The Golden Calf

In this weeks Torah reading we read about the Golden Calf.How is it possible that after all the miracles that the Children of Israel experienced in leaving Egypt at the Red Sea and at Har Sinai and  at the giving of the Torah, they abandoned G-d for an idol? There are two very different views on the nature of the sin. Some see the sin as one of betrayel, which shows that miracles and heavenly signs are not enough to change people, only commitment and education can change people.
There is however a very different view. Rav Yehuda Halevi in the the KUZARI offers a different explanation for the Golden Calf incident.The children of Israel did not betray G-d for another god, the opposite is true.They wanted to find a way to be close to G-d. The problem was that they did not know how to connect with G-d in the absence of Moshe.G-d was too abstract they needed some physical object to connect to.They expected Moshe who was the man of G-d to bring from Sinai some physical item that they could relate to inorder to be close to G-d. When Moshe did not return from Sinai they made the Golden Calf in order to relate to G-d through the Golden Calf.This service is called Avoda Zara alien or foreign worship but it  is not idol worship. It is a serious sin because G-d specifically forbade making any images to worship.
The Rambam writes that the commandment to build the Mishkan came after the sin of the Golden Calf.The Mishkan was the antidote or remedy for the sin. The Children of Israel would now have a place to focus their connection to G-d.The ritual in the Mishkan would allow and facilitate connection with G-d. Today in the absence of a Mishkan or Temple prayer fullfills this need.
Is their Avoda Zara today? Today there are many people who can not be satisfied with prayers in the synagogue or the various rituals which we keep. They like their ancestors need more, they need something concrete and physical to hang on to. Often visits to the graves of great Rabbis fulfills this need. Visits to the graves of great Rabbis Zadikim can be a very positive act, it also can be a very negative act which borders on Avoda Zara.If a person's visit to a grave gives him the ability to pray to G-d with more devotion than the act is positive, however if he believes that the mere fact that he visited a grave is significant or if he prays to the Zadick and not G-d this may be Avoda Zara.Unfortunately many noted Rabbis have made a business of taking wealthy business people to visit graves which are not in Eretz Yisrael.These businessmen assume that if the visit the grave, give a donation to the Rabbi and mumble a short prayer their business ventures will succeed.They have made a deal with G-d.They donot have to commit themselves to being better Jews , to operating their buisnesses honestly and fairly, a short visit a donation and a prayer is all that is needed.
This practice is Avoda Zara!

Sermon on Shmot

This week parsha tells us about the enslavement of the Children of Israel and that they were forced to build the storage cities of Pitham and Ramses.I want to ask and attempt to answer the following questions. Why was it necessary for the Israelites to be in Egypt and why does the Torah tell us they built Pithan and Ramses.My approach to the answer is based on geography and the spirit of Prof.Jared Diamond and not on theology or mysticism. The children of Jacob were shepherds nomads who lived in tents.They lived like Bedouins today. If they were to conquer the land of Canaan as G-d promised them they needed to increase their numbers in order to have suuficient soldiers for the task. In Canaan they did know about farming and water preservation.Even if they managed to have many children in the absence of sufficient water or food the children would die.They had to live in Egypt an advanced civilization, with enough food and water to feed a growing population.They had to build Pitham and Ramses to learn how to build cities and in particular Storage cities.The Israelites who were slaves in Egypt became a people with enough numbers to conquer Canaan, and they learnt from the Egyptians the skills and knowhow necessary to allow them to keep Canaan .