R’ Shaul Yisraeli answers that it was not making the eigel that Aharon needed the kapparah for. What he needed kaparah for was entertaining the thought of “lo havya le’hu takanah l’olam.” No Jewish leader should ever think that the people can reach rock bottom and strike out; no leader should ever think that Klal Yisrael’s situation can ever reach the point of hopelessness.
Tuesday, April 05, 2016
why Aharon needed kapparah for the cheit ha'eigel
The eigel brought by Aharon on opening day of the Mishkan was a kaparah for cheit ha’eigel. The gemara (Sanhedrin 7) writes that Chur tried to dissuade people from making the eigel and they killed him. Aharon figured that if he also gives tochacha, they will do the same to him. We have a mesorah that if a kohen and navi are killed together, then it’s all over for us. Aharon feared that “lo havya le’hu takantah l’olam.” Therefore, under the circumstances he figured it would be better to go along with the eigel. Sounds like an excellent justification -- so why did he need a kaparah?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
So what would have happened had Aharon given the Tochacha? Or are we saying that while his non-tochacha was justified, he could have had a DIFFERENT svara in mind for doing so? (Surely, he was correct in saving himself?)
ReplyDelete