Kli Yakar (Shemos 32:11) whom You brought out of the land of Egypt. A land full of idolatry, so it’s not so surprising if they were seduced by their old habits.
Rabbeinu Bachya (Shemos 32:11) “Why, Hashem, should Your anger flare up against Your people, etc.” In Deut. 9,26 Moses elaborates in greater detail about this prayer he offered up pleading with G’d not to destroy the Jewish people. Our sages Shemot Rabbah 43,10, ask why Moses mentioned the Exodus at this time? They answer that Moses asked G’d to consider the background of the Jewish people, where they had been and under what circumstances He had taken them out of a land infested with all kinds of idolatry such as the land of Egypt. After all, it was probably not the first time Israelites had made a cast calf, though they could not make it out of gold because they were too poor.
Shemos Rabbah (43:10) When Israel made the Golden Calf, God intended to destroy them, but Moses pleaded: ' Lord of the Universe! Didst Thou not bring them forth from Egypt, a place of idol-worshippers?
The Midrash says that when Hashem told Moshe that the Yidden made a golden calf, he didn't smash the luchos. He waited until he saw it happening with his own eyes. The Midrash says that Moshe refused to believe Hashem, because it was Loshon Hora. That is mind boggling
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly, he was desperately trying to figure out how to minimize the sin. Maybe only a handful of people were doing. Maybe it was only the Eirev Rav. Maybe they were davening properly but their mistake was using the calf as an intermediary. Anything to minimize the sin. It was only when he saw that there was no way that he smashed the luchos
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