Illustration Credit: Rebecca Kerzner
Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
Was Aharon responsible for the חֵטְא הָעֵגֶל (heit ha-eigel, sin of the golden calf)?
Rashi presents two different perspectives on this question!
In a number of his comments on Shemot 32, Rashi describes Aharon trying to do everything he could to prevent Benei Yisrael from sinning.
For example, Rashi says that when Aharon told Benei Yisrael to gather jewelry, he was actually trying to stall them. He hoped that people wouldn’t want to donate jewelry, that it would take a long time to collect, and that Moshe would return before anything bad could happen (Rashi on Shemot 32:2).
Here’s how Rashi explains the pasuk about Aharon building a מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbe’ah, altar) and announcing a festival the next day (Shemot 32:5):
"וַיִּבֶן מִזְבֵּחַ"—לִדְחוֹתָם.
"וַיֹּאמַר חַג לַיהוה מָחָר"—וְלֹא הַיּוֹם, שֶׁמָּא יָבֹא מֹשֶׁה קֹדֶם שֶׁיַּעַבְדוּהוּ.
He (Aharon) built an altar”—to delay them.
“Tomorrow will be a festival of God”—Aharon said “tomorrow” and not “today,” because he hoped that Moshe would return before the people started to worship the eigel.
In Parashat Shemini, we read about the grand opening of the מִשְׁכָּן (Mishkan, sanctuary for God). It includes a dramatic moment when Aharon is waiting for God’s presence to fill the Mishkan (Vayikra 9:23). Rashi describes Aharon’s feelings in this moment:
כֵּיוָן שֶׁרָאָה אַהֲרֹן שֶׁקָּרְבוּ כָּל הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת וְנַעֲשׂוּ כָל הַמַּעֲשִׂים וְלֹא יָרְדָה שְׁכִינָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, הָיָה מִצְטַעֵר וְאוֹמֵר: יוֹדֵעַ אֲנִי שֶׁכָּעַס הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עָלַי וּבִשְׁבִילִי לֹא יָרְדָה שְׁכִינָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל.…
When Aharon saw that all the sacrifices had been offered and everything was done, but the Shekhinah had still not come down for Israel, he was sad and said: I know that the Holy Blessed One is angry with me (for my role in the heit ha-eigel) and it’s because of me that the Shekhinah has not come down for Israel….
Rashi is quoting a midrash which describes Aharon admitting that he was responsible for the heit ha-eigel.
- When you read the story in Shemot 32, what do you think of Aharon’s actions?
- Can you find evidence for both interpretations in Rashi? How can both be true?
- What would you have done if you were in Aharon’s place?
- Can you think of a time you had good intentions, but you were still responsible for a bad outcome?
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