In the Sinai Desert,
Long ago,
Mankind faced
Its biggest blow.
After Eden,
The world’s second
Colossal downfall,
Eternal life forfeited,
We could have had it all.
A great blunder,
Man contributed gold,
For an evil project
When panic took hold.
The Revelation at Sinai,
Man’s greatest apex,
Couldn’t save us
From the plunge that came next.
The Eirev Rav
Didn’t accept the Torah,
As did we,
When they raised the specter
Of idolatry.
Where was that
Stiff-necked loyalty
That had pulled us through
The harshest adversity?
Outraged indignance
Should have been our response,
But the reaction was passive
Nonchalance.
Failure in the face of adversity,
Detachment
From a bond of eternity.
The cloak of protection
Given by the Torah
May have been removed
According to the Maharsha.
Exposed to the whims
Of the Eirev Rav,
To bestow the concept
Of t’shuvah
Through the ages.
Till this day,
We still face repercussions
Of Har Choreiv,
The mount of destruction.
Moshe prayed
And was seized
With a fever in his bones;
A true leader,
He wouldn’t let
His flock face this alone.
Went down into the depths
Of his own rabbit hole
Til he found a spark
Of rebellion
In his own noble soul.
The cheit ha’eigel
Is the prototype of sin,
Astounding to us, now,
That we were taken in.
But before we judge them
For their fatal gaffe,
We must recognize
Our own golden calf.
Gold is still a part of the equation,
As it was
For our fledgling nation
An image of detachment
From Hashem;
In trying circumstance,
The deception that our lives
Are governed by
The winds of chance.
Life has illusions and distractions,
The yeitzer ha’ra’s sly and clever.
But HaKadosh Baruch Hu
Is ever present
Protecting us forever.
Wonderous things are yet to happen,
Miracles for our behalf.
Till then, HaKadosh Baruch Hu,
Please help Your children
Go De-Calf!
By Sharon Marcus