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Why does Rashi (רש"י) emphasize that the people miscalculated when Moshe would return from Sinai, counting only days but not nights? Their error reveals a deeper rejection of the lunar cycle, which represents the dynamic separation-and-reunion that sustains relationships. Women's natural connection to monthly cycles protected them from the Golden Calf because they understood that meaningful relationships require periodic withdrawal, not constant presence.
This shiur examines Rashi (רש"י)'s revolutionary interpretation of the Golden Calf incident in Parshas Ki Sisa, fundamentally changing how we understand this catastrophic event. The analysis begins with Rashi's commentary on the verse "Va'yar ha'am ki voshesh Moshe" (Exodus 32:1), where the people saw that Moshe was delayed in descending from Mount Sinai. According to Rashi, when Moshe ascended the mountain, he told them he would return after forty days. However, the people made a critical error in their calculation - they counted the day of his ascent as day one, whereas Moshe meant forty complete days starting from the next day. This led them to expect his return on the 16th of Sivan when he was actually scheduled to return on the 17th. The profound question emerges: why is this timing miscalculation so central to understanding the Golden Calf? Even if they made an honest mistake, they still committed the grave sin of idolatry. What difference does their error in time calculation make to the severity of their transgression?
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Parshas Ki Sisa 32:1
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