0:00 / 0:00
The Sin of Nadav & Avihu (Pt II) | Rabbi Neil Winkler
74 views
www.ouisrael.org facebook.com/ouisrael #OUisrael #torah #judaism #torahlectures
Categories:
Torah
Comments(0)
Transcript
Auto-generated transcript. Not time-synced to the video.
say about Nadava Navi who I see that you
know there were only three people here
and one of them wasn't even there last
week. I saw you on the YouTube because I
couldn't be here. Oh, you weren't here
either, right? So I I but I'm going to
do with your permission. Why not? Um I
want to go to what I really had uh would
have ordinarily done because I as I said
I we did
not finish with
um with I have a thing about
um which I not going to speak about now
but I think one of the most
powerful powerful
um
reveals that's a good word
um is what I'm going to give you now and
I tell you why I say reveals I know a
lot of these sh and I hear Rabbi Tal
thank god it's wonderful he has terrific
sh about um uh the he was speaking about
what's going to be and the thing
and my focus is primarily
um not oh this is what's going to be
which is but I'd love to see what we
have in our hands and that is the text
itself and primarily what but so many
misunderstanding of the text have come
around uh over these years. Kazal had
very important reasons to say certain
things and so often that becomes the
text itself which is which it is not.
This is basically what I say. I always
start with the story that you know if I
were to tell the average person that you
know what Rifka was not three years old
necessarily when she married Yitzk I'd
get
stoned I said and you know what we don't
see anywhere that Abraham broke idols
now these are things that of course we
learned and most people know it's not in
the Torah but much of what we learned
and we assume is correct because we've
learned it is not necessarily close to
the text and if kazal are giving us an
approach different from the
text they have a very good reason but
before you understand their reason is it
not
proper to read the text what does the
Torah say and then we can say well why
do the rabbis say it in this way and I
think almost every time it isn't because
they saying, "Oh, that's not what the it
means this." It's not true. It means
what is saying there's another way of
looking at this and that's very
important because you can't ignore this
is what the Torah says. And that's going
to be what some of you already heard
this lecture, but you know what's
important? Uh not going to remember all
of it.
The story of the golden calf, the
sin of a zahab, the golden calf is one
of the most
um completely
misunderstood
stories that has led us to almost ignore
what the Torah says and merely accept
everything that we've learned. of them
were young. Now I had therefore prepared
new
um uh source sheets. Unfortunately,
uh I actually I sent it to the OU and
asked them to run off and I got a call
back. Sam McCarti is actually in the
army now. He's going that. Yeah. And Oh,
how nice of you. See, thank you.
Now I don't have to open my own bottle.
Um
on the chair, huh? That helping? Okay.
No, it's it helps more than I put it in
my throat.
I want to present to you the approach
that really opened my eyes and years ago
by Manakim Liptag and then what I've
sort of provided myself in my own
studies
um about this uh story about this event
this terrible event of the sin of the
golden calf. I shouldn't say that
because the golden calf didn't sin. The
skin the sin of the worship of the
golden calf. Um
and I want
to open up be questions and problems
just by what even what the text says and
how we understand it and which will I
believe bring us to well let's look
again what indeed the text is saying and
why some of these problems really are
not
problems. We learned in the Gumar in
Sanhedrin. Oh, did I give up? I give out
these. Uh, no, I did not give out. I'm
sorry.
Oh, they have Oh, okay. Fine. Do you
want mine?
I'll get it. No, look, I had eight of
them over here. Even more. Thank you.
I'll give
them to do that.
I got the instructions. It's okay.
[Music]
Um so
these are statements
in
says we also find it in later
on throughout
history whatever punishment we suffer
has always a little bit a
grain of the punishment because of the
sin of worshiping the golden
calf.
Um, it's
payback. It's
payback. But the events that lead up to
it and the sin itself really leave us
perplexed.
