Sin of the Golden Calf/1/en
Sin of the Golden Calf
Introduction
Tired of Hashem so Soon?
Throughout their stay in the Wilderness, the Nation of Israel repeatedly waver in their faith, testing both Hashem and Moshe. The Sin of the Golden Calf is a prime example. As Moshe tarries on Mt. Sinai, they build a golden calf, bow down to it and offer sacrifices. The psalmist describes the sin as an attempt to replace Hashem with an idol:
(יט) יַעֲשׂוּ עֵגֶל בְּחֹרֵב וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְמַסֵּכָה. (כ) וַיָּמִירוּ אֶת כְּבוֹדָם בְּתַבְנִית שׁוֹר אֹכֵל עֵשֶׂב.
(19) They made a calf in Horeb, And worshipped a molten image. (20) Thus they exchanged their glory For the likeness of an ox that eateth grass.
The reader is astounded by the Israelites' actions. How could they forsake Hashem for other gods a mere forty days after Hashem revealed Himself? And even if the nation might err, how can Aharon not only blunder but actually lead the people in sinning? Is it possible that right after Hashem declared, "You shall not have any gods before me", the people build an idol and switch allegiances?
Moshe's Absence
The story opens with the backdrop for the nation's sin:
(א) וַיַּרְא הָעָם כִּי בֹשֵׁשׁ מֹשֶׁה לָרֶדֶת מִן הָהָר וַיִּקָּהֵל הָעָם עַל אַהֲרֹן וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו קוּם עֲשֵׂה לָנוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר יֵלְכוּ לְפָנֵינוּ כִּי זֶה מֹשֶׁה הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָנוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לֹא יָדַעְנוּ מֶה הָיָה לוֹ.
Ostensibly, the fact that Moshe is late in descending from the mountain motivates the nation to request that Aharon make for them an "אֱלֹהִים". What, though, is the connection between Moshe's absence and the request? How does making a calf solve the problem of a missing human leader? Did they believe that without Moshe they had no access to the Divine, or were they looking for something physical to guide them through the wilderness?
