The underlying principle at the essence of most religions is to give honor and glory to G-d. This is usually expressed by acting and worshiping with reverence and in a dignified manner. Yet the worship of Baal Peor, which was the deity of Midan, was completely the opposite.

The Gemara in Sanhedrin 64a explains, Rab Judah said in Rab's name: A woman once fell sick. She vowed, ˜If I recover, I will go and serve every idol in the world.' She recovered, and proceeded to serve all idols. On reaching Peor, she asked its priests, ˜How is this worshiped'? They replied, ˜People eat beets, drink strong drink, and then uncover themselves before it (to defecate).

What type of worship is this? It surely needs explanation. We can gain more insight into this strange practice from the following incident in the continuation of the Gemara:

Our Rabbis taught: Sabta, a townsman of Avlas, once hired a donkey to a woman. When she came to Peor, she said to him, ˜Wait till I enter and come out again.' On her issuing, he said to her, ˜Now, you wait for me too until I go in and come out again.' But she said, ˜are you not a Jew?' He replied, ˜What does it concern thee?' He then entered, uncovered himself before it, and wiped himself on the idol's nose. The priests praised him, saying, ˜No man has ever served this idol thus.'

I am sure you are wondering what's going on here. How could such a disgusting act be the pinnacle of worship and height of devotion?

We also need to understand why the Torah connects the negative commandments of not adding or diminishing the mitvoth (for example 5 fringes on the garment or 5 species on Succoth) with the worshiping of Baal Peor. What do they have to do with each other?

Devarim 4:2-4 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the LORD did in Baal Peor; for all the men that followed the Baal of Peor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from the midst of thee. But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.

Rabbi Chaim Smulowitz, the late Rav Rosh Yeshiva of Mirrer z'tzal, explained that at the essence of the philosophy of Baal Peor is the total breakdown of any rules or ethics. The purpose of its worship was to express the idea that there are no laws or values which one is obligated or required to follow. Consequently the more degrading and repulsive one can act, the greater the worship. This is why the priests praised Sabta for such an act of total disrespect. This philosophy of "anything goes" can be very seductive because of the freedom and promiscuity it creates. Even though the Great Assembly, two thousand years ago, destroyed the drive for idol worship in the world this type idol worship still exists today.

So what is the connection to the negative commandments of adding or diminishing the mitvoth?

The Torah is teaching us that a variation in one mitvoth or law in the end will lead to the worship of Baal Peor. The act of changing one mitzvah is in direct conflict with HaShem's absolute kingship. To deny the precision of the Torah in any of it's mitvoth is to deny one's obligation to follow its laws. It is this alteration in HaShem's perfect Torah which is the beginning of the end.

The Sforno explains in Devarim 4:2-3 what occurred at the incident with Baal Peor: Those who sinned with idolatry did not initially intend to do so, but their original intent was (only) to commit harlotry, (Numbers 25:1). And although the Torah prohibited this because of the fear that it will lead to idolatry, As it says: and their daughters go astray ... and make your sons go astray (Exodus 34:16), nonetheless, each one of them thought that it would never happen to him, but behold, the opposite occurred. Not one of them with all his wisdom was able to avoid stumbling into the sin of idolatry.

It is the devices of the evil inclination in man which tries to convince him to not be exact in keeping the mitvoth. We must strengthen ourselves in keeping the mitvoth and be conscious of where, G-d forbid, a weakening in our observance could take us.

As it says in Gemara Shabbath 105b R. Simeon b. Eleazar said in the name of Halfa b. Agra in R. Johanan b. Nuri's name: He who rends his garments in his anger, he who breaks his vessels in his anger, and he who scatters his money in his anger, regard him as an idolater, because such are the wiles of the Tempter Today he says to him, Do this, tomorrow he tells him, Do that, until he bids him, ˜Go and serve idols,' and he goes and serves them.



Based on the words of Rabbi Chaim Smulowitz, the late Rav Rosh Yeshiva of Mirrer z'tzal

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