11 September 2022

The Final Tikkun: Revisiting the Golden Calf

15 Elul 5782

Shootings, rock attacks and riots are increasing in Samaria.  I began warning people over two decades ago (starting with Sondra Oster Baras) against the various "bridging" initiatives being formed to bring Jews and Evangelical (and Messianic) Christians together and the danger it presented.  

I guess it is about 13 years ago now when I first began to warn that allowing Christian "visitors" and "volunteers" to establish worship of Yeshu (outright idolatry) in and around the yishuvim where they were living and working would remove the Divine protection the Jews had previously enjoyed.  And I was not the only one to sound the alarm.  However, nothing was done and nothing is being done, so the situation just deteriorates further.  

You may be wondering what this has to do with the Golden Calf and I would say - everything!

Worship of the Golden Calf was the source of the first sin committed after receiving the Ten Commandments and it brought the entire nation down from the high spiritual level it had just attained and rendered it unfit for the first set of luchot.  Would it not be logical to think that it may be the last sin to be rectified before the completion of the final redemption?

I'm going to bring here much of the commentary that the Stone Edition Chumash offers on the subject and let you take it to heart and understand how this applies to us today - right now!  And then, I will, hopefully, tie it all together with a bow at the end.

…the Jews who truly worshiped it as an idol were a tiny minority of only three thousand people, …and even they were the Egyptian rabble, Eirev Rav, that flocked to join the Jews when they left Egypt.   These erstwhile Egyptians proclaimed when the new god emerged from the flames, “This is your god, O Israel.”   They did not refer to it as our god, because they were outsiders who were addressing the Jews.

 [They "reveled" around the Calf.]

To revel.   The term implies the three cardinal sins of idolatry, licentiousness, and murder. In addition to their worship of the Golden Calf, they committed immoral acts and they had murdered Hur, who attempted to restrain them (Rashi).   This was the nadir of the tragic episode, the point at which error turned to wantonness.

…the original intent in making the calf was not to worship it as a god, … the initiators of the project were the Eirev Rav, and … only an infinitesimal proportion of Jews actually worshiped it.   However, the sin was most grievous, nonetheless.  As is clear from verse 27 [Shemot, chapter 32], there were Jews, few though they were, who were guilty of idolatry. The rest of the people did not resist the Eirev Rav or the Jewish worshipers.  This constituted either silent acquiescence or lack of faith, which was a condemnation of the nation as a whole.

It is a stiff-necked people.  This is the familiar simile for stubbornness, referring to one whose neck is too stiff to turn; consequently, he will never look backward once he has embarked on a course (Ibn Ezra; Sforno).  Such a person will refuse to listen to criticism or admit a mistake. This was the trait that nearly doomed Israel.   Even after describing their sin in the starkest terms (v. 8), God did not say that they should be destroyed; error can always be corrected if the will is there.  But if the people are too stubborn to listen to reason, what hope is there for them?

[Moses and Yehoshua both heard the sounds from the camp up on the mountain.] 

…It was a sound that was distressing to Moses, because it indicated that the people were enjoying and celebrating the blasphemous and immoral behavior to which they had sunk as they sang and gyrated around their new god (Rashi).   Indeed, Sforno (to v. 19) comments that it was the rejoicing that most disturbed Moses.  He despaired of changing and perfecting people who were wildly enjoying sin.

Atonement. Moses had to rid the nation of its sin before he could beseech God to let them regain the Tablets and the spiritual role they had forfeited.  First, he had to purge the nation of the sinners, who, though relatively few, had had an influence on the nation as a whole.
[Apparently, among the Christian ideas assimilated into Jewish minds in the Western Diaspora is this idea that it really does not matter what you do, God forgives everything, and they really don’t believe there will be any punishment meted out to them.]
He made them drink. There were three categories of sinners and hence corresponding categories of punishments (Yoma 66b): (a) Those who had been warned by witnesses not to serve the idol and did so anyway were liable to a judicially imposed death by the sword (vs. 26-28); (b) those who did so intentionally before witnesses, but had not been warned – and therefore could not be punished by the court – died in a plague (v. 35); (c)…The unfaithfulness of the last group to God was like that of an adulterous wife, so Moses imposed upon them a test like that given a sotah, a wife accused of adultery….   He had them drink from water mixed with the particles of the ground-up Golden Calf (Avodah Zara 44a).   Only those who had worshiped it died, like the sotah who was guilty of the charge (Rashi).

Moses turned to Aaron,… “Granted that you may have had no choice but to make the Eigel, [after they murdered Hur] but the worst part of the sin was that they rejoiced with it, and that happened because you proclaimed a festival (v. 6). Why did you have to compound the sin by causing them to celebrate it? (Sforno)  Aaron put the sin into the perspective that the long years of exposure to Egyptian idolatry has predisposed the nation toward such disgraceful behavior.  Then he viewed their demand and his attempt to stall for time.  Although Aaron did not wish to describe the catalogue of sins that ensued, Moses had already seen enough.  Aaron had exposed the shame of the people, for not only the sinners were at fault, but those whose failure to respond had made it possible. This revealed the ignominy of the nation, for they had been disloyal to God and Moses.

