Golden Calf episode shows the pitfalls of appeasement

Ki Tissa

Exodus 30:11-35

I Kings 18:1-39

What are we to make of Aaron, brother of Moses and the first anointed high priest, agreeing to help the panicked Jewish rabble to create the Golden Calf?

First, it must be noted that the consensus of commentators, such as Nachmonides, Ibn Ezra, Kuzari and others, is that the calf was intended to be a substitute for Moses, not for G-d. It was not idolatry the Jews were practicing; instead, they sought an intermediary, which they erroneously felt they needed to represent them before G-d.

Moses, they believed, was gone forever, and they felt alone and abandoned. Had it been a desire for true idol worship to which they had succumbed, Aaron, according to his reasoning, would have been obligated to forfeit his life rather than submit to the demand of the mob (which had already murdered Chur, Moses' nephew, for his refusal to help them).

Having said that, one still feels the need to ponder: "What was Aaron thinking?" He knew it was only a matter of time before Moses would return to the camp with the tablets of the Ten Commandments. Moses' apparent tardiness was based on an unfortunate miscalculation on the part of the people. So Aaron, we are told, tried desperately to stall for time but ultimately gave in to the people's directive:

"The people saw that Moses had delayed in descending the mountain and the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, 'Rise up, make for us gods that will go before us for this man Moses who brought us up from the land of Egypt -- we do not know what became of him'" (Exodus 32:1).

How is it possible that Aaron did not simply refuse to have any part of this scandalous behavior? Perhaps a closer look at Aaron's character will provide a clue and an important lesson as well.

Aaron was know as "ohev shalom v'rodef shalom," a lover of peace and a pursuer of peace. It would then appear possible that he acquiesced for the sake of peace. Indeed, when Moses demanded an explanation, Aaron could only offer, "You know the people that they are set on evil" (Exodus 32:22). In other words, he capitulated for the sake of harmony.

If that is an accurate explanation, it suggests an extremely important principle for us today. Peace is a virtue that, according to the Torah, is one of the three pillars upon which the world rests. Nevertheless, we are taught by the Torah and by history as well that sometimes peace is a disaster whose effects are far more calamitous than conflict. There are things in this world for which we are obligated to fight. To forbear is sometimes dishonorable. Aaron's peace resulted in a far greater curse than fighting would have caused.

We certainly should have figured out by now that "peace at any price" is an immoral dogma. There are causes for which the price of peace is too high, such as the shame of one's soul, the violation of one's integrity, or one's allegiance to G-d and to truth.

Although on an individual level we are not known for our pacifist nature, but for our varied and strongly held opinions and our ability to create a great deal of disturbance over a trifle, as a people we are sometimes peaceful when we ought to be contentious.

Our peace is at times the peace of Aaron. We refuse to follow the path of duty because it means creating a national or international commotion. We are reluctant to disturb the calm surface of things so we don't advocate on our own behalf even when our cause is just.

We experienced this phenomenon during World War II, and we can see it now as the state of Israel struggles every day for its survival. This kind of peace, the peace of Aaron, must be shunned. We must work for an honorable peace that will not be fatal to our brothers in distress or demoralizing to ourselves.

Life would be so simple if all of the values we hold dear --peace, truth, honor, humility -- presented themselves one at a time, consecutively. Life, however, doesn't work that way. Values have a habit of constantly colliding. We must understand that a particular value, such as peace, doesn't automatically take precedence over all the others. And with the Torah as our guide, we can be up to the challenge.

Shabbat shalom.