The Weekly Shtikle - Ki Sisa

Tomorrow, Adar 16, is the yahrtzeit of Moshe Fuller, z"l, of Ner Yisroel. This week's shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmaso, Moshe ben Chaim Tzvi.

When Moshe returns from the mountain to the horrific scene that was the worshipping of the Golden Calf, he is first greeted by Yehoshua who was waiting for him at the bottom of the mountain. Yehoshua hears the sound of the people from afar and tells Moshe that there is a sound of war coming from the camp. Moshe retorts (32:18) "There is not the cry of victory, nor the cry of defeat. It is the distressful sound (of blasphemy and cursing) that I hear." Yehoshua was presumably aware of what had transpired while Moshe was away. It is unclear what his intentions were in declaring that there was a war.

 

My father explains that Yehoshua was very much aware of the treacherous activities that were going on. By asserting that he heard the sounds of war, he intended to give Moshe the impression that there was a dispute amongst the people, that despite the terrible actions of the worshippers of the Golden Calf, there was a significant objection by the others which resulted in a scuffle. Moshe then replied with the sad truth, that the sounds were not those of war but rather a collective sound of blasphemy and light-headedness. Although only a small portion of B'nei Yisroel worshipped the Golden Calf, perhaps as few as 3000, there is little evidence of any dissent from the others. The gemara (Sanhedrin 7a) recounts that Chur, the son of Miriam, refused to build the idol for the people and was murdered. Moshe awakened Yehoshua to the unfortunate fact that the uprising had succeeded uncontested.

Have a good Shabbos. Mishenichnas Adar Marbim beSimchah!

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

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