By Sara Hamaoui
In-the-Aretz Correspondent
This week’s parasha, Ki Tisa, tells us the story of the golden calf. Though this story is actually incredibly shocking, we tend to gloss over it, as we’ve read it so many times. That’s not to say that anyone excuses the behaviour exhibited by Am Israel during this time, but we don’t often talk about just how horrible it was.
Am Israel had just witnessed the 10 plagues and the splitting of the sea, they were provided with sustenance in the desert, and now they are being given the Torah by Hashem Himself, and yet they worship someone else? This is the highest form of disrespect that they could’ve shown Him, and they did it with incredible ease.
How is this possible? Why did Am Israel turn their back on Hashem so quickly, without so much as a second thought? To answer this question, we need to first examine our past, starting with Adam and Chava. In Bereshit, Chava was newly born, and did not have a proper understanding of this world yet. She still viewed it as Hashem’s property, and therefore, it was not her responsibility. It was because of this that she sinned, ultimately leading to the eternal suffering of everyone to come after her.
At Har Sinai, Am Israel did not yet feel a responsibility to protect their connection to Hashem or to the Torah. They were newly freed and did not understand what their future held, refusing to take accountability for what was now in their hands. They did not take ownership of their partnership with Hashem, and allowed it to fail.
In Kabbalah, we learn that there are two types of “awakening”. There is “awakening from above” and “awakening from below”. The former refers to Hashem’s desire to draw us closer to Him, while the latter refers to our desire to do the same. In the story of the golden calf, there is a large disconnect, as Am Israel does not seem to express this desire for closeness. Hashem always wants us to be near, so the responsibility is ultimately up to us. When we are awakened from below, and we send these desires upwards to Hashem, an intensely strong partnership is created between us and Him.
Am Israel needed to learn that they have a responsibility to maintain their relationship with Hashem. Once this is clear, we will begin to take ownership of our actions, never again causing our connection with Hashem to suffer.
We have a responsibility now, with everything happening in Israel, to always be focused on strengthening this bond. All of Am Israel has to wake up and take ownership, because Eretz Israel is ours to protect. If we let this connection falter, if we ignore our responsibility for the land and do not stay committed to maintaining it, we will lose it.
We are strong when we are together. We are powerful when we are awake. We can never lose sight of the most important thing: the ultimate and complete protection of ourselves, our fellow Jews, and Eretz Israel.
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