In this week’s parsha, while Moshe was on Har Sinai receiving the Luchos, the people became impatient waiting for his return. Aharon created the Eigel HaZahav [Golden Calf] for them and they began worshipping it. Hashem told Moshe: "Go, descend – for your nation that you have brought up from Egypt has degenerated. They have strayed QUICKLY from the way that I have commanded them; they have made themselves a molten calf, prostrated themselves to it, and sacrificed to it, and they said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.'" (Shemos 32:7-8).
Rav Yeruchum Levovitz, the Mirer Mashgiach, commented on the words “They have strayed QUICKLY from the way I have commanded them”. Why is it important to know, he asked, that they quickly strayed from the path? Would they be any less culpable if they had slowly strayed from the path?
Rav Yeruchum Levovitz explained that had they strayed slowly from the path, it would not be condoned, but it would at least be understandable. After they stood at the foot of Har Sinai and heard Hashem speak to them directly — the only people in the history of the world to have such an experience en masse — it might be understandable if one or two or three years after that great event, the experience had begun to dissipate from their collective memories. This is the nature of human beings. We forget. Even major events in our lives become hazy in our memories as time goes on. Eventually, they wear off.
The situation here was quite a different story. They heard "I am Hashem your G-d" on the sixth of Sivan. The events with the Eigel HaZahav happened on the seventeenth of Tamuz — less than six weeks later! If in 40 days, one can go from the experience of Revelation at Har Sinai to the making of a Eigel HaZahav, unfortunately, the timing brings into question the whole sincerity of their acceptance of the Torah and their declaration of “We will do and we will listen.”
It is always somewhat depressing to see how short a time it takes — in myself and others — for Yom Kippur to “wear off”. We can reach a very high level on Yom Kippur. We spend the whole day in shul and reach a level of spirituality that we do not attain the whole year. How long does it last?
Chazal quote the pasuk written in connection with taking the arbah minim on Succos: “And you shall take for yourselves on the first day...” (Vayikra 23:40). Chazal say it is called the “first day” because Succos is the first day in which Yom Kippur wears off, so to speak, and one might begin to sin again. Some people “avoid the rush”. Why wait until Succos?
There are shul’s that exist even today, where the Rabbi must get up after Neilah and urge the people to Daven Ma’ariv after Yom Kippur and not run out as soon as the shofar is blown! Granted, these might have been the “3-day-a-year Jews”, but even they should have acted differently.
In the Ma’ariv shemoneh esrei after Yom Kippur we recite, “Selach lanu, mechal lanu...” [forgive us] as we do in every weekday shemonah esrei. But we should ask — what could we have done since Yom Kippur ended and atoned for our sins that we must ask for forgiveness again?
If we “leave so quickly” from the path of the commandments that we were given, what does that say about the impact of the “spiritually elevating experience” that we ostensibly just went through? This is the emphasis of the word “quickly” in the previously quoted pasuk. It is only the 17th day of Tamuz. It is not even a year! It is not even a quarter! It is just a little over a month!
This was a terrible indictment of the Jewish people and it is an indictment of us if, after a Yom Kippur or another spiritually moving experience, we move back on the next day to “business as usual”.
So, after celebrating such an uplifting Purim, let’s try and keep the inspiration going, and not let it wear off to QUICKLY. (R’ Frand)
