The Golden Calf

 

I did a post with a Biblical theme a few months back. I thought that the Bible story of Israel’s fight against Amalek was a good analogy for our fight against COVID-19: “Remember the evil of Amalek and eradicate it from the face of the earth.”

The Amalek story happens after Israel has crossed the split sea and escaped the Egyptians. The splitting of the sea is all Gd’s handiwork but now Israel must fend for itself. Amalek is its first major test. Having survived this challenge, Israel now moves forward and is camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Moses goes up the mountain to receive the ten commandments from Gd. Before leaving he explains that he will be 40 days on the mountain. Unfortunately, it takes a little longer than planned and Moses returns after 41 days.

How trivial this difference seems. However, Israel is a nation of recently freed slaves who are unused to their freedom and its responsibilities. When Moses doesn’t appear on time, the Israelites assume he has died on the mountain. They lose all hope. A small cadre of unbelievers take advantage of this and lure the people into worshiping their old gods of Egypt. They demand that the leadership, Aaron and Hur, make a golden calf idol so they can properly worship this Egyptian god. Hur intervenes and tries to convince them against doing this. The hysterical mob murders Hur. Aaron, seeing what the mob is capable of, appeases them, and has gold collected so the golden calf idol can be made. Aaron conducts this blasphemous service in hopes it will stall the mob long enough for Moses to return.

Amalek was a direct physical threat to Israel that required the nation to act in concert together. Although they were clumsy and halting at first they managed to meet the challenge and drive Amalek off. What happens with the Golden Calf is very different. This is the first purely psychological test for Israel. Up until this time, they have invested all of their trust in their leader Moses. As long as he is there they have confidence. However, the moment Moses isn’t available they lose their sense of mission and their identity itself unravels. They cease to act as a nation and are now just a mob of frightened people.

Moses comes down the mountain with the two tablets of the law. He sees the golden calf worship service in progress. Moses smashes the tablets. He does this not out of anger but to save the people of Israel from Gd’s wrath. The covenant has not been set yet so the Israelites are not bound by it. Moses then stands at the gateway to the camp and says, “Whoever is for HaShem, join me!” Those who did not join, the small cadre of unbelievers, were then dealt with harshly.

This event is always referred to as The Sin of the Golden Calf. Jewish theology considers this one of the two most grievous sins of the entire Torah. If not for The Sin of the Golden Calf, the elaborate service, the elaborate vestments of the Kohanim, and the Temple itself would not have been necessary. One could have worshiped Gd wherever and whenever one pleased. The Sin of the Golden Calf proved that this would not work. That the people would not stay together and the Nation would collapse. Since Vietnam, we have been on a coarse of rebellion against our own Creed, that Creed is Western Civilization’s adherence to the value of freedom through the institution of the rule of law. The Torah is telling us that no nation can fight against its own essence, worshiping a golden calf, and expect to survive. The perpetrators of the sin must be singled out and dealt with.

Amalek now seems like a minor test compared to this and it is. The whole Black Lives Matter narrative is a very dangerous lie. In the midst of the confusing chaos caused by the COVID-19 panic, a small cadre of unbelievers has convinced the people that they must bow down to an alien ideology that rejects both the principle of freedom and the rule of law itself. This is a grievous sin committed against the whole nation with malice.

The perpetrators of this sin must be singled out and dealt with. Those who have bowed down to the idol can be forgiven if they move away from the cadre and to the side of HaShem. Those who do not must be dealt with harshly. Moses is coming down the mountain now. Hur is in his grave and Aaron will always feel regret for his actions even though he could see no other course to follow. Israel has learned a tough lesson but it has come through the Sin of the Golden Calf and is stronger and clearer in its understanding than before. The nation must learn. The forces of evil are patient and they wait for their opportunity to strike.

What has just happened in America? This was no protest. This was a planned brutal attack on our civil way of life.

Their motive seems obscure but that is only because we underestimate the fact that the cadre lacks any moral foundation whatsoever. Listen closely and they will reveal themselves.

There is another side to the story. If the message can get out.

We must not be poisoned by the cadre’s doctrine into paralyzed inaction. One way or another there will be a reckoning.

Throw the book at them.

