Living Torah Archives

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?

When Moses descended Mount Sinai and saw the people worshipping a golden calf, he shattered the Ten Commandments.

A Jew shares a relationship with G-d on two levels, that of the soul and that of the body. While the Tanya relates that the soul is “a veritable part of G-d above,” and its relationship to G-d is like that of a parent and child, the value of the body is often overlooked.