Now
explain what exactly was the um the sin
and we always think well they worship
the golden calf really which means it
was a sin of um
aod but um which is the the
the majority of paran believe that is
the thing but if so how do we
understand
Um the the the challenge of
understanding that
behavior the famous story that we all go
crazy about how in the
world could ben Israel we're talking two
three million people okay 600,000 adult
males left Egypt
So let's take you had a couple of people
that weren't adults. You got equal
amount if not more who were women. So
and uh and so we're talking about about
2 to three million people. So how is it
that
this huge group who actually went
through they experienced not one not 10
plagues miracles that were rained down
upon their enemy and they saw
the especially the death of the
firstborn. It was this crowd who had
seen the drowning of the huge military
of the powerful Egyptian
Empire. The Torah says he saw them. They
were dead and they
said they believed God. This is the
seventh day of Pes basically that's when
it
happened. So there it is middle of
Nissan one month is er one month next
month is the next month is tamuz in the
middle of tamos they wash the golden
calf three months by the way I just gave
you those miracles what about the
miracles of bringing water when they had
none and God brought it down what about
the daily miracle of the man the mana is
you know you
But they eating it in a man in a manner
of speaking you know they they actually
had to live only because the of the ma
man that falls each so every morning a
miracle was happening let alone the
sloav one they had the quail that came
over them they had they saw these
miracles I can go on and on so you mean
and and then they said oh let's worship
a god this concept that they were
worshiping god vodara
It's difficult to
understand it. It's it's really very
difficult the whole story. How could
they they it was they heard God saying
and that you're not allowed to do this.
They heard
it. They said this was the ultimate sin
to reject God to somebody else or
something
else. Very difficult. And Kazal go crazy
about it. They're very very upset about
this whole thing.
I'm upset though. It's just not logical.
Not
logical. And if you know the story, and
I think you do, who was it who formed
that golden calf? Aron. Aron. The Coen
Gad. You know, we have a hala
um that any coin who worked of Zara
could never become a coin. He could
never serve in the Mishkan. and then the
mikdash and I honed in he be still
became the
adult but he he fashioned it give me you
can give me all the excuses he threw it
in it happened that way but they came to
him and his response was okay give me a
gold and you know so he was involved
here and who was the one person who
wasn't
really punished a He doesn't get a
punishment. It's a very very thing.
What's going
on? It's it's very
difficult. So we have to take another
view. Well maybe
maybe the sin was not
that of of
odazara. But if that's true, if there
wasn't idolatry, what is it that made
God so angry to give the punishment? And
as the Gomorrah says, every punishment
in the whole history of Israel had a
little bit of punishment because of that
terrible thing. So what is it? So in
order to understand that, let's see the
story. And if that takes us a little
more than today, then that's fine.
That's fine. It's a very important thing
to
understand. So let's see first source
this comes from the Torah from Schmote
the story how it
begins. First of all
number one started. Yeah. So first of
all let's see how this
happened. Well I mean after
all Moshe wasn't around. So, so what was
happening? I'm giving you a little
introduction. The Torah tells us why
this occurred at least the whole uh who
was there, who was not there. So we said
see that God God said to Moshe come up
to me on the mountain meaning at hari
mount si and wait there and I will give
you the stone tablets with the teachings
and commandments which I have inscribed
to in instruct them meaning Israel
meaning this was after they heard the
ten commandments but have not yet
received the physical thing the uh uh
and they were going to receive the
commandments as they are etched in stone
but they had not yet received that and
tells Moshe, "Come on up and I'll give
them to you." So Moshe and his attendant
Yoshua
uh get up. Moshe ascended this mountains
to the top of the mountain and he tells
the elders he had at the time no helpers
in effect we know he had 70 elders he
said wait here for us until we return to
you and you and you have here I am and
Aaron and
uh with you anyone who has a legal
matter can approach them they're taking
over for me I spoke spoken a number of
times. I noticed that Joshua was not the
next leader of Israel was not left there
for that is he went with with he was
still like a student. He went up to up
to certain point with Moshe but
Aram and H
um they were there. Okay. Very nice. So
we that's what happened. Good.
[Music]
Um first
question next thing
and as we see next Moshe went up to the
God much of them what did God say and
Mosha say and I'll come back
when will I come back he never says he
never says it this is crucial fact
number one those who've heard this for
Noah. Of all the things I said, that's
the one thing I think remained with you.
You did.
What does everybody know for sure what
was the sin?
Because you know say well Moshe said
he's coming down 40 days. They
miscounted it and they and therefore the
by a half a day and therefore that's why
they did this. So between you and me,
just because the w something was wrong
somebody's watch, God's going to punish
them this awful thing, it was a mistake.
They didn't not that they had they were
panicked because they didn't know he was
okay but it was a mistake. Why was God
so
angry and number two more than actually
number one not number
two? They are never told that Moshe
would be there for 40 days and come down
on the 40th day. Never. The text never
says that. And in order to to make it
powerful, let's say, how long do you
think he's going to have? Well, did
Moshe ever go up to Hi before? And the
answer is yes, he did before the Ten
Commandments were
pronounced. It says there God says,
"Come up. I have to talk to you." And it
goes up for maybe a couple of hours.
