Living Torah Archives

G-d’s presence didn’t rest in the Tabernacle until they offered atonement for the Golden Calf. Now, the Golden Calf didn’t deny G-d’s existence; it merely rejected the idea that a person could relate to G-d directly.

The Midrash teaches that the sin of the Golden Calf was enabled by the men, as opposed to the women who refused to partake in it. Moreover, when it came to contributing materials to build the tabernacle in the desert, it was the women who were first to step up to the task, followed by the men.

At the sin of the golden calf, only three thousand Jews actually sinned. The vast majority of the Jews did not participate. Why did G-d hold the entire people responsible for what transpired, and deserving of punishment?