{"id":10460,"date":"2023-07-24T16:38:10","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T15:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/?p=10460"},"modified":"2025-08-17T14:41:04","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T13:41:04","slug":"parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Parash\u00e1 Vaetjan\u00e1n \u2013 No creas en otros dioses versus Dios es uno"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Devarim, 5:7<\/a>: \u201c<\/strong>You shall not recognize other gods in My Presence\u201d.
<\/a>Devarim, 6:4<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cHear, Israel, HaShem is our G-d, HaShem is the One and Only.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Two of the most well-known passages in the Torah appear in this week\u2019s Torah portion: The Ten Commandments and the Shema. On close analysis, there seems to be a repetition between two of the mitzvot that feature in these passages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second of the Ten Commandments is the prohibition to follow other gods (elohim acheirim<\/em>), and the Shema itself is the mitzvah to believe that G-d is the one and only G-d, (Yichud Hashem<\/em>), which indicates that it is forbidden to believe in many gods. This prohibition seems to have been already covered in the mitzvah not to follow other gods, so what is added by the mitzvah to believe that there is only one G-d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evidently, the mitzvah of belief that G-d is one goes a lot further than just the requirement to believe that there is only one G-d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to fully understand this mitzvah and contrast it to the mitzvah of not following other gods it is first necessary to explain what it means not to follow other gods and how this applies nowadays. In earlier times, there was a widespread desire to actively worship false gods so this mitzvah was highly pertinent. However, the Talmud relates that the Men of the Great Assembly removed the inclination of Idol worship, therefore, it would appear that from that time on, this mitzvah is basically obsolete. How does it apply to us?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In truth, this mitzvah is highly pertinent at all times. A false god is not just a physical idol, rather it is anything that a person ascribes power to, meaning that he believes that this thing is the source of a person\u2019s success. It can include money, desires, oneself, one\u2019s boss, or any number of other things that a person feels are the key to his success in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gemara1<\/sup> points out another false god that influences everyone. King David in Psalms2<\/sup> states that \u201cthere should not be within you a strange god\u201d. The Gemara explains that this strange god refers to the negative inclination (yetzer hara<\/em>) that actually pervades a person\u2019s very consciousness. One possible meaning of this is that the negative inclination itself is what controls a person\u2019s drives and fulfilling its desires will provide a person with satisfaction. And in this form, it is a kind of false god.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, the mitzvah not to have other gods tells us that all those forces that convince us that the way to succeed is through them, are null and void when contrasted to the all-powerful G-d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, there is still something lacking in what a person\u2019s attitude should be towards the various sources of power outside of G-d – that is where the mitzvah of belief in one G-d steps in: This mitzvah teaches that all of these powers are not \u2018fighting\u2019 G-d, they are not against Him. Rather, in truth, they are part of G-d\u2019s purpose, just like everything in Creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, the ultimate goal of the negative inclination is not to cause us to turn away from G-d, rather its goal is for us to overcome its temptations and thereby become closer to Him. This is why the Sages state that when G-d saw that the creation on the sixth day was \u2018very good\u2019 in contrast to the other days where it was merely \u2018good\u2019, He was referring to the creation of the negative inclination – it is indeed very good because it brings us closer to our purpose of coming closer to G-d by overcoming its challenges. So too, the other powers that we view as taking away from closeness to G-d are also tools to get closer to Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this vein, another application of belief in one G-d is that everything that happens to a person is directed at the same purpose of bringing him closer to G-d. Thus, seemingly \u2018bad\u2019 events that take place come from G-d just as much as pleasant Divine Providence. Both are there to bring us closer to him, albeit in different ways. Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits, Rosh Yeshivah of Aish HaTorah, expresses this even regard to \u2018minor\u2019 suffering that we view as nuisances. In his words3<\/sup>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWe say that some things are good and some things are bad. What are you talking about? That negates [the idea of] “Hashem is our G-d, G-d is one!” You mean some things are working in one direction and some things in the other direction? Everything was created for the same purpose, because it has the same source, and its source is only good! Everything is made up of this Hashem-liness. Everything is good. Everything is created only for the sake of bringing us back to connecting to Hashem, being one with Hashem, and taking pleasure in it! Oh, I’d really want to learn, but I keep getting these problems in life. I really want to learn but I caught a cold, what a nuisance. It’s standing in the way of my service of G-d.<\/p>
<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

By Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Shabbos, 105b<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Tehillim, 81:10<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. With Translation of Hebrew words into English<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. From a Shiur on the Six Constant Mitzvos.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    WEEKLY TORAH PORTION<\/strong>,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Guiding Light<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    by Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    Read more of this Aish.com Article<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \u00a9 Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Our blogs may contain text\/quotes\/references\/links that include copyright material of Mechon-Mamre.org<\/a>, Aish.com<\/a>, Sefaria.org<\/a>, Chabad.org<\/a>, and\/or AskNoah.org<\/a>, which we use in accordance with their policies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11  Devarim, 5:7: \u201cYou shall not recognize other gods in My Presence\u201d.Devarim, 6:4: \u201cHear, Israel, HaShem is our G-d, HaShem is the One and Only.\u201d Two of the most well-known passages in the Torah appear in this week\u2019s Torah portion: The Ten Commandments and the Shema. On close analysis, there seems to be a repetition […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":10461,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-parshot-of-the-rabbis"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nParshat Va\u2019etchanan - Don\u2019t Believe in Other G-ds Versus G-d is One - Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Parshat Va\u2019etchanan - Don\u2019t Believe in Other G-ds Versus G-d is One - Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11  Devarim, 5:7: \u201cYou shall not recognize other gods in My Presence\u201d.Devarim, 6:4: \u201cHear, Israel, HaShem is our G-d, HaShem is the One and Only.\u201d Two of the most well-known passages in the Torah appear in this week\u2019s Torah portion: The Ten Commandments and the Shema. On close analysis, there seems to be a repetition […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-07-24T15:38:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-17T13:41:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Plaatjes-voor-Blogs-2023-07-24T173714.616-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"650\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"245\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Escrito por\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Tiempo de lectura\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutos\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/\",\"name\":\"Parshat Va\u2019etchanan - Don\u2019t Believe in Other G-ds Versus G-d is One - Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Plaatjes-voor-Blogs-2023-07-24T173714.616-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-07-24T15:38:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-17T13:41:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/97674967290240adaea467ecec7bd495\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Plaatjes-voor-Blogs-2023-07-24T173714.616-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Plaatjes-voor-Blogs-2023-07-24T173714.616-1.jpg\",\"width\":650,\"height\":245},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Parshat Va\u2019etchanan – Don\u2019t Believe in Other G-ds Versus G-d is One\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/\",\"name\":\"Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach\",\"description\":\"Sukkat Shalom is an international community of B'nei Noach - Noahides, where you can find information about Noahism and Judaism.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/97674967290240adaea467ecec7bd495\",\"name\":\"Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/author\/rabbi-yehonasan-gefen\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Parshat Va\u2019etchanan - Don\u2019t Believe in Other G-ds Versus G-d is One - Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/","og_locale":"es_ES","og_type":"article","og_title":"Parshat Va\u2019etchanan - Don\u2019t Believe in Other G-ds Versus G-d is One - Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach","og_description":"Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11  Devarim, 5:7: \u201cYou shall not recognize other gods in My Presence\u201d.Devarim, 6:4: \u201cHear, Israel, HaShem is our G-d, HaShem is the One and Only.\u201d Two of the most well-known passages in the Torah appear in this week\u2019s Torah portion: The Ten Commandments and the Shema. On close analysis, there seems to be a repetition […]","og_url":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/","og_site_name":"Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach","article_published_time":"2023-07-24T15:38:10+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-17T13:41:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":650,"height":245,"url":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Plaatjes-voor-Blogs-2023-07-24T173714.616-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Escrito por":"Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen","Tiempo de lectura":"4 minutos"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/","url":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/","name":"Parshat Va\u2019etchanan - Don\u2019t Believe in Other G-ds Versus G-d is One - Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Plaatjes-voor-Blogs-2023-07-24T173714.616-1.jpg","datePublished":"2023-07-24T15:38:10+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-17T13:41:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/97674967290240adaea467ecec7bd495"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"es","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Plaatjes-voor-Blogs-2023-07-24T173714.616-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Plaatjes-voor-Blogs-2023-07-24T173714.616-1.jpg","width":650,"height":245},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/parshat-vaetchanan-dont-believe-in-other-g-ds-versus-g-d-is-one\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Parshat Va\u2019etchanan – Don\u2019t Believe in Other G-ds Versus G-d is One"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/","name":"Sucat Shalom B'nei Noaj","description":"Sukkat Shalom es una comunidad internacional de B&#039;nei Noach - No\u00e1jidas, donde podr\u00e1s encontrar informaci\u00f3n sobre el noajismo y el juda\u00edsmo.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/97674967290240adaea467ecec7bd495","name":"Rabino Yehonasan Gefen","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen"},"url":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/author\/rabbi-yehonasan-gefen\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10460"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22716,"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10460\/revisions\/22716"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}