Then it comes down. It brings back the
answer that the people said back to God.
God said, "Come up. come out and then to
come out and he came back on a second
time. So let's say it was a half a day.
Let's say it was a day. Say two days.
Doesn't say the time in the Torah.
Certainly wasn't a long time because it
was during the same first six
days. So he goes up, comes down in a
couple of hours. Second time, same
thing,
right? So now he goes up a third
time. He goes up a third time. And what
are the people thinking?
Well, he went up a couple of hours, you
know, then last a week and it's come
down in a few hours until they wait.
Wasn't the two hours, 3 hours, a day,
two days, two
weeks, a
month, and he's not
there. They wait patiently for Mosha to
return. They have no idea when he's
going to return.
And yet they
wait. And if you think they're nervous
because he didn't come down, they had
good reason
to. He went up to Mount
Si, God is there. He comes right down.
But at this time when he goes up, how
does hari look?
[Music]
It's depicted in the Torah that Har was
smoky with fire all over the place and
clouds and
rumbling. And it says that Moshe goes
into the fire. He goes into
this volcano type of and walks
in. Most people can't survive that. in
case you didn't know that was going to
survive that. So they see their leader
going up to in this unbelievable thing
very nervous but he'll come down in an
hour or two because he did last time and
but now we have even worse they have a
and doesn't come down. So now they look
at each other not at 30 days later but
at this point already it's approximately
uh we're talking about oh I don't know
uh seven not not that's quite 7 weeks
we'll say almost six weeks later 6 weeks
would be 42 days 40 days
right what are we going to
do what are we going to do they wonder
well what are our options
One, we'll stay where we are. We'll
stay. We'll just stay
here for what? You know, we've waited
for 40
days. What are we supposed to do? Just
do nothing. Option two, we'll go back to
Egypt. I know. Where else are we going
to go? We can go back. Well, of course
they don't want to do that. but to be
reinslaved. And if we're afraid God will
be angry, he'll he'll be more angry if
we go back to Egypt. Can't do
that. To what's the third
option? Let's go onward. That's right.
Let's go onward. Let's travel onward to
the promised land. Like Hashem has told
us numerous time.
They think it's a great idea. Oh, wait a
minute. We don't want God to be angry.
But God had just told them, if you look
at
um the third
source, he says uh in chapter 23, which
is before he goes up to he says, God
says, "Behold, I am sending a messenger
before you." He tells Israel to guard
you on the way and to bring you to the
place I've made ready if I show you in
the Hebrew what I as I translate as a
messenger it
says mal what's a malak what's a malik a
malik
angel an angel it's really means a an
agent also but it's Number three.
So they were promised that who would
lead them to the pro promised land?
Moshe. An an angel or a messenger of
God. Well, who's the messenger of God
who's leading them?
Moshe. Moshe. Uh he ain't
around. How can we now go? We should go
to the promised
land but God promised us to have someone
who is going to lead
us. That's what they said. And that is
why they then did what Moshe told them
to when you have problems go to whom?
Who did he leave there? Aram. So they
right.
So they went to Aaron just like Moshe
told them they should do that, right?
And
um the idea that oh well they wanted to
rebel against
God. Would they have gone and do done
what Moshe told them to do? Go to Aon.
They're following the exactly the
directives they were
given. Go to Aon.
And that's exactly what they
did. And their complaint to our
own was therefore not give us another
god. What did they want to replace?
A new leader who would lead them to the
promised land. They believed that God
would lead them to a promised land, but
the supposed angel or leader that God
promised that we thought was Moshe
clearly was not. So they go to our own.
Sorry about your brother, but uh you
know, we need a leader. What should we
do here? So
carefully, let's read exactly in the
fourth source what exactly they did say
to
Aaron. When the people saw that Moses
was so long in coming down from the
mountain, they gathered against our own
and said to him, "Come, make us a god
who shall go before us. for that fellow
Moshe who brought us uh from the land
out of the land of Egypt, we don't know
what happened to him. So the the fact
that it says uh a
god. So that's what made especially say
well they wanted another god. The idea
of uh Elohim as it says here um
yeah
Elohim does not mean a god. The idea of
Elohim does not mean gods
alone. It means leaders. It means
powerful
people. Does that mean how are there any
gods like you god? No. There's no other
god. What is aim? means the powerful
ones. when when
um Brait in the end of Perk of Pash
Vets when Lavan chases after Yakov who
was escaping from his home and before
the night before he catches up to YaKob
and the the clan, God appears to Laben
to Lavan in and tells him um how Israel
You
know, you better not start up with Yako.
