Once again, the story of the Golden Calf rolls around to haunt us. Once again, the sin that remains with us for all generations - as our rabbis teach us that there is no punishment meted out to the Jewish people that does not contain some punishment for the sin of the Golden Calf - meets us face-to-face.
An explanation is needed, for how is it that just some time before, the same Jewish people witnessed the ten plagues, the miracle of the splitting of the Reed Sea, the defeat of the wicked nation Amalek, and the giving of the manna and water for the whole nation in the dry desert, and now, when Moshe is just one day late in returning to bring down the Torah, the people arise and worship a golden calf. How is this possible?
Today, too, an explanation is needed to understand what has been going on in the Holy Land. For how is it that a Jewish government has been working overtime in order to destroy part of its country, uproot its own people from their homes, release hundreds and hundreds of Arab murderers to the streets, only to murder again, G-d forbid; a government that allows missiles and rockets to be thrown on its population without defending them, that arrests anyone who opposes their suicidal policies and holds them in prison for days on end; a government that has flung its doors wide open to allow the Arab enemy access to walk freely down Jewish streets in order to strike again? How is all this possible?
The Explanation
With the release of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, the multitude of nations who were also slaves in Egypt saw opportunity knocking on the door, and left Egypt with the Jewish people and clung to us. Rashi teaches us that it was this "mixed multitude" that built the calf and incited the Jewish people to worship it.
Later in our history, we find that the Givonim, though trickery, had an agreement made with us that they would not be killed like the other seven nations that lived in the land prior to the entry of Joshua and the Children of Israel. And so, they lived among us for some hundreds of years, that is, until the time of King David, who, together with his court, who saw their cruelty, ruled that they are not part of the Children of Israel and that therefore Jews could not intermarry with them. Our rabbis teach us that whoever does not have the trait of mercy is not part of the Jewish people.
The Talmud relates how a rabbi from the Land of Israel once went to Babylon for financial assistance. When he got to the "Jewish" community of a particular town, they did not want to give him work or any other type of help. The rabbi, therefore, said of these people that they are of the multitude of nations that have clung to us; i.e., they are not from Israel.
And so, we find that throughout the ages, the "mixed multitude" has been together with us, influencing and inciting us. The Vilna Gaon, otherwise known as the GRA, who lived some 250 years ago, wrote much about our times, just prior to the Final Redemption, and the influence of the "mixed multitude" upon us. The GRA tells us that our main war must be against this mixed multitude and their influence on the Jewish people. And so he writes:
"The main striving of the erev rav [mixed multitude] is to mate Esau and Ishmael and separate the two Messiahs, and our own main battle is to shatter and rout the power of the erev rav, the impurity of evil Armelius, from Israel.
"The erev rav is our greatest enemy. It is what separates between the two Messiahs. Its impurity operates only via indirect deception. Hence, the war against the erev rav is the hardest and most bitter, and we must gird ourselves with our last strength toward this end. Whoever does not actively take part in the war against the erev rav automatically becomes a partner to its impurity, and whoever he is, he is better off not having been born. The main strength of the erev rav is in the gates of Jerusalem, especially at the entrance to the city on the western dividing line."
But do not think for a moment that the battle is lost when darkness will cover the Land, for it will be through these hard times, battling the erev rav, that salvation will break forth. The GRA consoles us by writing that in the end of times, from all the troubles that befall us will come forth salvation, for one must know that the Land of Israel is acquired through suffering.
We must not retreat from any of the work we are doing for the Redemption, no matter what obstacles we have in our path, for know for sure that through these obstacles will come salvation.
An explanation is needed, for how is it that just some time before, the same Jewish people witnessed the ten plagues, the miracle of the splitting of the Reed Sea, the defeat of the wicked nation Amalek, and the giving of the manna and water for the whole nation in the dry desert, and now, when Moshe is just one day late in returning to bring down the Torah, the people arise and worship a golden calf. How is this possible?
Today, too, an explanation is needed to understand what has been going on in the Holy Land. For how is it that a Jewish government has been working overtime in order to destroy part of its country, uproot its own people from their homes, release hundreds and hundreds of Arab murderers to the streets, only to murder again, G-d forbid; a government that allows missiles and rockets to be thrown on its population without defending them, that arrests anyone who opposes their suicidal policies and holds them in prison for days on end; a government that has flung its doors wide open to allow the Arab enemy access to walk freely down Jewish streets in order to strike again? How is all this possible?
The Explanation
With the release of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, the multitude of nations who were also slaves in Egypt saw opportunity knocking on the door, and left Egypt with the Jewish people and clung to us. Rashi teaches us that it was this "mixed multitude" that built the calf and incited the Jewish people to worship it.
Later in our history, we find that the Givonim, though trickery, had an agreement made with us that they would not be killed like the other seven nations that lived in the land prior to the entry of Joshua and the Children of Israel. And so, they lived among us for some hundreds of years, that is, until the time of King David, who, together with his court, who saw their cruelty, ruled that they are not part of the Children of Israel and that therefore Jews could not intermarry with them. Our rabbis teach us that whoever does not have the trait of mercy is not part of the Jewish people.
The Talmud relates how a rabbi from the Land of Israel once went to Babylon for financial assistance. When he got to the "Jewish" community of a particular town, they did not want to give him work or any other type of help. The rabbi, therefore, said of these people that they are of the multitude of nations that have clung to us; i.e., they are not from Israel.
And so, we find that throughout the ages, the "mixed multitude" has been together with us, influencing and inciting us. The Vilna Gaon, otherwise known as the GRA, who lived some 250 years ago, wrote much about our times, just prior to the Final Redemption, and the influence of the "mixed multitude" upon us. The GRA tells us that our main war must be against this mixed multitude and their influence on the Jewish people. And so he writes:
"The main striving of the erev rav [mixed multitude] is to mate Esau and Ishmael and separate the two Messiahs, and our own main battle is to shatter and rout the power of the erev rav, the impurity of evil Armelius, from Israel.
"The erev rav is our greatest enemy. It is what separates between the two Messiahs. Its impurity operates only via indirect deception. Hence, the war against the erev rav is the hardest and most bitter, and we must gird ourselves with our last strength toward this end. Whoever does not actively take part in the war against the erev rav automatically becomes a partner to its impurity, and whoever he is, he is better off not having been born. The main strength of the erev rav is in the gates of Jerusalem, especially at the entrance to the city on the western dividing line."
But do not think for a moment that the battle is lost when darkness will cover the Land, for it will be through these hard times, battling the erev rav, that salvation will break forth. The GRA consoles us by writing that in the end of times, from all the troubles that befall us will come forth salvation, for one must know that the Land of Israel is acquired through suffering.
We must not retreat from any of the work we are doing for the Redemption, no matter what obstacles we have in our path, for know for sure that through these obstacles will come salvation.