Parashat Ki Tisa- Rationalizing Improper Conduct
Rationalizing Improper Conduct
We read in Parashat Ki-Tisa of the unfortunate incident of Chet Ha'egel, the sin of the golden calf. The Midrash tells that when Benei Yisrael began planning to fashion a calf to replace Moshe Rabbenu, Chur, a distinguished religious leader who was the leading authority after Moshe and Aharon, expressed his vehement opposition. He insisted that Moshe would soon return from atop Mount Sinai, and it was forbidden for them to make any golden image as a religious symbol without his permission. Tragically, Benei Yisrael paid no heed to his instructions and killed him. The Sages comment that Chur was rewarded for his "Mesirut Nefesh," his selfless efforts to oppose Chet Ha'egel, by having his grandson selected as the one who would lead the construction of the Mishkan. Betzalel, whom the Torah identifies as a grandson of Chur (31:2), was appointed as the chief "architect" to oversee the holy task of building a Mishkan as a residence for the Shechina (Divine Presence).
Wherein lies the connection between Chur's heroic opposition to the Egel, and Betzalel's designation for the job of constructing the Mishkan? Why was Betzalel's distinction a fitting reward for Chur's self-sacrifice and devotion?
Some have explained this connection by reexamining the nature of the sin of the golden calf. As the Ramban and other commentators claimed, Benei Yisrael did not – at least initially – make the calf for idol worship. They sought not a substitute for God, but rather a substitute for Moshe. Erroneously assuming that Moshe would never return from atop the mountain, Benei Yisrael felt they needed a new intermediary between themselves and God. They recalled from the Revelation at Sinai that one of the images engraved beneath the Divine Throne was that of an ox. They therefore felt it appropriate to fashion the image of a calf to serve as the intermediary they felt they desperately needed.
Benei Yisrael thus felt justified in embarking on this project; they saw it not as a breach of their covenant with the Almighty, but rather as the proper mode of action necessitated by their current situation.
Chur, however, understood that such behavior cannot be rationalized or justified. Improper conduct must be outright condemned and may never be subject to attempted rationalizations. Benei Yisrael killed Chur because he refused to accept their logical arguments justifying – in their minds – the decision to fashion a golden image. But this was precisely Chur's greatness: the refusal to accept logical justifications for sinful conduct.
In reward for his staunch and unrelenting opposition to the people's rationalizations, Chur was blessed with a grandson who, as the Torah describes, distinguished himself in his ability "to make calculations" (31:4), who excelled in rational thinking and analysis. Chur refused to allow rational "calculations" to lead him to transgress God's law, and therefore, in reward, his grandson was blessed with this very skill of rational thinking which he used in the service of God. One who knows when to suspend his rational capabilities and submit unconditionally to Divine authority is blessed with the ability to apply those capabilities where they should be applied – in the study of Torah and performance of Mitzvot.