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  1. Sweezle Inactive
    Sweezle
    @Sweezle

    Excellent piece. BLM is perfectly analogous to this bible story. And the television and media coverage can only get away with their garbage coverage during this time of lockdown, economic lockdown & job/business shutdowns and school closures. 

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  2. Kay of MT Inactive
    Kay of MT
    @KayofMT

    Jim, that was perfect and so appropriate. Almost puts me in tears.

    • #2
  3. Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… Member
    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio…
    @ArizonaPatriot

    Jim, I like the analogy.

    I was puzzled by some of the details in your account.  I don’t recall them from Exodus.

    It appears that the story about Hur and the 41 days might be from a non-Biblical source.  The NIV translation says, in Exodus 24:13-18:

    Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.”

    When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

    This does not recount Moses telling them that he would be gone for 40 days.

    The Golden Calf episode is recounted in Exodus 32.  In the NIV, Exodus 32:1 says: “When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”

    This doesn’t indicate that Moses was specifically late, though it does indicate that he was gone a while and they didn’t know when he would be back.

    [Cont’d]

    • #3
  4. Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… Member
    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio…
    @ArizonaPatriot

    There is no mention of Hur in the Golden Calf passage.  There’s not much in the Bible about Hur, though he was an important man.  During the battle with the Amalekites in Exodus 17, Moses had to hold up his staff (some translations say his hands).  As long as he did so, the Israelites were winning, but when he tired, they started losing.  Aaron and Hur helped Moses hold up the staff, and the Israelites prevailed.  This was obviously an important job.

    Also, as quoted above, when Moses went up to Mount Sinai, he left Aaron and Hur in charge.  This indicates a very high position of trust.

    According to Wikipedia (here), rabbinic tradition teaches that Hur was the nephew of Moses and Aaron, the son of their sister Miriam.  The same Wikipedia entry says:

    In Talmudic tradition the sudden disappearance of Hur from the narrative of Exodus is explained by the claim that Hur was killed when he tried to prevent the making of the Golden Calf. The murder of Hur intimidated Aaron into complying with the popular demand to create the idol. Hur’s faithfulness was rewarded by God by granting his grandson the role of making the Tabernacle.

    So this part, also, is not actually in the Bible itself.

    I’m not sure what to make of this.  The Talmudic story looks like an attempt to exonerate the Israelites in general, and Aaron in particular, from the terrible sin of making the Golden Calf.

    Editorial addition: In fairness, I think that the OP is correct that Jewish theology considers the episode of the Golden Calf to be an extremely grievous sin.  I am in agreement with that.  My prior sentence may have given the incorrect impression that the teaching of the Talmud would treat the Golden Calf episode as no big deal.  I do not know Talmudic teaching on this point, but it would greatly surprise me if this were the case.  From my experience, Jews and Christians agree that the Golden Calf was a terrible failure, and a lesson to us all about both the difficulty of keeping the faith, and the consequences of straying from God.

    Jim, I don’t think that this detracts from your analogy to the Golden Calf in the slightest.  I guess that I’m just a stickler for Biblical accuracy, within the limits of my memory and my ignorance of both Hebrew and Greek.

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  5. James Gawron Inactive
    James Gawron
    @JamesGawron

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):

    There is no mention of Hur in the Golden Calf passage. There’s not much in the Bible about Hur, though he was an important man. During the battle with the Amalekites in Exodus 17, Moses had to hold up his staff (some translations say his hands). As long as he did so, the Israelites were winning, but when he tired, they started losing. Aaron and Hur helped Moses hold up the staff, and the Israelites prevailed. This was obviously an important job.

    Also, as quoted above, when Moses went up to Mount Sinai, he left Aaron and Hur in charge. This indicates a very high position of trust.

    According to Wikipedia (here), rabbinic tradition teaches that Hur was the nephew of Moses and Aaron, the son of their sister Miriam. The same Wikipedia entry says:

    In Talmudic tradition the sudden disappearance of Hur from the narrative of Exodus is explained by the claim that Hur was killed when he tried to prevent the making of the Golden Calf. The murder of Hur intimidated Aaron into complying with the popular demand to create the idol. Hur’s faithfulness was rewarded by God by granting his grandson the role of making the Tabernacle.

