Parashat Ki Tisa, 5786, 2026: "Mystery of the Chet HaEgel"

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The Chet HaEgel is one of the best-known passages in our parasha, and one of the most difficult and heart-rending incidents in the entire Torah. Chazal teach us in a variety of sources that this horrendous act was forgiven but never forgotten by the Master of the Universe. Year after year we ask ourselves the same question: “How was it possible for our ancestors to have participated in this heinous activity?” After all, Hashem had just taken us. out of Egypt with extraordinary wonders and miracles. In addition, He had revealed Himself to the entire nation at both Kriyat Yam Suf and Matan Torah. As such, the entire episode defies understanding and leaves us baffled.
 
My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, analyzed the Chet HaEgel on many occasions. In a public lecture held on March 12, 1979, he labeled this event a “puzzle that deals with [a] great people which reached the highest heights, who were converted into a primitive band of idol worshippers and idolaters.” Basing himself on the commentaries of a variety of Rishonim and Acharonim, the Rav maintained that the Chet HaEgel was not true avodah zarah. Instead, it was, at worst, an instance of shituf (adding or combining) wherein the people viewed the Egel HaZahav as the intermediary between themselves and God, rather than His replacement.  
 
The Rav noted that the concept of an intermediary between man and God is false from its inception. Alas, however, many of our ancestors viewed Moshe precisely in this manner:

The sin of the Egel was, in contrast to the Original Sin, the consequence of man’s self-negation and self-downgrading. The awareness of their smallness actually motivated them to sin… the people could not visualize the fulfillment of the great promise without Moshe’s leadership. (This, and the following transcriptions my own)
 
The Rav cited Sefer Shemot 32:1 to buttress his contention:

Meanwhile, the people began to realize that Moses was taking a long time to come down from the mountain. They gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Make us an oracle to lead us. We have no idea what happened to Moses, the man who brought us out of Egypt…”
 
Consequently, the Rav asserted: “This was their mistake; no matter that Moses was the greatest prophet, the greatest of all men. Every plain Jew has access to the Ribono shel Olam.” Moreover, according to the Rav, Hashem’s promise to take the Jewish people out of Egypt was independent of Moshe’s presence. Accordingly, the purpose of the Egel HaZahav was to replace Moshe, not God, so that Hashem’s spirit could abide therein [that is, in the Egel HaZahav], just as it had in Moshe.
 
Heartbreakingly, even though it was not straightforward idol worship, the Egel HaZahav created a pirood (split) between Hashem and His beloved people that remains in effect until our own historical moment:

After the Revelation [Mount Sinai], Ha-Kadosh Barukh Hu [the Holy One blessed be He] was in the midst of the community. When the Jews worshipped the Golden Calf, however, He moved away once again; Ha-Kadosh Barukh Hu absented Himself. Had the sin of the Golden Calf not taken place, He would have been with the people forever. Jewish history would have been different. But the people did not understand. They made the Golden Calf, and as a result the Shekhinah [Divine Presence] removed Itself from their midst. (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, The Lord is Righteous in All His Ways: Reflections on the Tish’ah be-Av Kinot, Rabbi Jacob J. Schachter, editor, page 111, brackets my own)
 
The incident of the Egel HaZahav took place over three thousand years ago. How, then, can we understand it in terms that speak to us in the 21st Century? Let us turn to the Rav once again, and his trenchant analysis of this chata’ah gedolah (great sin, Sefer Shemot 32:31):

The Golden Calf epitomizes individuals throughout the ages who have sought to create new forms of religious experience and expression. Although many such efforts may be well-intentioned, they are not legitimate because they lack a divine mandate. This was the essence of the Golden Calf. Tampering with prayer, the priestly blessings, the synagogue or any other form of religious service is another form of that sin. At that time, the Israelites offered sacrifices to God. However, because God had not commanded such service, it was illegitimate and unacceptable. Therefore, we can see how critical it is that we maintain tradition, particularly regarding prayer. It is important to our survival as a people. (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Darosh Darash Yosef: Discourses of Rav Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik on the Weekly Parashah, Rabbi Avishai C. David, editor, page 192)
 
With Hashem’s help, may we be zocheh to witness the fulfillment of Yermiyahu’s heartfelt words: “Hashiveinu Hashem alechah v’nashuvah; chadash yemeinu k’kedem—Cause us to return to You Hashem and we will return; renew our days as they were in former times.” (Megillat Eicah 5:21) For then, the Chet HaEgel will finally be completely expunged from our nation. May this take place soon and in our time. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
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