Without Doubt

The very opposite of absolutism is moral relativism, the idea that there is no universal or absolute set of moral principles, but rather “To each his own,” and “Who am I to judge?”

“Okay?” you say. “And your point is?”

Hang on. I’ll get to it.

For whatever reason, we humans are drawn toward artists, and most powerfully toward singers. The youth, particularly, tend to idolize them and worship them. The back pages of this very magazine testify to this phenomenon and in fact have come — and not without merit — under some criticism for feeding this tendency.

Why this idolization? Evidently there is a subconscious desire to venerate someone who seems particularly talented, rich, popular, or powerful. By adoring them, we somehow associate with them and feel part of their lives. But hero-worship may also lead to a subliminal desire to emulate the hero. Now, generally, this feeling is relatively harmless. If your son idolizes a baseball player, the gap between the ballplayer’s life and your son’s is so vast that there is no real concern he will seek to mimic his hero’s lifestyle (though this idolization may lead to an issur of lo sechaneim).

Which brings me to my point.

Israeli pop music is becoming increasingly popular in our circles, and that is not my issue. “Al taam v’reiach, ein l’hitvakeiach” — there’s no accounting for taste. There is undoubtedly a world of talent that exists in that genre. But to celebrate an Israeli pop singer who identifies as masorati, and generally does not don a yarmulke, is crossing a red line.