The Chet HaEigel remains forever a symbol of sin. “Egel HaZahav” (the golden calf). It is interesting that an Eigel happens to be a kosher animal. We find a: פ ַּר ox used in the Bais Hamikdash for a Korban. RSRH Zatzal says that a: רפ ַּ ox symbolizes a hard worker for Hashem. But an Eigel is actually an immature, not-ready-for-work animal. It’s cute and perfect for a petting zoo.
L'havdil, humans can also be cute when they are tiny kids with cute dimples. And Hashem made them this way, so we can more easily tolerate them, and give them the love and warmth that they need. Hugging and kissing a child can be a big Ma'ala. But if he dislikes it, then you might be hurting him; in favor of your selfish Geshmak. My father, R' Nachman Mandel Zatzal was a 1st grade Rebbe who loved and kissed all his Talmidim, but with total control; he didn’t get carried away.
Although I’m sure he enjoyed loving them, he was mainly interested in their need for warmth and caring. Sometimes, a child becomes a toy. And L'havdil, this is an Egel HaZahav. A lack of responsibility, which a hard-working: פ ַּר ox would symbolize; just fun! And this is why the Tachlis of Chet HaEigel was Gilui Arayos, not the holy Mitzva of P’ru uR'vu. Just enjoying and having a good time.
A Torah-True Person Can Have Much More Pleasure Than a Baal Aveira
Actually, the Seforim HaKedoshim say that a Torah-true person can have many more Gashmiyus’dik pleasures than a Baal Aveira, and in the long run he comes out ahead in Ruchaniyus and Gashmiyus. It is striking how in Mitzrayim, the Mitzri'im worshipped a sheep, which is also a kosher, cute animal. They have found that a soft and cuddly sheep can be therapeutic for children with psychological problems. By us, a: כֶַּבֶַּש sheep symbolizes Anava and good Middos. But in Mitzrayim it seems that it symbolized being a non-entity, since it has no “backbone”. This is why they were: שְטוּפֵּיַּ זִימָּה steeped in immorality, doing fun without a Tachlis, unlike a Yid whose Tur starts with: הֱוֵּיַּע זַַּּ כ נָּמֵּר be bold as a leopard, because a human Tzelem Elokim came to this world to achieve greatness by fighting his Yetzer Hara.
Sure enough, the Mitzri Eirev Rav were responsible for Chet HaEigel. RSRH Zatzal explains the Chet HaEigel that a Yid has to realize that he can always approach Hashem directly and he doesn’t need an intermediary. He also mentions that a Yid worries more about what his deeds are going to be, much more than what his lot is going to be.
This is a main source of widespread depression when a person’s primary desire is only to have a better Mazal, instead of mainly being involved in trying to do Hashem’s Ratzon. This makes life much easier, especially if all you have to do is: ע דַּמָּקוםַּשֶיָּדוַַּּמ ג ע ת the best you can, and anything too difficult for you is not required of you.
Novardok’s Main Yesod
Novardok’s main Yesod was that there is nothing important in life except just to make sure to keep trying to do Ratzon Hashem. Having “this” success and “that” success wasn’t the Ikar, and since: אֵַּּיןַּאַָּּדַָּּםַַּּ מֵַּּתַּוְַּח ַּצִַּיַּת ַּאֲַּוָּתוַַּּבְַּיָּדוַַּּקהלתַּרבהַּאַּלב,ַּגַּיג a person does not fulfil even half of his desires in his lifetime, they weren’t depressed, since their true Ta'ava (i.e., Ratzon Hashem) is always attainable.
