be misled into thinking that such a mixed belief is acceptable. This happens today with certain Kabbalists on the internet who teach correct ideas from books but personally do not even believe in G-d. They end up misleading others into a similar state of doubt.
This is why Elijah asked the people: “Until when will you waver between two opinions?” This state of uncertainty is even worse than outright idolatry.
Perhaps this is the message our sages wanted to teach us by choosing this Haftarah to follow the Torah reading about the Golden Calf. At first glance, worshipping a golden statue seems absurd—who would bow to a lifeless idol? (Although, according to tradition, the Golden Calf was not completely lifeless; it moved and even ate.)
The real warning is against a more subtle and dangerous form of idolatry: one that appears to include G-d but ultimately leads people away from Him. This is why the Haftarah reminds us that faith in G-d must be complete and undivided.
Talk from Rabbi Tuvia Serber
The above is a representation of the spoken text converted to written text.
© Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further.
Our blogs may contain text/quotes/references/links that include copyright material of
Mechon-Mamre.org, Aish.com, Sefaria.org, Chabad.org, and/or AskNoah.org, which we use in accordance with their policies.
