בס''ד
The
diabolical sin of the Golden Calf was one that almost brought about the Jewish
people’s total annihilation. Were it not
for Moshe’s pleading and insistence upon Hashem relenting in His plan to
eradicate them, the nation would have begun anew with Moshe as the sole
progenitor of this surrogate people. And
what reward would Moshe receive for such a virtuous act? Well, Chazal tell us that as a consequence of
Moshe’s appeal that if the Jewish people are obliterated, he too would want his
name to be eliminated from the Torah, Hashem did indeed take out his name from
one part of the Torah, our Parsha, in which his name does not appear. This penalty surely seems an unfair response
to something that brought about the salvation of the Jewish people!
It
is often the case, that what we view as a punishment may in truth be a reward,
and what is perceived as a gift may in fact be quite the opposite. Our Parsha presents us with an example of
this, for Moshe’s name being excluded was not a form of retribution against him
at all, but rather contained an honour of extraordinary depth. The Ohr Gedalyohu explains that the omission
of Moshe’s name, a facet that represents a person’s individuality, was
recognition of the fact that Moshe had foregone all personal desires and
individualism in the pursuit of fulfilling G-d’s purpose. By being willing to totally sacrifice
himself, he became someone who was totally at one with Hashem, therefore
imperceptible as a being by himself. His
name does not appear in the Parsha, but he is there, entirely connected
with Hashem in every command given, as one entity, with no ego to form a
barrier between them.
To
forego one’s rights to our own individuality and choice is seen in today’s day
and age to represent a limitation of who we are and an act of shameful
submission. The Torah recognises and
gives great import to each person’s unique qualities, but the highest level we
can attain, is when we submit all of these to the will of Hashem. This is a choice, we as autonomous beings
make, to utilise all that we have with the aim of furthering G-d’s presence in
this world, in deference to whatever He decrees as best for us. By doing so we are step by step creating that
oneness with Hashem that grants us eternal reward and infinite bliss, ever
connected to the Source of all good.
*May the radiance of Shabbos bring
greater unity with Hashem*
לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם
לרפואה שלימה: שרה יעל בת
ברכה אסתר
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