Devar/5768/Ki Tisa
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…and said unto him: 'Up, make us a god who shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him (Ex 32:1) …This is thy god, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt (Ex 32:4)
Those very people who saw God's wonders in Egypt, and stood at the giving of the Law at Sinai -- they asked Aaron to make them a "god". Despite this demand of theirs being hard to understand, it is even harder to understand what they say just a few minutes later: "This is thy god, O Israel"! They just saw with their own eyes, the calf coming out from the fire; how could they imagine that that calf took them out from Egypt? This isn't just hard to accept, it's ludicrous!
The "mixed multitude" who came out with them from Egypt, they were the ones who desired a god who would lead them in the wilderness. But still, it is hard to understand how they could say what they said! First of all, one must know that they were used to treating flesh-and-blood as a god. After all, Pharaoh was considered a god by the Egyptians -- and not only considered as such, but actually worshipped. It was natural for these people to treat Moses as a god.
But to say, "this is your god, O Israel" regarding a lump of dumb metal which was only just created? In order to understand this, one must refrain from equating "idolater" with "stupid". They saw Moses not as the creator of the world, but as someone who could appease the "upper powers" and who could pull down beneficial influences to the lower realms. When he disappeared, they suspected perhaps he had lost his power, and they sought to find someone who could influence the "upper powers" as he did. Since they knew the ox was a strong and steady creature, they thought the same power which Moses had might be found in this form. That is, what was important was the concept of the power, not who and what used it.
Of course, they erred, and in their error caused others to err. And this problem remains with us until today. When people think that what is important is not what we were commanded but rather the concept behind the commandment. In truth, both are important; but while we don't always know what the underlying concept of the commandment is, we do always know what the commandment is! Therefore, in my opinion, it is much more important to learn what the commandment is than to investigate what is behind it.
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