Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Deuteronomy 8:18/אור החיים על דברים ח׳:י״ח
אוְזָכַרְתָּ אֶת ה׳ וְגוֹ׳. פֵּרוּשׁ, שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לָתֵת לִבּוֹ עַל טוֹבָתוֹ כִּי מֵה׳ הָיְתָה לוֹ, וְדָבָר זֶה יְעִירֵהוּ תָּמִיד לְהַכִּיר בּוֹרְאוֹ וְהַשְׁגָּחָתוֹ עָלָיו, וּתְחִלַּת תַּחְבּוּלוֹת יֵצֶר הָאָדָם הִיא לְהַשְׁכִּיחוֹ דָּבָר זֶה וְדֶרֶךְ זֶה יִכָּנֵס לְאַבְּדוֹ. וְאוּלַי כִּי לָזֶה סָמַךְ מַאֲמָר שֶׁאַחֲרֵי זֶה וְהָיָה אִם שָׁכֹחַ תִּשְׁכַּח, פֵּרוּשׁ, אִם שָׁכוֹחַ דָּבָר זֶה שֶׁה׳ הוּא הַמֵּטִיב לְךָ וְגוֹ׳ סוֹפְךָ שֶׁתִּשְׁכַּח אֶת ה׳, וְסוֹפְךָ לָלֶכֶת אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים, וְלֹא בְּמַחְשָׁבָה לְבַד אֶלָּא בְּמַעֲשֶׂה, כְּאָמְרוֹ ״וַעֲבַדְתָּם״, וְלֹא עֲבוֹדָה שֶׁאֵינָהּ מְסֻיֶּמֶת בְּאִסּוּר אֶלָּא ״וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתָ לָהֶם״, שֶׁהִיא עֲבוֹדָה מְסֻיֶּמֶת בְּאִסּוּר לְכָל עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם, כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (סנהדרין ס.): הַמִּשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לְמַרְקוּלִיס חַיָּב הֲגַם שֶׁאֵין עֲבוֹדָתוֹ בְּכָךְ, הָא לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁהַזְּכִירָה זוֹ גָּדֵר גָּדוֹל לַעֲבוֹדַת ה׳, וּמֵחֶסְרוֹנָהּ יַדִּיחֶנּוּ הַשָּׂטָן מִמַּדְרֵגָה לְמַדְרֵגָה לְמַטָּה מִמֶּנָּה.
1 וזכרת את ה׳ אלוקיך, "You shall remember the Lord your G'd, etc." Moses means that we must remember that the source of all the good we will experience is G'd and we must never forget it. If He had not imbued us with strength we could never have achieved what we imagine we have achieved with our own power. Whenever people turn away from religion, if ever so slightly, it is because they forget that their achievements are not truly their own. Such a path leads to a person's eventual destruction. This may be the reason this verse is immediately followed in the next paragraph by the dire warnings about what will happen when Israel "forgets" its G'd deliberately. Once you forget that G'd is the source of all the good you experience, you will eventually forget that you have a very exclusive G'd altogether. Once that happens, you will seek out other deities. Not only will you contemplate idol worship but you will engage in it actively. Not only will this be some kind of loosely defined service, but you will even prostrate yourself in front of such images. Sanhedrin 60 teaches that if one prostrates oneself in front of the idol Markolies one is guilty of idolatry even though this is not an accepted form of worship for that idol.