Today we'll discuss a pasuk from Yeshaya 42,17 which comes from the Haftara of Parashat Bereshit. נָסֹ֤גוּ אָחוֹר֙ יֵבֹ֣שׁוּ בֹ֔שֶׁת הַבֹּטְחִ֖ים בַּפָּ֑סֶל הָאֹמְרִ֥ים לְמַסֵּכָ֖ה אַתֶּ֥ם אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃ They went backwards. They'll be shamed in a shameful way, those that rely on a molten image, and say to the idol, “You are our god.” This pasuk refers to those who rely on the wrong things. They're going to be embarrassed and they're going to move backwards. The term יֵבֹ֣שׁוּ בֹ֔שֶׁת seems redundant. It’s like saying you ran a run. Of course, if you ran, you ran a run. Why the double wording? The Radak, on Tehilim 21,7 says that anytime we have double lashon , it conveys a stronger meaning. It strengthens it. They were embarrassed in embarrassment , it's the ultimate busha , the ultimate embarrassment . The pasuk is saying that in the future, when the truth is revealed, the ultimate embarrassment will be the embarrassment of living a life of relying on the wrong things; putting your faith and trust in the wrong things. That's the ultimate embarrassment. Furthermore, it says they were traveling backwards. It says in Zecharya 3, “I will place you as walkers among those that stand.” God is comparing the human being to an angel. The angel stays in one place, while human being's job is to walk and move and continue on. That's why we have two feet, and they don't have feet. The idol worshiper uses his two feet, but rather than move forward, he moves backwards. The whole purpose of creation is to walk forward but he’s going backwards. This pasuk is referring to two different groups, as the Malbim says. The first group knows that there's an ultimate cause. They know there's a God, but they look at this idol as an intermediary between them and God. They're called Botchim B’pessel/They rely on the pessel. They rely on this molten image. These are people that thought they would get what they needed through this intermediary, but they will see that it was all a waste of time. נָסֹ֤גוּ אָחוֹר֙ They're going to move backwards. The next group is the group of לְמַסֵּכָ֖ה אַתֶּ֥ם אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ They think that the idol has its own independent power. On them it says, יֵבֹ֣שׁוּ בֹ֔שֶׁת they will get ultimately embarrassed. Group number one is not going to be embarrassed, because they weren't off. They know there's a God. They just thought they needed an intermediary. So they're moving backwards. They're going to have to start again with the right approach. Those that actually attribute an inherent force will have the stricter of יֵבֹ֣שׁוּ בֹ֔שֶׁת What does this have to do with us? “We don't have physical idols, but we have a similar problem in that we attribute power and strength to other forces; we think the intermediary is necessary. We think we can't go directly to God. Rav Wolbe talks about this and he says, with the Chet HaEgel they thought they needed an intermediary. He points to people in our times that go to charlatan Mekubalim , who need to try what he calls backdoor approaches to God. That is נָסֹ֤גוּ אָחוֹר֙ I'm not here to knock anybody, but there are very strong movements today, with people seeking all kinds of backdoor approaches rather than dealing direct. I know a fellow that was going through a business problem and tried every possible segula that he could. I won’t mention any of them, I don’t want to cast any dispersions on anybody in their beliefs. But one day a rabbi told him, “ You're missing the point. You're going to all the different backdoor ways, deal, direct, have bitachon, rely on God.” That's the better of the two groups. Then we have the people today that actually attribute strength and power to other things My work, my business, my wisdom, my strength, my power…the government. They attribute actual strength to that force. And that's going to be the ultimate embarrassment. We are guilty of that too. We actually think certain things that we're doing actually have a power and a force. Rav Matityahu Salomon once saw a man