“And Moshe said to Aharon: ‘What did this people do to you, that you have brought such a great sin upon them?’” (Shemot 32:21)
One must ask: How could Moshe say to Aharon, “you have brought upon them such a great sin”? Was it Aharon who caused this? Aharon merely threw the gold into the furnace, and immediately the Calf emerged through the spells performed by the sorcerers who had departed among the Erev Rav (Mixed Multitude) along with the Children of Israel from Egypt, as our Sages explain in the Midrash (Tanchuma, sec. 19). If so, why is Aharon reproached, and why is it considered that he brought the sin upon them?
It appears this can be explained based on what we find in the Gemara (Makkot 11a) regarding the reason why a manslayer who flees to a City of Refuge must remain there until the death of the Kohen Gadol (High Priest). This is because the Kohen Gadol should have prayed for his generation; since he failed to do so, the spiritual standing of the people declined until it reached the point where an involuntary murder was committed. Thus, it is the responsibility of the Kohen Gadol.
We likewise find in the Gemara (Ketubot 77b) that when Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi ascended to Gan Eden, he wished to dwell near Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. The latter told Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi that he could remain there only if, during his days on earth, no rainbow had ever been seen—as was the case with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai himself. We must understand the condition required by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai: the rainbow is a sign that Hashem remembers His covenant not to bring another flood upon the world despite the evil deeds of a generation. If a rainbow appears in a generation, it is a sign that said generation made itself deserving of a punishment like the Flood, but Hashem, in His mercy, remembers His covenant by showing the rainbow. What Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai meant to tell Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi is that the righteous man has a duty to pray so that people do not sin and to protect his entire generation from sin, consequently ensuring they do not become deserving of punishment.
Similarly, it is the custom in all of Israel for parents to pray for their children to remain safe from sin and harm. So too, the obligation falls upon all the leaders of the generation to pray for their people.
This was Moshe’s rebuke and accusation against Aharon: during those forty days that Moshe Our Teacher remained on High, Aharon should have prayed before HaKadosh Baruj Hu to save Israel from the Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination) so they would not sin. Because he did not do so, it is considered as if he caused the sin to fall upon them.
(Zera Shimshon, Parashat Mas-ei, Art. 5)
