Prayer OR Idolitry Begins?

Torah Study 11/22 R. Marder

Genesis 4:26 & 5:1

“Call on the name of God”

Different interpretations (of course) but these are almost opposite!

Origins of Prayer vs Origins of Idolitry: the two opposite interpretations from this verse that ends Chapter 4 of Genesis.

On the surface it seems that this was when men started praying to God by the name as covered last time:
This is where it says that from this point people prayed to God using the Tetragrammation – yud hey vav hey


However there is a contrast because other sources point to a much later time when this was the case. That this was the name used after Moses saw the burning bush.

And on the topic of Names for God – I came across this midrash:
According to Rabbi Abba bar Mamal, the Holy Blessed One said to Moses: You want to know My Name. I am called by My deeds, El Shaddai, Tsevaot, Elohim, Adonai. When I judge creatures, I am called Elohim (God). When I wage war against the wicked, I am called Tsevaot (Hosts). When I suspend judgment of a person’s sins, I am called El Shaddai (Almighty). And when I have mercy on My world, I am called Adonai.
Exodus Rabbah 3:6
HOWEVER (they had to set the stage for the Flood that follows and . . .)
Rashi :
“then man began” referring to the Hebrew “Hol” or ordinary as opposed to sacred. Rashi says that this marked the beginning of idolatry because they started to call idols by the name of God.

Maimonades – wrote the Laws of Idol Worship and referred to the ‘foolish council of Enosh’. The explanation follows:
- the stars above are like the royal court of God
- thus the stars deserve honor
- they erected temples to the stars to obtain God’s favor
- this evolved into the root of idolatry because men forgot that the stars and other interpretations were actually representative of the one God.
- false prophets encouraged this practice and furthered the trend into polytheism.

REF: Early history of the Jewish people: a translation of Rambam’s “laws of idolatry”, chapter 1

At this point only a few remembered the one God and not until Abraham were the people again united as true Monotheists.

Monolatry, which is also the worship of one god among many. The primary difference between the two is that Henotheism is the worship of one god, not precluding the existence of others who may also be worthy of praise, while Monolatry is the worship of one god who alone is worthy of worship, though other gods are known to exist.

Henotheism (Greek εἷς θεός heis theos "one god") is a term coined by Max Müller, to mean devotion to a single god while accepting the existence or possible existence of other deities.

For Jews it is said that TRUE Monotheism began after the Babylonian Exile. At that time the prophets were instrumental in guiding them back to the belief in a single God.

Rambam – says we began as monotheistic and then became polytheistic and then return to monotheism.

He rationalizes that Abraham concluded that there was only ONE GOD using a logical analysis. Most people had difficulty with this concept – “when God is not front and center they look around for something else” thus the golden calf as an example.

There were many customs and superstitions in the Middle Ages that employed symbolic amulets to either bring good things or to ward off bad things. The images of the 3 angels to help with childbirth or to protect the children with red ribbons. The red strings that are from Rachel’s tomb.






So does the worship of God evolve from polytheism?

In our service we begin with the Shema to declare that God is One…
We end with the declaration of hope that someday God will be one to everyone in the Aleinu …
“The LORD will rule over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.” Zachariah 14:9

Book:
"On Faith" by Diana L. Eck is Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies at Harvard University and Director of The Pluralism Project
interesting article
She describes the opposing views using the image of a mountain where we have an exclusive God as a monotheistic faith. As opposed to a more inclusive view where other deities are accepted.




TO: Chapter 5 And the BOOK OF LIFE

This is a written record of Adam’s line…. Could be just a fragment of an ancient genealogical work showing a sequence of events.

“Life as a book” 18th century interpretation: Book of the Generations of Adam

This could be the errata or corrections to what comes before it. This is the way to make it perfect or to do tshuvah for the mistakes.


When you view life as a book it seems to have a plot and a climax. It may answer the question of life’s meaning and purpose.

There is a midrash about what is most important in Torah. Akiva says “love your neighbor…”

Rabbi ben El'azar said that “the record of Adam’s line” was most important because it shows that we are all related. There is no superiority when all come from the same source.

Rabbi Elie Munk notes that the word for prayer, Toldot, was missing a vav. It is a “defect” That this shows that even though there are defects we are still in the image of God.

To be continued…