HaShem, HaShem, benevolent G-d

(Exodus 34:6)

Adar 15, 5778/March 2, 2018, Shushan Purim

Much has been written and said about the great debacle of the golden calf, whose story takes center stage in this week's Torah reading of Ki Tisa, sandwiched between G-d's final commandments to Moshe in Mount Sinai, concerning the preparation of the Tabernacle, and the parashah's closing description of the three pilgrimage festivals to be observed in the land of Israel, Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot. To attempt to get to the bottom of the golden calf incident, its real meaning and significance, we need to not only determine what it was, but also what it wasn't.

For thirty eight days the entire nation of Israel held their own while their still-new leader, teacher, judge, redeemer, provider of food and water, and go-between with G-d, namely Moshe, was out of their range of sight or sound, if not their hearts. For thirty eight days, Israel maintained their heightened spiritual awareness, the afterglow of their direct encounter with G-d, and the expression of their total commitment to their newly forged covenant with G-d and all the commandments that it contained. For thirty eight days not a ray of sunlight was able to shine between G-d and Israel, they were that close, in the same place, of the same mind. The descent into the debacle of the golden calf wasn't the result of a slow ebbing away of Israel's commitment to or faith in G-d or Moshe. This was not a case of a people backsliding and steadily jettisoning their newly won freedom from slavery and liberation. The dictionary definition of the word debacle is "a sudden and ignominious failure," and that is exactly what the golden calf was. The sudden and ignominious failure began on day thirty nine of Moshe's absence and was precipitated by the prodding of the mixed-multitude and Israel's miscalculation of the expected day of Moshe's return. This twin combination of negativity on the part of the mixed-multitude and the stubborn adherence to a misreading of the timetable of Moshe's sequestering with G-d led to a case of nation-wide spontaneous combustion, a titanic panic-driven meltdown, an 'O my G-d, Moshe is gone, are we here all alone?'moment, and the ensuing need to fill the void with something, anything.

The people turned to Aharon, or perhaps, turned on Aharon, demanding an instant fix in the making of a golden calf. Aharon immediately went into disaster-control mode, doing his very best to contain the mass despair and direct it toward as peaceful and harmless a conclusion as possible, while at the same time, trying to buy the necessary time until Moshe's immanent return. To stave off the hysteria Aharon conceded to the making of a golden calf, calling on people to bring forward their gold, and throwing it into the fire. To buy time and to try to redirect the panicked people toward their G-d and His commandments, Aharon called out to the crowd: "Tomorrow shall be a festival to HaShem."(Exodus 32:5) By relenting to the crazed demand of a golden calf and then calling for a festival to HaShem on the morrow, Aharon hoped to contain the madness, temper the hysteria, and then redirect the nation back toward G-d. In this he both succeeded and failed. Too little and too late, Aharon failed to mitigate the seriousness of the fall, but he did succeed in keeping the newborn nation solvent until Moshe's return.

The aftermath of the one day of madness was nothing short of catastrophic: civil warfare led by Moshe, followed by a plague. In this manner the infant nation was given a vital lesson in the result of their spiritual lapse. This spiritual lapse, which would recur periodically over Israel's long history, in the form of a slow spiritual decline into decadence and the devastating result into national calamity that could lead to years of foreign subjugation or even exile, took place, in the case of the golden calf, over a very few, short days. A painful lesson, to be sure, but one which would enable to nation to quickly regain its senses and move forward.

The biggest take-away of the entire golden calf episode is not even the nation's precipitous fall into darkness, but G-d's alacrity in granting His forgiveness to His children. It required a stand-off with Moshe, and a plea by Moshe, which was no less than a demand, that G-d forgive His people Israel, but G-d did just that, and reinstated His promise to Israel, saying to Moshe, "Go, ascend from here, you and the people you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land that I swore to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, saying: 'I will give it to your descendants." (ibid 33:1)

The dynamic of Israel digressing from the path of Torah, and G-d's subsequent forgiveness upon Israel's return to her senses would, of course, prove crucial. The unplanned, untimely, unanticipated, headlong manner in which the golden calf, Israel's return and request of forgiveness, and G-d's granting it, which is Israel's most intimate and enduring, life-giving connection to G-d, played out, belies the sober necessity of opening Israel eyes and hearts to their newly entered relationship with G-d. Israel's commitment to G-d is eternal, unbreakable, as is G-d's commitment to Israel. The covenant forged at Sinai endures.

Purim, which is being celebrated in Jerusalem today, (and elsewhere across the globe yesterday), reminds us that G-d's presence and prominence in our lives is a constant, even when we can't see it outright. Nothing simply happens without reason. Even the twenty four hour plunge into madness that was the golden calf served the inspired purpose of teaching Israel the pain of the fall and the sublimely healing embrace of G-d's forgiveness. The lesson could not have been taught any other way. It had to be painful to be effective. How beautifully ironic that the utter meaninglessness and nihilism that describe the golden calf would lead to the most meaningful and life-giving aspect of man's relationship to G-d: repentance and forgiveness, teshuvah and selichah:

"HaShem, HaShem, benevolent G-d, Who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness and truth, preserving loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and rebellion and sin... " (ibid 34:6-7)

-The Temple Institute