An Unusual and Revolting Way to Overcome Fear
Imagine a religion whose worship is to go to the bathroom in public in front of an idol? Do you think Jews would be attracted to it? Surprisingly, they were.
Your eyes have seen what G-d did at Baal Peor…(Deuteronomy 4:2-3)
What was Baal Peor? The Talmud relates two incidents describing how people paid homage this idol.
There was once a gentile woman who was very ill. She vowed: ‘If I recover from my illness, I will go and worship every idol in the world.’ She recovered, and proceeded to worship every idol [she could find]. When she came to Peor, she asked, ‘How is this one worshiped?’ They told her, ‘One eats greens and drinks strong drinks, and then defecates before the idol.’ The woman responded, ‘I’d rather become ill again than worship an idol in such a revolting manner.’
A man named Sabta from the town of Avlas, once…entered the area where the Baal Peor idol was and uncovered himself before it… (Sanhedrin 64a)
The way people served this idol was to get naked in front of it and then defecate. Why was this idol so attractive to Jews at that time? Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky (1891-1986) suggests a novel approach. Perhaps their intention was to use this humiliating ritual as a tool for self-growth. The biggest fear for many people is shame; they will do anything to avoid being embarrassed. There is a famous adage in Judaism that “a shy person does not learn.” Fear is so paralyzing that people won’t ask a question in class or in situations where they need to know something. The result will be that a person will be severely handicapped in his or her ability to learn. No one wants to be seen naked or relieving himself, and therefore they developed an idea to help them confront their fear of embarrassment. Modern psychology calls it Immersion Therapy; here’s the idea. “Being naked or defecating are things people are embarrassed to do in public; let me confront my fear and do it in the open! This is the best way to overcome the anxiety brought about by fear that paralyzes me so adversely and prevents me from obtaining the things I want in life. I am sick of allowing my fears to rule me and this extreme worship will help me to alleviate them. I will do this digesting and embarrassing behavior in public and I will learn not to care what others think of me and will be able to overcome my fear of embarrassment. Even though idolatry is forbidden, in this case the payoff is so great that it is virtually a mitzva because when I overcome my fears, I become a better and more productive Jew. The awkward and humiliating worship of Baal Peor will help me to overcome my insecurities and enable me to be more confident and productive.”
But this is a confused line of thinking. No matter how helpful a given technique might be, if it’s something foreign to the Torah’s guidelines, it is never permitted. Idolatry is forbidden—period, no exceptions.
We are surrounded by ideas and values diametrically clashing with the Torah, the guiding light of the Jewish people for centuries. It needs no revision, editing, or additions. Our job is to understand and give it the chance to enable us to lead lives we deserve—lives of happiness and contentment. Thousands of years of Jewish history bear witness to its effectiveness.
Good Shabbos
(Source: Emes L’Yaakov pp. 471-476)