Don't you dare harm him. He comes the
next morning, catches up to
Yakov and he attacks him and among the
things he
says, I have al doesn't mean God. I have
the power to do something bad to you but
your god told me I can't the idea of ale
or elim does not only mean gods or it
can mean power things you have that
also but everything you know god sings
in he's found in as judges it's also
meant as a judges okay so when they said
here does not mean make us another
god find us another leader is what they
really were asking for. That's very,
very clear. And that was no more than
wanting to carry on God's plan. God did
say, I'm going to send you a leader,
someone who's going to lead you to the
promised land. And he says it more than
once.
you know, that's also in the well, I
didn't I didn't mention it include it in
the third one, but that's what it is.
More than once, um, God promises, I'm
going to give you a leader who who will
lead you. They thought, you know,
completely logically that that leader is
going to be Moshe. It seems it will not
be Moshe. they now realize or think and
therefore say okay our own we're going
to you as our the late Moshe has uh
asked us to so so we got to find a
leader we got to find somebody who's
going to lead us in that's what happened
uh
and if that's not enough to
understand what happens
What happens when
[Music]
um that they come to him and he says,
"Okay, give
money." Aron was very very clever. You
know, the Jews weren't going to go for
a a fundraiser at this point, but they
did. And they sent um well, you know,
they send them a lot of lot of gold,
right? And
[Music]
um so I mean just like
a let me go back a half of a step.
Again, remember what they asked is we
want you to do
something
Elohim who will who will walk in front
of us who will lead us but that's what
they wanted not to whom we can pray. So
I just so okay fine.
Um so when that however it happens which
I'll get into uh that this this golden
calf comes out from what is done
whether it was fashion whether it was
come from a mold we don't know exactly
but it did happen right
[Music]
um and and again why does that does say
hey cool it off. He's coming down
another half another half hour. He'll be
here. That he argue with them. Don't
worry, he's going to be here a little
late. He's Jewish. What can I tell you?
He never argues with them. It would seem
that Aaron also was wondering, isn't it?
And that's why Aaron agrees to do what
they want, figuring with a shrug of the
shoulders, I guess this is God's way,
and I don't know what. That's why he
allows to do this. Throw it into the
fire and this comes out. And when that
happens, he he provides them with
whatever they wanted. He even announced,
"Don't worry."
Um, not today,
but those are crucial
words. He says to the people now that we
have this golden calf, he says,
let us celebrate for God. So they didn't
look look to replace God or deny God.
They're going to actually celebrate also
means
sacrifice, you know, for God. That's who
they were worshiping. They weren't
denying God. It wasn't a matter of
denying
of that's not what was happening. The
text makes it clear if we read the
text. And they said that
even as powerful as these arguments
are, there are also uh powerful go
arguments as to why not. Because when
they have this golden calf,
um, believe it or not,
um, the people proclaim when they see
it, they
said, "This is your whatever God that
took you out of Egypt." That's a
powerful statement that seems to deny
God.
Um, but what it that meant because
everything else proves that it's not
true. This is a representation of the
god who took us out of
Egypt. What did they know about a about
a invisible god? I know we know it
because we know all about the
invisibility studio. There was never any
any belief in any uh god that didn't
have something to see idols to look at.
Suddenly they told about this wonderful
power who's doing all these things. But
yeah, what does he look like? You know,
what is he wearing? Do you have a big
hat? Does he have a long beard, a short
beard? Pay us. Didn't know. What does he
look like? That's what they want to
know. And they accepted that. So they
didn't see him. Fine.
But they haven't seen him. They haven't
seen their leader. They saw
Moshe not as God. What if they see him
as correctly?
A messenger. God's
messenger. What do they want now?