Whoever is for Hashem, join me!  Moses asked the Jews to make a decision and stop straddling the fence. [Shades of Eliyahu HaNavi at Mount Carmel!]  Their response showed the depth of their spiritual fall, for only the Levites stepped forward; though the rest of the people were loyal to God, they would not dedicate themselves uncompromisingly to His service.  Haamek Davar accounts for the relatively poor response to Moses’ plea.  By calling upon these volunteers to carry out death sentences against the idolaters, Moses was about to expose them to great physical danger.  Only those who were absolutely loyal to God would receive Divine protection, and the Levites were the only ones confident enough to accept the risk.

And on the day that I make My account.  Mercifully, God consented not to punish the entire nation at that time, but He declared that whenever they would sin in the future, they would suffer some of the punishment that they should have received in retribution for the sin of the Eigel (Rashi).  The sense of this teaching is that the sin of the Golden Calf cannot be completely erased, because it left an indelible stigma on the people. Thus, whenever national sins are committed, they are due in part to the spiritual residue of the Golden Calf. Sin does not take place in a vacuum; we are heirs of our history.
[On why Moshe Rabbeinu felt compelled to break the first tablets...]
Moses reasoned that if it is forbidden for a heretic to eat the pesach-offering..., surely a nation of heretics (meaning the masses of the nation that stood by complacently in the face of organized idolatry) cannot be given the entire Torah (Rashi from Shabbos 87a).
In this season of teshuvah, who is going to wake up enough to accept responsibility for this sin and make a complete once-and-for-all atonement for it!!!!  Lives are literally at stake!!!!

We do not have a missionary problem so much as we have a Jewish problem.  Every missionary endeavor in this country was introduced by Jews.


Whoever encourages relationships between Jews and idolaters or whoever makes it possible for idolaters to perform their idolatrous worship in Eretz Yisrael or who knows of such actions but refuses to condemn them, stands guilty before HKB"H!!

Some leading "settler" rabbis have spoken up, but it seems the word is not getting around to the klal.  The following is from a TOI 2012 article about HaYovel...
...The presence of the Evangelicals has kicked up opposition from some prominent settler rabbis.  Among the fears, rabbis are worried the volunteers will do missionary work and look for converts.

Moshe Tsuriel, a prolific writer on issues of Jewish law and a spiritual mentor to yeshiva students, came out against the volunteers in an article published earlier this year.  “On the one hand, they declare that they are helping us in our war against the Arabs,” Rabbi Tsuriel wrote.  “[But] there is a big risk that [Jewish] souls will become closer to Christianity.”

In an interview with the same news website, The Jewish Voice, Shilo’s rabbi, Elhanan Bin Noon, called for a halachic ruling on the issue of accepting help from Evangelical Christian groups.  “When these people are invited to perform acts of assistance, for them it’s a religious worship.  How can you be interested in something like that?”  He also accused the group of blurring the distinction between Judaism and Christianity.

Shortly before Rosh HaShanah, Rabbi Dov Lior, another prominent settler rabbi, issued a general halachic ruling against accepting material assistance beyond money from Christian groups because they practice idolatry.

However, the Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, the rabbi of Har Bracha, the settlement where the volunteers are based, has said that they aren’t missionaries. Hayovel has also gotten backing from David Haivri, a spokesperson for the Samaria regional council.

Kol hakavod to Rabbi Tsuriel, Rabbi Bin Noon and Rabbi Dov Lior, as well as Rabbi Yehudah RIchter of Elon Moreh who has also protested.

What if Mashiach is announced and his first words to the public are "Mi l'Hashem elai!!?"

How will you be able to answer?   

~ ~ ~

This is likely the final blog post here at Tomer Devorah.  I'll qualify it with a b'li neder.  This is my intention, but if HKB"H has other plans,  I remain open to that.  The blog will, of course, remain here as an archive and there are fifteen years of almost daily posts to refer to on various subjects of Jewish interest.  

I feel I have said everything there is to be said - and then some - and I really want to spend less time on the computer.  When the month of teshuvah arrives and the New Year is on the horizon, we all begin to think more about how to improve ourselves and make changes for the better.  I need this for my own growth and personal improvement.  I hope the readers will understand.  

It has been my distinct privilege and pleasure to share my learning and my thoughts with you over these many years and to receive yours in return.  I wish for everyone who reads this a Sweet New Year, and may all your prayers be answered affirmatively.  Here's hoping we meet very soon at the rebuilt Beit Hamikdash in Yerushalayim HaKodesh.

