The Gold, the Calf, and the Holiday of G-d

The story of the golden calf is well known. After the revelation at Sinai, Moshe ascended the mountain to learn the details of the law. He told the people that he would return after 40 days. They counted inclusively, counting the day of Moshe’s ascent. When Moshe didn’t return according to their count, fear and panic gripped the people. They created a golden calf to replace their leader Moshe. In fact, they miscounted, as they should have begun with the day after Moshe’s ascent.

The question is: what were the Jewish people thinking? How could they have fallen so far as to make an idol just days after the great revelation?

The commentaries describe two responses of the Jewish People to the problem of their missing mentor, Moshe. One response was of spiritual desperation, to create an intermediary between them and G-d, instead of Moshe. From the knowledge they gleaned at the revelation at Sinai the people knew that one of the symbolic conduits of G-d’s spiritual energy was a calf (see Radak commentary to Yechezkel 1:27). Focused as they were on spirituality, when they needed to create a new intermediary, they chose a calf.

A second response to the crisis of Moshe’s absence was quite the opposite. Instead of looking for a new way to connect with G-d, some Jews gave up on spirituality. Moshe, their mentor, was gone. In their minds, so was the spiritual dream. All that was left was to simply savor the freedom from Egypt. That freedom, and the opportunity for personal wealth, was symbolized by gold.

The goldencalf was a mutual mode of worship, a meeting place of sorts, for both of these groups, both of whom had entered an “emotional denial” regarding the great revelation and the start of Judaism. One group chose to substitute the spirituality of Judaism with their own version of spirituality, while the other group chose to deny spirituality entirely. Either way, their approaches were attempts to turn the clock back to “yesterday,” a time before the great revelation at Sinai.

The spiritual response of the “calf” and the physical response of the “gold” are responses that exist today in the Jewish world. Often, when people are spiritually unsatisfied, they will choose either an extreme spiritual approach, or an extreme physical one. For example, young adults who are desperately yearning for spirituality may end up in the far eastern religions in their quest for a spiritual alternative. Others respond to their unsatisfied feelings by trashing religion altogether and choosing the approach symbolized by the worship of gold.

There is however a third approach which can be found in Jewish communities today. That is the approach of loyalty. Despite the feelings that observance might seem humdrum, people still observe loyally, even if they can’t quite figure it out. This approach is commendable for its persistence. But, it does need a cure because it often leaves people confused and unsatisfied.

A few weeks ago, at the conclusion of our monthly Tehillim class, one of the participants came over to me to say, “Wow. These explanations are great. I didn’t realize that the words of Tehillim have meaning.”

The comment was striking. Here is a person who finishes Tehillim each week with the greatest devotion, but didn’t appreciate that the words have meaning. To be observing on a superficial level, and still do so with utmost devotion, takes enormous loyalty. But, we do hope for even better.

When Ahron sees the golden calf and all it represents, he declares, “Tomorrow shall be a holiday for G-d.”  Perhaps his intent was to respond to the void that precipitated each of these approaches.

“No,” he was saying, “We do not need to make our own alternative deities to connect spiritually.”

“No. We do not need to give up, and begin to worship money and physicality instead of G-d.”

And, “No,” we do not need to give up hope for a meaningful relationship with G-d, and reconcile ourselves to recitals that we don’t understand. “Tomorrow shall be a festival for G-d,” means that by taking proper action today we can make spirituality meaningful tomorrow.

Ahron’s response is that, “Tomorrow shall be a festival for G-d.”  This statement is a truism. Provided that we make good use of our “Todays.”

With best wishes for a wonderful Shabbos.

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