Therefore,
God's messenger. And if they would just
as if they would they would say this is
the man or the the God's messenger who
took us out of Egypt when they were
pointing to
Moshe. Now they have a golden calf and
they said okay now this is it. They
needed simply a
representation that this this must be
whom God has chosen to lead them to the
promised land. But there's a huge
difference between a man who's actually
able to speak to God to command the
nation and a calf that just sits there
and does nothing, right? Well, I didn't
know him personally, you know. No, the
reason is very simple. That's true. But
it was thrown into a fire. Who made it
come out that way? Must have been
God. God has created this. That was the
belief. I'm sorry. Yeah. Was this after
God spoke to them on the mountain?
Oh, yeah. Yes, it's after. Exactly.
Which brings up even more questions. I
mean, I have a a lot of questions on
what you're saying because they felt
that they had to make a leader since the
story. Have they ever done as I brought
out themselves? As I brought out more
than once, God told them, I'm going to
make a leader for you. That leader no
longer is them. For
you and Hashem did everything. Now
they're taking matters into their own
hands, which was a mistake. They nothing
happened because of their hishad.
Yes, they did.
Aron said, "Give me." But they went to
Aron. What should we do? He said, "This
is what you do." That's his give. Yeah.
He said, "Give me your gold." So they
did what they were told to do. And Aaron
was the agent from Moshe. Moshe said,
"You take care of it." And he took that.
So that was a histad. Oh, if you give me
the the gold, so then we'll we'll get
we'll find out who the new leader is.
And when that comes out to a go golden
calf, they said, "Oh, I I guess this is
a new leader. Not as good-looking as
Moshe, but this seems to be the good
leader." Now, why they end up with a CF
is something I'll get to later on, but
it's a totally logical thing. I can't
stand to saying they were perfectly
right and everything like that. But I
understand the panic of three million
people whose leader who was doing all
the miracles for them and doing
everything they want for him is now
suddenly gone and he was supposed to be
the one to lead them and they know they
have to. They want to go to the whole
promised land. What do we do? Oh, our
own the the substitute. What do we do?
He said, "Give me give me money." Sounds
like a Jewish thing. Fine. So he gets
the money and then this comes out. So as
much as you are correct in that this was
their histad they were told by a just to
give in
money we take off your jewelry give to
me. So they did and what comes out of it
a golden calf. Why should they not think
this was godly done? What I mean like a
really dropped the ball here. You think
they didn't think that the answer to
their question was the gold?
He was Jewish. I would Yeah. I mean, I
just I just feel like Moshe basically
put him in charge. I guess he doesn't
know what to do. Yeah. And not only does
he know what to do, he like really like
really screws up and and then he Why do
what can we say? It's a good point
you're making. What can we say to defend
Aron? I just put up a hey, it's all
fault. They are
the Don't give me a midrash. Okay. Think
for yourself. Why do you think
that might have been? Give me some
excuse.
Huh? Exactly. Right. Why did he say why
didn't do it right now? Hoping will come
back. Exactly. He said they mean so
that's why Kazal who said this 40day
thing is saying it because he was stoing
it. He was doing it freaking number one
I imagine they wouldn't give him the
money and the gold then number two when
they did he said I don't know I'll throw
him to the fire and then they said oh
something came out that he didn't
imagine you know that so and let me see
what he tells Mosha later on it begins
to see that but I
agree was he punished no well I mean how
many ah
when they something that happened and
they were No, no, no, no, no, no, no. It
happened afterwards. Um uh in fact it
said in effect Moshe prayed for Aharon
that he should not be punished. In
effect also God said give you half of
your request. He has four sons now we'll
have two. It's almost also like the
famous marshmallow test. It's like God
puts a marshmallow in front of you and
says, "Wait till tomorrow, not 24 hours,
but later, and you get a second
marshmallow if you wait." And all the
toddlers. Yeah. Same story. Yeah. And
they said that that that actually
predicates many ways with decisions
people will make. Yeah, that's true. you
know, in a more mature way, you know,
uh, I I have a half a million dollars
here, but if you wait, I'll give you a
million dollars tomorrow, right? And
yeah, people say, I I say it in a story.
Oh, good news. You just won the lottery.
You can get the lottery right now. It's
x amount of, but you can take it over
the rest of your life, you get much
more. And the bulk of the people, almost
all of them say, "What? I'll take it
now. Exactly. I don't know if I'm going
to be around tomorrow. I'll take it
right now. Slave thinking. So, huh.
