Overcoming Folly - 65 - American Idol

Knowledge on the Deeper Side

Overcoming Folly - Part 65 "American Idol" With Rabbi Ari Sollish (Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on July 10, 2022) It was 2400 years ago, during the leadership of the prophet Nehemiah, that one of the most dramatic episodes in Jewish history took place. The Jewish people had just returned to the Holy Land after 70 years of exile in Babylonia, and they had one thing on their mind: slay the urge for idol worship. See, the destruction of the Holy Temple and all the calamities that befell the people were due to the sin of idolatry. And that nefarious urge, that heated desire, that fierce temptation, was still very much alive and well. So they fasted for three days, prayed fervently for G-d's mercy, and then -- incredibly -- the urge to worship idols vanished. Today, we may not get excited about the prospect of bowing down to little stone statues. But we have our own, subtle, forms of idolatry. We have our "American Idols." And while the worship may look different, the problem is oh so familiar... In this session of Kabbalah & Coffee, we explore modern forms of idolatry and discover the spiritual threat of convincing ourselves that other forces have control over our life and destiny.