We read in Parashat Vayishlach of Yaakov’s return to Beit-El, the site of the famous dream he dreamt when he had fled from Canaan many years earlier. Upon returning to Canaan, he went to the hallowed site in order to fulfill his pledge to erect an altar. Before journeying to Beit-El, Yaakov issued a startling instruction to his family: “Remove all the foreign deities that are in your midst…” (35:2). The straightforward reading of the verse implies that Yaakov’s family members had idols or other articles of pagan worship in their possession, which needed to be eliminated before the family made its pilgrimage to Beit-El to worship the Almighty. Two verses later, we read that the members of the household indeed submitted to Yaakov “all the foreign deities that were in their possession,” and he buried them.
The question naturally arises as to why and how such articles were found among Yaakov’s family members. Rashi explains that they came into the family’s possession when Yaakov’s sons looted the city of Shekhem, as we read in the previous section. Still, the question remains, why would they seize objects of idol worship?
We find several different approaches among the commentators. The Radak explains that these were not actually objects of worship, but rather articles which bore images of pagan deities. This also seems to have been view of Chizkuni, who explained that Yaakov wished to eliminate these objects in order to avoid the impression that the family’s prayers and sacrifices in Beit-El were directed toward the images in their possession. The Ramban and Seforno explain that Yaakov’s sons had the residents of Shekhem renounce their idolatrous beliefs – a process known in halakhic jargon as “bittul” – such that the articles became permissible for use. Nevertheless, Yaakov did not wish to have these objects in the family’s possession in Beit-El. The Ramban explains that this was for the purpose of “taharat ha-kodesh” – to ensure an especially high standard of purity – whereas the Seforno writes, “Remove them from your midst now, as we go to Beit-El, in order to distance all thoughts of idolatry from your hearts.”
A somewhat similar approach is taken by Ibn Ezra, who, commenting to this verse, writes, “Chalila chalila [Heaven forbid] that the prophet [Yaakov] would sleep with women who worshipped foreign deities. You will find the explanation in Parashat Vayelekh Moshe.” Ibn Ezra outright rejects the prospect that idolatrous objects were found among Yaakov’s family members, and refers us to his comments to Parashat Vayelekh (Devarim 31:16). There he writes: “We know that God is one, and change comes from the recipients… And part of serving God is maintaining the capacity to receive in accordance with the place.” Ibn Ezra’s comments are characteristically vague, but he seems to be saying that the pilgrimage to Beit-El required a heighted level of sanctity, and thus the term “elohei ha-neikhar” (“foreign gods”) is used here in a relative sense. Yaakov was telling his family that items which were acceptable to have in their possession until then would be regarded as “elohei ha-neikhar” in Beit-El, a place which demanded a higher level of spiritual awareness. He refers not to idols, but rather to property which was legitimate in some contexts and not others.
Ibn Ezra specifically formulated in his interpretation in terms of a general religious teaching: “And part of serving God is maintaining the capacity to receive in accordance with the place” (“U-mei’avodat Hashem li-shmor koach ha-kibul kefi ha-makom”). We must ensure that our conduct is not only acceptable, but suitable for the setting and context. Measures taken in one set of circumstances might be regarded as “elohei ha-neikhar” in another. Part of our avodat Hashem is carefully considering the appropriateness of our behavior in any given situation, and to ensure that we serve the Almighty the way He wants us to in each and every context.