Isn't that slave thinking? I mean, we
they're think a lot about how they
thought like I want think now rather
than I suppose. So, we can see as a
slave thing. They don't know what's
going to be. It could be. I can't deny
that. What I'm saying though, which
we're not putting into this, they were 3
months after
slavery and they are panicked. What are
we going to do? You have the child over
here with the two marshmallows. It's not
a matter of okay, you had nothing to eat
for the last day and you might die. You
might starving so you can have a
marshmallow, but if you wait, I'll give
you a two tomorrow. Then that would be a
closer thing to what's happening here.
then you can't deny oh just watch it now
they and that's what you have to put us
in that position I don't think I would
have done anything as wonderful as I am
I I wouldn't do anything different than
they were doing there's a panic going on
here frightening and I spent a lot of
years learning about God and everything
they have three months and Aaron's two
sons killed already
no it's before that's why I told you I'd
said this before that's that's good
before any Okay. Um,
so what's interesting by the
way does points out is when you look at
the celebration that they then call
because Iron says we're going to have a
celebration right uh it was almost
exactly the same ceremony and
celebration that that they had followed
40 days earlier when they pledged 97
We promise we'll do anything that God
has told us to do. And then they it says
there clearly and they accepted the
brought and we have actually I think I
put it down. Yeah. If you look at the
sources, uh although this is a a a side
issue, you look at the sources where I
see in the first source number five, the
first paragraph, this is how they
celebrated the acceptance of the ten
commandments. Early in the morning, he
set up an altar at the foot of the
mountain with 12 pillars for 12 tribes
of Israel. He it's Moshe appointed
assistance from the Israelites and they
offered burnt offerings and sacrifice
bulls as off offerings to Hashem. That's
happened when they accepted the ten
commandments. What type of ceremony does
Aon have the day later after the go
golden calf was fashioned? And he said,
"Okay, we're going to have a big
ceremony and celebration tomorrow."
When Aaron saw this, he built an altar
before it as they had before announced
tomorrow. Okay. Next day, early next
day, the same thing as it said there
early next day, people offered up burnt
offerings as they had burnt offerings
there and brought sacrifices of
well-being as they had over there. They
sat down and they eat and roast to
dance.
So he actually built a ceremony of
acceptance of God's
um to be one like the acceptance of
God's new leader. He made the same
things shows them it's the same thing.
It's to God. That's why this is very
powerful to understand.
Um what did they do in the first time?
They they they first ceremony after they
received the the debro they had what do
I call it I guess a monument to show
that this is really happening and they
agreed with that was 12 m 12 pillars.
What monument did they have the second
time? The golden camp. the golden
calf. If you see that parallel and look
at in those terms, they saw it and as
a a um what's the word I'm looking for?
A worship of God. They said we worshiped
God by sending as a sacrifice the first
time when we said it three months ago
and now we got going to thank God for
this and we'll do the same thing. But it
was it was not denying God. It was a
worship of God as they saw it. Was it a
proper worship? No. Because what do we
call worship that is not proper in
Hebrew? Anyone know? Abodar. Exactly. So
we hear abodor. Oh, it's
idolatry. Not
necessarily. If you worship God not as
he wants to be worshiped, that's
actually alien worship. It's not the
proper worship. It's aboda. That is
zarat. But it doesn't mean that it
wasn't the wor of worshiping God like
Nandav with their agents. Okay, if you
want to take that approach, that's
correct. Also, I got news to you. The
whole story of the 12 of the kings,
especially throughout the kings, except
for maybe three or four exceptions
throughout after the death of Solomon,
for example,
um both the
um northern and southern and southern
kingdoms and their kings, like I said,
90% all had worshiped
on the bamote. You weren't allowed to
once the Betham Mikdash was built, you
had to only worship on in the Betham
Mdash. Not allowed to worship outside of
that. They were worshiping God, but they
weren't allowed to do it on the Bama,
which were the sort of local, you know,
your backyard altar. That's what it was.
Was it a photo of Zora as an idal? know
they were worshiping God. But that's
what God not what the way God wants to
be worshiped. God doesn't only tell you
to worship him. He also tells you how
you going to worship me, you know. So,
so that's again I'm sorry. Yes. Is is
this like Yeravo when he puts up when in
Israel when he then put when after the
kingdom was split? Very good. Yava also
when he Yerav was the first of the
northern kingdoms, he rebelled against
the Davidic
dynasty. And uh when when Solomon Mlmo
died, his son
uh took
over. And by the way, the purposely
Tanak uses these two names with the two
different people to confuse you and it
does it very well. um Ravam and Yaravam.