    So this part, also, is not actually in the Bible itself.

    I’m not sure what to make of this. The Talmudic story looks like an attempt to exonerate the Israelites in general, and Aaron in particular, from the terrible sin of making the Golden Calf.

    Editorial addition: In fairness, I think that the OP is correct that Jewish theology considers the episode of the Golden Calf to be an extremely grievous sin. I am in agreement with that. My prior sentence may have given the incorrect impression that the teaching of the Talmud would treat the Golden Calf episode as no big deal. I do not know Talmudic teaching on this point, but it would greatly surprise me if this were the case. From my experience, Jews and Christians agree that the Golden Calf was a terrible failure, and a lesson to us all about both the difficulty of keeping the faith, and the consequences of straying from God.

    Jim, I don’t think that this detracts from your analogy to the Golden Calf in the slightest. I guess that I’m just a stickler for Biblical accuracy, within the limits of my memory and my ignorance of both Hebrew and Greek.

    Jerry,

    I was expecting Ricochet Biblical scholarship to notice a few problems. First, let me add fuel to your fire. The Torah doesn’t have Moses throwing the tablets at the golden calf. That is an addition to the Torah by that great Biblical scholar Cecil B. DeMille. Actually, Cecil wasn’t that into theology but he knew how to sell tickets. We shall accept his wisdom in this area as he also had to make the payroll for THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. Second, the extra story of Hur is from a Midrash not in the Torah itself. A Midrash is a writing that comes after the Torah by Biblical scholars who “deduce” certain events. The logic for the “extra” Hur story comes because his grandson was Bezalel who was the architect of Temple. Again this is in line with the most dominant Jewish interpretation that because of the Sin of the Golden Calf the service in all of its aspects and the Temple itself was elaborated in minute detail and required to be up to spec., only because the sin of the Golden Calf showed that otherwise, the people would stray on mass. The logic goes that Hur’s ultimate sacrifice is rewarded by his grandson being given the great honor of designing the Temple. Third, you are right that Moses being a day late (but never accused of being a dollar short) is also a Midrashic interpretation. Both these Midrashic interpretations are so well accepted that in almost all Orthodox Jewish groups this is basic teaching.

    You are a good stickler. Keep up the good work.

    Regards,

    Jim

    • #5
  6. Southern Pessimist Member
    Southern Pessimist
    @SouthernPessimist

    The first time in my life I ever heard of Amalek was in the fairly recent past when after the assaults at the Pittsburg synagogue Lou Weiss wrote an article at WSJ entitled “Amalek comes to Pittsburg”. I would link to it but it is it behind a paywall that I no longer pay for. It is a very moving essay. I don’t see that it applies to this conversation other than that I, within my very insufficient knowledge of the rich historical and spiritual narrative of the Jewish faith, find myself seeking the origins of faith and constantly encountering these sorts of conflicting tales or ideas and I am left wondering why have I not ever heard this? 

    • #6
  7. James Gawron Inactive
    James Gawron
    @JamesGawron

    Southern Pessimist (View Comment):

    The first time in my life I ever heard of Amalek was in the fairly recent past when after the assaults at the Pittsburg synagogue Lou Weiss wrote an article at WSJ entitled “Amalek comes to Pittsburg”. I would link to it but it is it behind a paywall that I no longer pay for. It is a very moving essay. I don’t see that it applies to this conversation other than that I, within my very insufficient knowledge of the rich historical and spiritual narrative of the Jewish faith, find myself seeking the origins of faith and constantly encountering these sorts of conflicting tales or ideas and I am left wondering why have I not ever heard this?

    SP,

    The Bible, the most read book in history, is not a favorite in literary circles. In the past, knowing Bible stories and using them as a source was very much a part of the literary world. Now an agnostic/atheist elite at the universities has made the Bible and Western Civilization’s Judeo-Christian culture the enemy. People know very much less Bible than they used to.

    I was not raised very religious but one of the features of my now being Orthodox is studying the weekly Parsha (the portion of the Bible assigned to that week by Jewish Law). After a decade or two of this, you become very familiar with the Bible. This can be a source of strength and pleasure. If you don’t have an answer and you are troubled then a little Torah study of the weekly Parsha may give you some light.

