Parasha ki tisa 5782
Why do we seek a strange god?
"Ki Tisa" from the book of Shemot (Exodus) 30:11-34:35
After a passionate reception of the Ten Commandments, the people, impatient for Moses' descent from the mountain, made for themselves a new god, a Golden Calf.
Let's examine the text closely, and perhaps some observations should be made. Can we find any excuse for their idolatry?
Moses was taking a long time to come down from the mountain, so the people asked Aaron for a “God who will go before us”, since the leader (Moshe) who had led the people from Egypt was not there. Was this not a sincere religious appeal to the Divine? Wasn't their rejection of Moshe (and all he had taught) justified, given that Moshe, standing on the symbolic mountaintop, was too exalted for ordinary people, unimportant to them? He was ideally suited to the responsibilities of the past, but didn't the people need a new god, one who would go "before them" to face the problems of a new world? The people were not stingy; they gave their most prized possessions and brought the most generous offerings without wasting a moment.
Perhaps the indication of his true feelings is found in the sentence “and the people… rose up to sin.”
Their insistence on a god they could understand, their groping for a progressive faith in tune with the times they could embrace, can even inspire respect in insignificant mortals, fearlessly grappling with insoluble eternal mysteries. We can even ignore the disgusting form their god took.
But when all their religious ecstasy and inspiration ended on a note of lust, of liberation from self-discipline, of shedding the remnants of Judaism, of having a good time, then their motives become suspect. Are they seeking God or trying to escape from Him?
No ideal can be examined by its verbal expressions. Spiritual cries are not an indication of spirituality. The actions that inspire them are the measure of a worthwhile ideal. Judaism is not pious preaching, but rather living according to the teachings of the Torah.
(By Zalman Posner, Chabad)
Interesting, isn't it?
But we would like to add the following... Perhaps many have wondered why the people of Israel rushed to seek a "foreign god" when Hashem had brought them out of slavery, showing them His power, His love and His great mercy for them, through the greatest events that occurred from Egypt until their journey through the entire desert?
The Torah says that Moses was taking too long:
"But when the people saw that Moses was a long time in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, 'Arise, make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him'" (Shemot Exodus 32:1).
Later, we all know what happened, they created "the god" the golden calf.
As we can understand, the Torah tells us that the people were desperate when they saw that Moses did not arrive, so they asked "Make us a god who will go before us"
Perhaps they felt insecure about not seeing their great leader; they believed they would "go and continue their mission alone," so they were afraid. Perhaps they needed to see someone they could trust.
Did they not yet have a firm Emuna in the Creator?
We must have complete Emuna in the Blessed Creator, otherwise we may stumble and then encounter more difficulties.
When a person does not have complete Emuna, fear and despair can take hold of him, and in the face of any difficulty he will seek refuge in "foreign gods" and this will cause Divine Supervision to depart from him, and greater difficulties will befall him.
In the face of any difficulty, wait, maintain patience and above all Emuna "your complete trust in the Blessed Creator", Hashem will not leave us, Don't look for other solutions, "other gods", Just wait on Him, because Hashem is the one who has control of absolutely everything and He will go before you and perform miracles in your life!!
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