15 Aug SHOFTIM: WHY ATHEISM STRUGGLES WITH GENUINE DIVERSITY AND WHY TRUE RELIGION CELEBRATES IT

First Anecdote:
A man goes out with
a woman on their first
date. For the first three
hours, he talks only
about himself, his
history, accomplishments
and interests. Finally, he turns to her and says:
“Enough of me speaking about myself; let me
hear what you have to say about me.”
Second Anecdote:
The rabbi was hospitalized recovering from
a heart attack when the president of the
congregation visited him. He said: “Rabbi, I
have good news and bad news.”
“First the good news,” the rabbi said.
“On behalf of the board of directors, I am
here to wish you a speedy recovery.”
“That’s wonderful,” said the rabbi, “and
what’s the bad news?”
“The vote was 7 to 6.”
Despising Single Stones
This week’s parsha, Shoftim, communicates
the following interesting commandment:
“You shall not erect for yourself a pillar; this is
something which the Lord your G-d despises.”
Rashi, explains this as a prohibition against

erecting an altar of a single stone, even if the
intent was to use this altar as a place for Divine
worship, where offerings would be presented
to G-d.
Though the Torah elsewhere allows the
existence of altars made of stone in the Beit
Hamikdash in Yerushalayim and in the
Mishkan in the desert, Rashi explains that this
is only true of altars comprised of many
stones, not of a single stone.
But what’s the logic? Does it make a
difference whether you present an offering on
an altar of one stone or of many stones?
Rashi explains that the difference is not
intrinsic but historical. In the times of the
Patriarchs, Rashi writes, our forefathers built
single stone pillars for Divine service, and “it
was beloved by G-d.” However, once the
Canaanites adopted this practice and began
building single-stone altars for idolatrous
offerings, including the horrific practices of
ancient idolatry, G-d rejected them.
But why? Just because some tribes used the
single stone for idolatry, can’t we use it in a
productive and meaningful way? The Pagans
would also worship the sun, the moon, or
water, but we still use them and enjoy them in
a beneficial way.

Embracing Diversity

What this prohibition against the single-
stone pillar may be teaching us is that though

there is one G-d, the altars constructed by the
human being to serve Him should not, and
could not be of one stone, of one color,
dimension, shape and quality.
In paganism, or modern atheism, a human
being creates a god, or some higher power, in
his or her own individual image. My mind and
ego define what is essential, and what is of
supreme importance. When god is a product
of my image, that god is inevitably defined by
the properties of that image. Since no two
human images are identical, it follows that
your god, the god of your image, cannot serve
as my god as well. My god must be worshiped
in my way, based on my perception of who he
is and what he stands for. My altar must be
constructed of one stone: my own.
Sure, I will tolerate those people and views
that my “image” of my god can make peace
with. But if you step out of line, I will hunt
you down. I have no genuine room for your
position.
The faith of Judaism, the idea of Monotheism,
declares the oneness of G-d and the plurality of
man. The transcendental G-d of Judaism
transcends the natural universe but also any
spiritual definition. G-d is undefined by
any form, shape, or characteristic, physical
or spiritual. We do not create Him in our
image; He creates us in His image.
Judaism thus challenges me to see G-d’s
image in the one who is not in my image,
for every person knows and feels
something about reality, about truth, about
G-d that no one else does.
None of us knows all the truth and each
of us knows some of it. Like a symphony
composed of many notes, each of us
constitutes an individual note in the divine
symphony, and together we complete the
music. If G-d wanted you and me to
experience Him and serve Him in the
same way, one of us would be superfluous.
True Religion Celebrates Diversity
Diversity within religion is not only a
factor we must reluctantly accept; it is a
cause for genuine celebration. It grants us
the opportunity to encounter G-d since it
is only in the face of the other that we can
discover the part of G-d that we lack in our
own face. The result of a relationship with
a transcendental G-d is a growing
appreciation of people’s differences, not
merely as tolerable, but as the essence of a
rich and rewarding human and religious
experience.
“Diversity is the one true thing we all
have in common, celebrate it every day,” a
wise man once said. Diversity is the trace
of an undefined G-d on the human species.
One of the greatest challenges facing
humanity today is the ingrained belief by
many Muslims that those of us who do not

embrace Islam as a faith and a lifestyle are
infidels who need to be converted or killed.
On another level, and in a far more subtle
and fine way, one of the challenges facing
many communities today (a challenge that has
pervaded the history of all religions from the
beginning of time), is a sense of tribalism that
found a nest among many devout Jews. My
way of serving G-d is the only true way, and if
you have a different path, you are on the
“wrong team.” I can’t respect you.
Many of us feel that in the construction of the
“altars,” the structures in which we serve G-d,
there is room for only a single stone, a single
path, one flavor, and one style — to the
exclusion of anything else that does not fit our
religious imagination or upbringing. Yet,
paradoxically, it is precisely the paths of
paganism, polytheism, or atheism, that invite a
singular altar, made of one stone, while the
monotheistic path of a singular G-d welcomes
the diverse altar, made of many distinct
stones. The structures constructed by man to
serve G-d are, by definition, diverse and
individualistic.
This does not mean that G-d condones every
act done in His name. The G-d of the Bible
created absolute universal standards of
morality and ethics that bind us all. But these
rules do not step from my ego and comfort
zone, but rather from an absolute truth that
includes and benefits every human being.
To the Jewish people, G-d presented an
absolute system of Torah and mitzvos.
Yet within this framework, every human
possesses his or her unique path to Truth. One
of the great masters put it this way: “The
concrete laws of Torah are the same for us all,
but the spiritual experience of Torah, the
feelings of love and awe, contain infinite
pathways, one for each person, according to
his (or her) individual identity.”
We may compare it to the 88 keys of the
piano that lend themselves to infinite
combinations. The very same keys allow for
so many different expressions. Authentic
religion must welcome, not fear, diversity, and
individualistic expression. When you truly
cultivate a relationship with G-d, a G-d who is
undefined by any image or color, you know
that in the presence of otherness, you can
encounter a fragment of truth that you could
never access within your own framework.