    The way things are now, I am much more surprised by people who actually know the Bible than those who don’t have a clue.

    Regards,

    Jim

    • #7
  8. Instugator Thatcher
    Instugator
    @Instugator

    James Gawron (View Comment):
    The logic for the “extra” Hur story comes because his grandson was Bezalel who was the architect of Temple.

    James,

    I thought he designed the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant.

    While the Tabernacle is a picture of the Temple, it would not be built for some 400 years later.

    • #8
  9. Saint Augustine Member
    Saint Augustine
    @SaintAugustine

    Southern Pessimist (View Comment):

    The first time in my life I ever heard of Amalek was in the fairly recent past when after the assaults at the Pittsburg synagogue Lou Weiss wrote an article at WSJ entitled “Amalek comes to Pittsburg”. I would link to it but it is it behind a paywall that I no longer pay for. It is a very moving essay. I don’t see that it applies to this conversation other than that I, within my very insufficient knowledge of the rich historical and spiritual narrative of the Jewish faith, find myself seeking the origins of faith and constantly encountering these sorts of conflicting tales or ideas and I am left wondering why have I not ever heard this?

    Besides the Exodus passages there’s Saul and Samuel and King Agag.

    And David becomes king right after defeating the Amalekites, finishing the work which by neglecting to finish Saul had lost his kingship.

    In Esther, Haman is an Agagite. I don’t know what that means, but in a movie it means heir to Agag and his ancient rivalry with the Jews.

    Ricochet’s Richard Harvester suggests the root of the hatred is Abraham’s failure to help Amalek in Genesis 14. (Citation.)

    • #9
  10. James Gawron Inactive
    James Gawron
    @JamesGawron

    Instugator (View Comment):

    James Gawron (View Comment):
    The logic for the “extra” Hur story comes because his grandson was Bezalel who was the architect of Temple.

    James,

    I thought he designed the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant.

    While the Tabernacle is a picture of the Temple, it would not be built for some 400 years later.

    The Mishkan was a portable tabernacle that they carried with them and would erect in their desert encampments as they traveled. You are referring to Shiloh after they conquered Israel they erected the tabernacle permanently.

    There is a lot going on in Shiloh right now. It is an interesting place to visit.

    Regards,

    Jim

    • #10
  11. James Gawron Inactive
    James Gawron
    @JamesGawron

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):

    Southern Pessimist (View Comment):

    The first time in my life I ever heard of Amalek was in the fairly recent past when after the assaults at the Pittsburg synagogue Lou Weiss wrote an article at WSJ entitled “Amalek comes to Pittsburg”. I would link to it but it is it behind a paywall that I no longer pay for. It is a very moving essay. I don’t see that it applies to this conversation other than that I, within my very insufficient knowledge of the rich historical and spiritual narrative of the Jewish faith, find myself seeking the origins of faith and constantly encountering these sorts of conflicting tales or ideas and I am left wondering why have I not ever heard this?

    Besides the Exodus passages there’s Saul and Samuel and King Agag.

    And David becomes king right after defeating the Amalekites, finishing the work which by neglecting to finish Saul had lost his kingship.

    In Esther, Haman is an Agagite. I don’t know what that means, but in a movie it means heir to Agag and his ancient rivalry with the Jews.

    Ricochet’s Richard Harvester suggests the root of the hatred is Abraham’s failure to help Amalek in Genesis 18.

    (Ish. Not sure how much we can trust my memories.)

    Aug,

    Mainstream Jewish thought looks at the Jewish nation leaving Egypt like a child just learning to walk. Gd must do open miracles for them to get to freedom. The attack by Amalek is the first challenge for the Jews that they must handle themselves. They stumble and don’t do so well. Finally, they rally and drive Amalek off.

    This is the first of many hard lessons. As I was saying the Sin of the Golden Calf is considered one of the two greatest failures of the Jews. The nation comes very close to complete failure from its own internal weakness and strife.

