In this week’s double Torah portion, Acharey Mot and Kidoshim, the Torah tells us:  “Say further to the Israelite people: Anyone among the Israelites, or among the strangers residing in Israel, who gives any of his offspring to Molech, shall be put to death; the people of the land shall pelt him with stones.  And I will set My face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he gave of his offspring to Molech and so defiled My sanctuary and profaned My holy name.  And if the people of the land should shut their eyes to that man when he gives of his offspring to Molech, and should not put him to death, I Myself will set My face against that man and his kin, and will cut off from among their people both him and all who follow him in going astray after Molech.”

The Abarbinel comments that this practice of burning one’s children before Molech was performed, “As a service to the sun which is the ruler over fire.  Those who worship the sun sacrifice their children to it as if to say everything we have comes from the power of the sun and so we offer them back to the fire/sun…  This is a very ancient practice.  Baal (lit. master) which is mentioned many times in the prophets always refers to the Molech (lit. king).  This was performed in the Valley of Ben Hinom (just outside the present old city wall of Jerusalem, next to Mamila) as an idolatrous service to the sun, which is the ruler over the element of fire.  The priests of Molech would bang on drums so the parents would not hear the cries of their children and have mercy on them.  This is the greatest sin, to sacrifice one’s child.”

Allen Ginsberg wrote the following in his famous poem Howl:

“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness…

What sphinx of cement and aluminum bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination?

Moloch! …

Moloch whose eyes are a thousand blind windows! Moloch whose skyscrapers stand in the long streets like endless Jehovahs! Moloch whose factories dream and croak in the fog! Moloch whose smoke-stacks and antennae crown the cities!

Moloch whose love is endless oil and stone! Moloch whose soul is electricity and banks! Moloch whose poverty is the specter of genius! Moloch whose fate is a cloud of sexless hydrogen! Moloch whose name is the Mind!”

It is interesting that fire is the only Shabbat melacha (work) that is specifically forbidden by the Torah.  The Talmud says that all the other forbidden labors of Shabbat are learned from the injunction against kindling and using fire.  Fire is the quintessential melacha (forbidden labor on Shabbat) because it is the mother of all power, all transformational work in the world.  Fire (oil, energy, heat), is what makes all other creative work possible.  Fire is the sine qua non for us to rule, control and harness the world.  This is why I think in the Abravanel’s description it is the sun that is worshipped as the king of all other deities.

Shabbat reminds us of our limitations, that we are not the masters of the universe.  That we must take care not to sacrifice our children on the altar of power, of material success, of ego and of images of progress.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Hyim Shafner