Yavam was of the northern kingdom and
Yavam really for political reasons. He
had knew he had to break away from the
worship of Behikdash. Why? Where was
Behamed?
In in
Yehuda
capital, he could now have another
country and make his own capital and
then says, "Okay, and everybody go to
USA for Davening." No. So he made
himself in Dan uh and in Betel he made
and put up two guess what golden calves
imagine
that you think they found the thigh and
arm and have calves and they had two
golden calves why unless this is a
different sheer but since this is one
they got another five minutes I can say
it anyway why saysam I imagine he
doesn't say that but if I were I figured
this is what I'd say. Hey, what are you
worried about? Didn't our own make a
golden calf and Haron made a golden
calf? I'm just doing what was so. You
know that he ofam had two sons.
You know what they were
called? Nadav and
Navya. the exact names of uh and he made
himself not just the king
but the coen gazelle he himself the
leader of the religious right as well
but he was worshiping
God the wrong
way I mean I didn't talk to God
personally I'm sure he wasn't very happy
but it's an important distinction
oh
yes what happened is exactly what God
knew would happen We call it and it's a
very common here a slippery
slope. Once they start worshiping like
everybody else started worship, they
started worshiping what everybody else
was worshiping. That eventually happens
the Balim and so on and so forth. That's
exactly what the God was afraid of. But
at any rate, you understand now the
impact of this of this golden calf and
how it eventually years later, centuries
later, still impacted Israel. Um
and so
so
now we I'm trying to show you how there
are two sides to this story. The idea
the most powerful thing is that don't
swallow the idea. Well, they were told
40 days and he was not on time because
as I said to you, they never said 40
days and because because of there were
there was a mistiming it wouldn't be why
God got so angry. We'll go into why God
gets angry but just for a moment here
I'm not going to have time for that now
but I will tell you this thing and that
is why did it happened to be a calf? Why
a golden calf of all things? Um there
was an ingenious explanation given by
the
kiskuni. I think I have it here. Uh
points to the verse found in
[Music]
um there is believe it or not just at
Hari before the golden calf and about
the the
um there we read an amazing thing. Look
at the sixth source.
Then Moshe and Aaron Nadav and Aihu and
70 elders of Israel ascended. They went
up part of
Harina and they saw the God of
Israel. They saw the God of
Israel under whose feet was the likeness
of pavement of sapphire and the very sky
for
purity. So they saw God. Interesting.
What does it mean? Under his
feet says ah you got to look in
the Moshe saw God's glory through pm
directly. say face to face. The elders
now see it in in a lower spiritual
level ra. It's as if they see what was
under his, you know, his feet. Yeah.
Well, not quite. What's under the god's
throne? How are we supposed to know
that? The throne or footprints? Oh, the
foot but the but he was sitting on
throne. So, it's where his feet were.
They were saying, not God. Well, see,
that's the assumption. How do I know
this? It's it's a Torah first in the
first the first per
of as we call it. And there we read and
in the seventh source. What does he see
in the center of it were figures of four
cre creatures. That's what he saw about
the throne, God's throne. And this was
their appearance. They had figures of
human beings. However, each had four
faces. Each of them had four wings. The
legs of each were fused into a single
rigid leg. And the feet of each were
like a single calf's hoof. So
what says what did the um the elders
when they said they saw God, what did
they see? They saw it was they saw the
bottom and what did they see? They saw a
calf's feet. You want to know why the
golden calf that was made? They saw that
as part of God or as God's
throne. And that's why they used it to
represent God who's going and and who
would now lead them into the promised
land. I wanted to leave that before. I
told you it was going to take me more
than one class. So, as troubled as you
might be, I must tell you I'm glad I'm
making you trouble. I want you to see
not I'm not telling you I am right and
everybody else is wrong, but rather
there are different approaches. I do
want you to know that the text itself
was never said that they knew about the
40 days. And that's a a very very
powerful way of saying that the approach
to say oh they thought he's coming back
let alone the fact that there were just
a mistake they made in timing I have a
doubtful that a a rahaman a merciful god
would be so upset why he will be so
upset we're going to see please God next
week and uh it'll come a little more
clear to you then I'm so glad that you
came here today and don't get angry with
me. Um, thank you, Rabbi. When when it
says here that they went up to was this
before um this whole before Hashem went
up third time. It was before um Moshe
went up for that third time to get the
to get the written or the
etched. It was it either before or after
uh when God said give gave the
uh but that's what it was. They were
there.