Ketivah v'Chatimah Tovah and Chag Sameach!!

30 comments:

  1. The Origianl Me
    Thank you so very much for all that you've taught us. Your insights have opened our eyes to deeper truths of the Torah. We'll miss your posts!!
    Looking forward to praising Hashem together at the beit hamikdash!

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  2. B"H" May it be the will of HKBU that all your efforts to shake & awake Kla'l Israel, 'crying like a crane' have the merit of tipping the balance for all children of Israel towards merit in these times of chevlo shel Moshiach, in mercy.
    Ketiva v’chatima tova

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  3. Until your next post.
    Your voice is important so you can’t “retire”for your own growth.
    Take a break and see you soon.
    Shana tova umetuka!

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    1. How about a comment? I was re-reading the post and got to this part: "... rabbis are worried the volunteers will do missionary work and look for converts". And I thought, that's interesting, because the Torah tells us that HKB"H was most concerned that we would intermarry with them.

      The Jews who approve of allowing them to live among us and worship their false deity have already essentially "converted" to Christianity. I don't see how Heaven views them any differently than if they had gone all the way.

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    2. Talking about "going all the way"... Anyone want to offer an opinion on the following... Former Ambassador to the US, former Deputy PM Michael Oren gives what I call his Xian Testimony HERE. I'm certain he is not the only one in government who thinks like this.

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  4. I will really miss your wonderful blog. Wishing u a gut gebentsht yahr.

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  5. BE STRONG
    BE STRONG
    BE STRENGTHENED

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  6. I will miss you too! Your blog has been a great inspiration to me, and to others as well. Whatever H' wants! Shana tova umevarechet to you and yours!

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  7. Wow. I have been reading your blog for about 13 years. Its funny 13 years ago I would tell people about some of the information you post and they thought I was crazy. Now some of those same people listen and believe. Thanks for all the hard work.

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  8. Please someone pick up and take over from here! Thank you for all your work.

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  9. Is this generation's Eigal, the Secular State, the MoH, and "Science and Technology"? Look at the damage that the Cult of Fauci has caused with the Vax. How they destroyed Business with the Lock-downs, the Shuls and Yeshivas with the Vax mandates, and life in general with the Mask mandates. How people that believed them are injured or worse. Be Well! There are bloggers out there that are taking your Baton in this Race.

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  10. Your work for Hashem and Am Yisrael is. Never done. Don’t give up now when the Stakes are the highest. You are needed in this world. Think twice about your decision.

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    Replies
    1. This is not "giving up" or quitting. It is moving on, hopefully to more activity in the real world. I've just spent hours upon hours both last night and this morning on a new project and it is only about half finished. It's time for me to serve in a different and, hopefully, more meaningful way.

      Thank you for the encouragement. I understand it comes from a good place.

      If anyone would like to stay informed about new projects outside of blogging, you can email me of your interest at tdnjslm@gmail.com and I will start a mailing list. However, you should know that it will be geared towards events and activities within Eretz Yisrael, just in case that is not relevant for you.

      All the best!

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    2. Please don't leave. I am sure I am speaking for many others that you are needed by the public at this very difficult time. We need your voice and your inspiring insights and perspectives at this time of global chaos and fear. We need your voice and your awesome posts to shine some light into the darkness. As society and gov'ts collapses all around us, we need someone to help us make sense of it all. And help point us in the right direction. If you were given this ability and gift, please use it.

      This is not the time to worry about personal growth. It's the end of our world as we know it, and we are in an emergency situation.

      Please continue your blog. We need you.

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    3. Dear Anonymous, I appreciate the sentiment, but if you go just to the bottom of the right-sidebar of the blog, you will find 15 years of blogposts to re-read. Most are probably still very relevant. Try it and see. And thanks for your support and encouragement.

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  11. I just want you to know you've made a big impact in our lives. We were actually involved with the CFOIC and broke all ties because of the info I was exposed to here. Thank you so much for bringing out the truth even if it's ugly.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for letting me know. That's tremendous. Kol hakavod!

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  12. JP?
    Dean Maughvet

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  13. בס"ד
    As a regular reader of this blog and occasional commenter, I would like to wish you all the best Devorah, and thank you for all your many hours of research and dedication to the truth. I will miss your posts as this was one of the most interesting and informative blogs out there.
    I wiss you success in whatever HaShem blesses your hands to do.
    Hag Sameach to you also.
    -----stingray-----

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Stingray. That means so much to me. Hag sameach to you as well.

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    2. I'm going to close the blog to further comments now, but I'll leave you with a parting gift:

      Meet Bibi’s New Tribulation-Courting, Jew-Converting, Demon-Exorcising American Allies

      Rachel Tabachnick is excellent and even though the article is a few years old, it is still highly relevant.

      Again, I wish you all a sweet new year and a ketivah v'chatimah tovah for 5783!!! With all my love and devotion.

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