jewish thought
What Were They Thinking? Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz
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mong the various explanations of the sin of the Golden Calf, Nachmanides’ explanation appears to be the closest to the plain meaning of the text. In essence, Nachmanides explains that the calf was not meant to replace G‑d, but rather to replace Moses. This explanation appears to derive from a simple reading of the verse, “Up, make us a god who will go before us; for that man Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt – we do not know what has happened to him.” This is also the simplest explanation of why, when Moses descends from the mountain, takes the calf, and crushes it in front of the entire people, everyone remains silent. If the people had truly felt that their god was taken from them, they would surely have protested! Clearly, then, the whole point of the calf was to replace Moses. Now that Moses had returned, they no longer needed the calf. On a deeper level, the People of Israel made the calf because they wanted a physical dwelling place for the Divine Presence, some relatable, tangible object on which holiness could rest. In lieu of a Tabernacle, an Ark, and cherubim, they took a calf and designated it the dwelling place for G‑d’s glory. In this respect, the basic idea of the calf was not without merit; it was simply an inappropriate application of a legitimate desire. Our need for tangibility is innate, as it is very difficult to focus on G‑d in the abstract. To be devoted exclusively to G‑d on the most abstract level is very difficult, and not everyone is capable of this task; it may not even be possible for anyone to do completely. This is because life is full of questions. There are big questions – whom do we serve; in whom do we believe? – and small questions – how should we live; how will we die? And how do we, as individuals or as a community, handle all sorts of potentially fateful decisions? To be sure, the rule in all these matters is to “follow none but G‑d.” But today, when we are not on the level of, “You will hear a command from behind you, saying: ‘This is the way; follow it, whether you turn to the right or to the left,’” this becomes problematic. If G‑d would tell each and every one of us specifically what is expected of him,
June 2022 / Sivan 5782
everything would be simple. But we do not hear this voice, neither from behind us nor in front of us. All that we receive is very general instruction; as a result, people are always searching for something to hold on to. It is said that “the Divine presence speaks out of Moses’ throat.” This is because Moses himself is like the Ark and the Tablets. We receive the Torah not from the tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were written, but from Moses’ throat. Moses is the channel through which G‑d reveals Himself to us in this world. In light of this, when Moses did not come down from the mountain, the People of Israel feared that Aaron, not being on Moses’ level, would not be able to replace him in this role. Because of this, they proceeded to make the calf. Indeed, when Moses reproached Aaron, saying, “What did the people do to you, that you brought upon them such a great sin?,” Aaron answers him, “You know that this people have bad tendencies;” that is to say, they pressured me, threatened me, and then “I cast it into the fire and out came this calf.” He does not deny having made the calf; he just claims that he had intended something else. According to this approach, the sin is clear. It is not as grievous as we might have thought – that the people who had just heard “I am G‑d your Lord” then proceeded to make an idol. Rather, they began with a legitimate
desire for tangibility that grew and developed until it finally became idolatry. If that is the case, however, why is the sin of the Golden Calf mentioned so often and considered so serious? To answer this question, we must look at the origins of the calf. The whole episode began with the people’s request to celebrate “a festival unto G‑d tomorrow.” On the occasion of this festival, a symbolic religious object is made. This is how the calf came into being. But the calf does not remain symbolic; it gradually deteriorates, until it becomes actual idolatry. Often, spiritual descent does not happen all at once, but in stages, as in the case of the copper serpent, about which the Mishnah asks, “Does a serpent kill or does a serpent keep alive?.” The Mishnah answers that the serpent did neither; instead, it reminded the people to look to G‑d for solutions to their problems. But was a serpent truly necessary for this? Let them turn their thoughts above without a serpent! Apparently, it is difficult to turn our thoughts heavenward without any prompting. We need a focal point to help us relate to G‑d, and that is why in the first stage of approaching G‑d we look for something tangible. Maimonides maintains that this is precisely how idolatry first developed. In his view, the starting point is always belief in G‑d’s unity, but at a certain stage we begin to relate to
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