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Writer's pictureAustin James

Terach's Idol Shop

Avram was a smart kid — and he happened to be the son of Terach, who owned the biggest, most bustling idol shop in town.


Imagine it! Terach's shop was filled with statues big and small, round and square, some with funny faces, others looking very serious, and all made of shiny stone or wood. People from all over the city came to buy these statues because, well, they believed these statues had powers. That’s right! They thought these idols could bring them good luck, protect their houses, and even help their crops grow! And Terach? Well, he was all too happy to sell them.


Little Avram wasn’t buying it though. Every time he looked at these statues, he thought, "Really? People think these things are alive? They’re just hunks of rock! If they could talk, wouldn’t they ask for a snack by now? Don't they get tired of standing?"


One day, when Avram was about ten years old, Terach had to run an errand and left Avram in charge of the shop. Terach said, “Just watch the store for a little bit, Avram. And remember—no funny business.” Terach left and Avram was in watching the store all by himself for the first time.


Now, in walked a big, important-looking customer. He had a long robe, a fancy hat, and was carrying a little sack of gold. He pointed to the biggest idol in the store—a statue with a very stern face, a long beard, and a fancy crown carved right into its head.

“I want to buy that one,” the man said, pointing to a wood idol.


Avram looked at the statue, then looked at the man. “This one? Are you sure? I mean, it doesn’t look very happy. And last time I checked, it's never moved or talked.”


The man stared at Avram like he was crazy. “It’s a god!” he sputtered. “A god doesn’t need to move or talk! Just give me the statue!”


Avram shrugged, handed over the statue, and watched the man leave, thinking, “Huh, he really bought it.”


An older woman came in with a sack of flour and said, "I want to give this as an offering to the idols." Avram said, "But they don't eat. They can't even open their mouths." The woman said, "What do you know!? You're just a young boy!" She then left the sack of flour on the floor and left the shop.


Then an idea popped into Avram's head. He closed the shop door, grabbed a big stick, and lined up all the idols in a row, from the biggest to the smallest. And with a grin, he gave that big stick to the biggest idol.


“Alright, Mr. Big Shot,” he said to the statue, “you’re the biggest one here, right? So let’s see what you can do! If you want the flour, then destroy all the other idols and it's yours.”


Then he took a smaller idol and set it right in front of the big one. “You see that little guy over there? He’s challenging you for the title of Greatest Idol of All Time. What are you gonna do about it?”


Of course, the big idol did absolutely nothing. It just sat there, as silent as ever. Avram sighed and said, “Alright, guess I have to help you out.” And with a grin, he took the stick, smashed the small idol, and then pretended that the big idol had done it. Then he put a few more idols in the line of fire, giving each one a good whack. Soon enough, all the idols were lying on the ground in pieces.


"I guess you did it! You're the strongest. Congratulations!" Avram said, and put the sack of flour in the hands of the statue, and laid the smashing stick on top of it.


When Terach came back and saw the mess, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Avram!” he yelled. “What did you do to my store?!”


Avram looked at the broken pieces and shrugged. “What do you mean, Dad? They did it to each other! I mean, they’re gods, aren’t they? A woman came in and offered flour to them, and the big one wanted it all for himself, so he grabbed that stick and smashed all the other idols.”


Terach threw up his hands. “Avram, these are just statues! They can’t do anything! They can't talk, they can't move, they can't even think!”


Avram raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Ah-ha! So if they can’t do anything, then why are people praying to them and calling them gods? Aren't gods supposed to be powerful?"


Terach didn’t know what to say. He just stared at Avram, speechless. But deep down, Avram knew his father was thinking—thinking maybe, just maybe, this kid was onto something.


Avram went on to believe in just one true invisible and all-powerful G-d. G-d later revealed Himself to Avram and Avram left those statues and their silly stone and wooden faces far behind. Avram then became the father of many nations, and his name became "Avraham," the father of the Jewish people.

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