    Regards,

    Jim

    • #11
  12. Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… Member
    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio…
    @ArizonaPatriot

    James Gawron (View Comment):

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):

    Southern Pessimist (View Comment):

    The first time in my life I ever heard of Amalek was in the fairly recent past when after the assaults at the Pittsburg synagogue Lou Weiss wrote an article at WSJ entitled “Amalek comes to Pittsburg”. I would link to it but it is it behind a paywall that I no longer pay for. It is a very moving essay. I don’t see that it applies to this conversation other than that I, within my very insufficient knowledge of the rich historical and spiritual narrative of the Jewish faith, find myself seeking the origins of faith and constantly encountering these sorts of conflicting tales or ideas and I am left wondering why have I not ever heard this?

    Besides the Exodus passages there’s Saul and Samuel and King Agag.

    And David becomes king right after defeating the Amalekites, finishing the work which by neglecting to finish Saul had lost his kingship.

    In Esther, Haman is an Agagite. I don’t know what that means, but in a movie it means heir to Agag and his ancient rivalry with the Jews.

    Ricochet’s Richard Harvester suggests the root of the hatred is Abraham’s failure to help Amalek in Genesis 18.

    (Ish. Not sure how much we can trust my memories.)

    Aug,

    Mainstream Jewish thought looks at the Jewish nation leaving Egypt like a child just learning to walk. Gd must do open miracles for them to get to freedom. The attack by Amalek is the first challenge for the Jews that they must handle themselves. They stumble and don’t do so well. Finally, they rally and drive Amalek off.

    This is the first of many hard lessons. As I was saying the Sin of the Golden Calf is considered one of the two greatest failures of the Jews. The nation comes very close to complete failure from its own internal weakness and strife.

    Regards,

    Jim

    What is considered the other greatest failure?

    • #12
  13. James Gawron Inactive
    James Gawron
    @JamesGawron

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):
    What is considered the other greatest failure?

    Jerry,

    I knew somebody would ask. The other is called The Sin of the Spies. After the Golden Calf affair is resolved with some swift Justice for the cadre of renegades, Moses (with direct advice from Gd) is ready to lead the Jewish Nation to the Holyland immediately. Strangely, now a delegation of “tribal leaders” comes before Moses to question going immediately to the Holyland without first having spies sent to investigate. I have made a joke about this. Imagine if before the Normandy invasion the Chamber of Commerce had asked Eisenhower to allow their scouts to check out France to see the lay of the land and evaluate its economic potential.

    Gd had already approved the plan and Moses had been given the green light so to speak. However, Moses fails to force the issue and acquiesces to the request. Ten of the leaders are sent along with Joshua and Caleb. The spies report back all about how great the crops & produce are but they also report back how powerful the defenders are. They themselves conclude and announce to the multitude that it would be too difficult to conquer the land. Only Joshua & Caleb report that the Nation should go on to the promised land immediately. The people break down in tears giving up on their dream of the promised land. Gd is furious. He condemns the Nation to wander in the desert for 40 years until the generation that knew Egypt dies out. What is often missed by casual readers is that included in the generation that dies out is Moses himself. Only Joshua and Caleb are not included because they refused to participate in the farce of the spies.

    In an earlier chapter of the Bible, Moses appears not to be allowed to enter the promised land because he “hit the rock”. He showed anger and frustration with the people. It is only in Devarim (Deuteronomy) that we learn directly from Moses’ own monoloque that Gd became angry with him because he let the spies mislead the Nation instead of just commanding that they advance to the promised land on Gd’s word without any extra advice.

    The Sin of the Spies is a much less discussed event in the Torah than the Sin of Golden Calf and much less understood. The Sin of the Golden Calf is the sin of the common people. They need constant attention and are prone to lose their way. The Sin of the Spies, on the other hand, is the sin of the elite. Their overweening arrogance makes them question Gd’s judgement as they try to enforce their own judgement. Of course, they are proven fools but it is too late for the Nation. They have destroyed the Nation’s goals & confidence with their ridiculous ego trip. Moses himself failed to stop them when he had the power to do so. Thus, even Moses is condemned for his inaction in the face of these grand fools.

    If you think about it, the punishment for the Sin of the Spies is much greater than for the Sin of the Golden Calf. If the people stray it can result in a rough confrontation but it can be resolved quickly. If the leadership goes wrong then the whole Nation will suffer for it for a very long time.

    Regards,

    Jim

    • #13
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