The Golden Calf, Aaron, and Religious Leadership

...Another thing: When it says [in Scripture]: "The more they increased (k'rubam), the more they sinned against Me: I will change their dignity to dishonor" (Hosea 4:7). What [does it mean] "they increased (k'rubam)"? Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani said: "It is natural that people should imitate their leaders. How? If the Patriarch gives permission to do that which is forbidden by the Torah, the chief of the court says to himself: 'If the Patriarch permits this, why should I forbid it?' The Justices say: 'If the chief of the court has given permission, why should we forbid?' And the people say: 'If the Justices have given permission shall we consider it forbidden?' It is clear that it is the initial sin of the Patriarch which has caused the entire generation to be sinful...

(Numbers 21:1) "And the Canaanite king, Arad, heard..." What news did he hear? He heard that Aaron had died, and that the clouds of glory left, and he thought that permission was being given [to him] to wage war against Israel. This is what it means when it is written, (Numbers 20:29), "And the entire congregation saw that ['ki'] Aaron had passed away..." And Rabbi Abahu said, 'Don't read it "they saw" ['vayiru'] but rather "they became seen" ['vayira'u']. This is like Resh Lakish, for Resh Lakish said, "[The word] 'ki' can be used as 4 words, 'if', 'maybe', 'but', 'because' [and thus, they were unprotected because he passed away].

(1) When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who shall go before us, for that man Moses, who brought us from the land of Egypt—we do not know what has happened to him.” (2) Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” (3) And all the people took off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. (4) This he took from them and cast in a mold, and made it into a molten calf. And they exclaimed, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!” (5) When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron announced: “Tomorrow shall be a festival of the LORD!” (6) Early next day, the people offered up burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; they sat down to eat and drink, and then rose to dance. (7) The LORD spoke to Moses, “Hurry down, for your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have acted basely. (8) They have been quick to turn aside from the way that I enjoined upon them. They have made themselves a molten calf and bowed low to it and sacrificed to it, saying: ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’”

21. Moshe said to Aharon, “What did this people do to you that you have brought such great sin upon them?” 22. Aharon said, “Do not be enraged, my lord. You yourself know that this people is bent on evil. 23. They said to me, ‘Make us a god(s) to lead us; for this one - the man Moses, who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we do not know what became of him.’ 24. So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off!’ They gave it to me and I hurled it into the fire and out came this calf!”

(5) ויקרא חג לה׳ מחר AND CALLED OUT … TO-MORROW IS A FESTIVAL TO THE LORD — to-morrow, not to-day, for he hoped that Moses might return before they would worship it (the calf). This is the plain meaning of the verse. The Midrashic explanation of it in Leviticus Rabbah 10:3 (— it supplies an object to the verb וירא —) is: Aaron saw many things; he saw Hur, his sister’s son, who had reprimanded them, and whom they had killed. This is the meaning of ויבן מזבח, viz., וַיָבֶן, he realized (taking the word as from the root בון, to understand, to realize) מִזָּבוּחַ לפניו from him who lay slaughtered before him (מזבח is vowelled to be read as מִזָּבוּחַ) what would happen to him if he offered resistance. A further explanation of וירא אהרן in the Midrash is: He saw what the situation was and said: It is better that the offence should attach itself to me than to them. And yet a further Midrashic explanation of וירא is: He looked into the matter and said: If they build this altar themselves, one will bring a clod and another a stone and the result will be that their work will be accomplished all at once; through myself building it and being dilatory in my work, in the meantime Moses may come.

(1) !פקרקו, “break off!” Aaron gave this instruction with noble intent; he had reasoned that if he suggested that they should appoint either Calev or Nachshon as Moses’ successor, and the people would proceed to crown either one of the two men, as soon as Moses would return they would demote the new King and there would likely be a civil war. If he were to refuse outright to take any action, they would most likely choose their own new leader, this would certainly lead to great strife among the people. If he himself would offer himself as Moses’ substitute, this would not find favour in the eyes of Moses, who, he was sure, would return.

Daat Zekenim is a Torah commentary compiled by later generations of scholars from the Franco-German (Ba’alei HaTosafot) school in the 13th century (translation Rabbi Eliyahu Munk)

And Joshua did as Moses said to him, to war against Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Chur [the son of Miriam and Calev] went up to the top of the hill...

(14) To the elders he had said, “Wait here for us until we return to you. You have Aaron and Hur with you; let anyone who has a legal matter approach them.”

(23) And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom, saying: (24) ’Aaron shall be gathered unto his people; for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against My word at the waters of Meribah. (25) Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor. (26) And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.’....And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they wept for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.