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Parshat Ki Tisa is one of the most intense sections in the Torah, dealing with the tragic episode of the Golden Calf. This year, as it coincides with Purim in Jerusalem, the themes of mistaken perception, pressure, and redemption resonate even more powerfully. By exploring the events surrounding the sin of the Golden Calf, we can uncover profound insights into human nature, the power of imagination, and the necessity of patience in divine service.
The Pressure to Act
The Torah describes how Moshe Rabbeinu ascended Har Sinai for forty days, leaving the Jewish people waiting for his return. However, due to a miscalculation, they believed he was late. This mistake was not merely an issue of counting—it was an opening for the Yetzer Hara to manipulate their perception.
The Midrash explains that Satan distorted reality, creating a dark, stormy atmosphere to instill fear and confusion. He even projected a vision of Moshe Rabbeinu’s “grave” floating in the air, leading the people to believe that their leader had perished. In a state of panic, they turned to Aharon, demanding that he create a new “idolic” leader for them.
Aharon’s Stalling Tactic
Faced with an angry and irrational crowd, Aharon attempted to delay their actions. He instructed them to collect gold—specifically, the golden earrings of their wives and children—hoping this would slow them down. As Rashi explains, Aharon believed that women and children would be reluctant to part with their precious adornments, buying time until Moshe’s return. However, his plan failed. The men, driven by their desperation, removed their own jewelry instead and rushed to create the idol.
The question arises: why did Aharon focus on golden earrings? What was his deeper intention?
From Fear to Idolatry
Perhaps the most perplexing aspect of this story is how the people transitioned so quickly from fearing Moshe’s death to creating and worshiping a false god. What caused such a drastic shift? How does their fear of being leaderless suddenly lead them to idolatry?
This question forces us to examine the nature of panic, imagination, and misplaced trust. If their issue was leadership, wouldn’t they have simply asked Aharon to step in? Why did their response escalate to the point of fabricating a new deity? What is the underlying connection between the fear of losing Moshe Rabbeinu and falling into full-fledged idol worship?
Patience and the Test of the Keter
Rebbe Nachman, quoting the Baal Shem Tov, explains a deep concept regarding faith in Hashem’s oneness. We say daily: Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad—”Hear, Israel, Hashem is our God, Hashem is One.” The letter Daled in Echad has a small shpitz on the top right corner, a kotz, that differentiates it from a Resh, which would spell Acher—”another.” The Zohar teaches that this kotz represents the Tzaddik, the one who upholds Hashem’s oneness in the world. When the Tzaddik is removed, Echad turns into Acher, and the oneness of Hashem is obscured.
This idea is clearly illustrated in this week’s Parsha. The moment the Jews believed that Moshe Rabbeinu was gone, they immediately turned to idolatry. Instead of waiting with faith, they panicked and sought an immediate replacement. This wasn’t just a mistake—it was a failure of patience. The real test was to wait.
Rebbe Nachman, in Likutey Moharan Lesson 24, explains the concept of Keter, the crown. Keter is a barrier, a separation between Hashem’s Infinite Light and creation. It prevents a person from moving too fast, forcing them to develop spiritual vessels before receiving higher divine illumination. When someone is advancing quickly in spirituality, the Keter pushes them back. This setback is not a rejection but a test: will the person accept it with faith and patience, or will they fall into despair?
The Jewish people at Har Sinai were expected to pass this test of Keter—to wait patiently for Moshe’s return. But instead, they succumbed to pressure. The Yetzer Hara distorted their imagination, making them believe Moshe was dead. The Jews, but particularly the Erev Rav (mixed multitude of converts from Egypt), rushed to fill the perceived void, demanding: “We need another god!”
Had they withstood the test of Keter, they would have merited an even higher revelation of Torah. Instead, their impatience led them to idol worship. This failure wasn’t just about the Golden Calf—it revealed a fundamental weakness: the inability to wait for divine timing.
The Woman’s Crown and the Test of Keter
Aharon’s response to the Erev Rav’s demand for an idol was not random. He specifically instructed them to take golden earrings from their wives’ ears. Why earrings? Why from the women?
Reb Noson, explaining Likutey Moharan Lesson 24, highlights a deep concept: a woman’s soul is rooted in Keter, the crown. This is reflected in the verse: “Eshet Chayil, Ateret Ba’ala”—a woman of valor is the crown of her husband (Mishlei 12:4). Though in practical life a wife is a receiver, dependent on her husband for sustenance, spiritually, she is above him. The Keter—the highest level in the spiritual structure—belongs to her.
This is why, on a deeper level, women often challenge their husbands. Many men feel that their wives are “holding them back” from spiritual growth, limiting their time for Torah and prayer. But in truth, women have an innate sensitivity to spiritual danger. When a man is rising too quickly, without the proper vessels, the Keter “pushes back”—and his wife, connected to Keter, instinctively puts on the brakes. She is not an obstacle; she is a safeguard, ensuring that he does not burn out or collapse from overreaching.
Aharon saw that the Erev Rav had already failed the test of patience—they could not endure the waiting required by Keter. Their demand for an idol was a desperate attempt to fill the void they perceived in Moshe Rabbeinu’s absence. But there was still one final hope: sending them to their wives. If the women refused to give their jewelry, perhaps the men would recognize their mistake and step back.
The Crown of Listening
The request was not just for any gold, but for earrings. The ear represents Shmi’ah—the ability to listen and internalize. At Har Sinai, the Jews proclaimed “Na’aseh v’Nishmah”—“We will do, and we will listen.” In response, they were crowned with two crowns: one for action (Na’aseh), and one for deep inner connection (Nishmah).
Of these two, the crown of Nishmah is higher. The commitment to “do” (Na’aseh) reflects external devotion, but the ability to listen (Nishmah) requires internal faith, humility, and patience. It is the true key to maintaining connection with Hashem, even when things are unclear.
By telling them to take their wives’ earrings, Aharon was pointing them back to this crown of Nishmah—the ability to listen, trust, and wait. The women understood this; they refused to give their jewelry. But the men, already blinded by their panic, did not get the message. Instead of listening, they took their own gold and forged the Golden Calf.
The result? They lost both crowns. Hashem told Moshe that the Jewish people had to remove the crowns they received at Har Sinai. Had they listened to their wives, they might have been able to hold onto them. But their impatience—their failure to withstand the test of Keter—led to the ultimate downfall, losing their crowns.
The Power of Patience and the Keter in the Purim Story
The key failure in the sin of the Golden Calf was impatience. The Jewish people, particularly the Erev Rav, could not withstand the test of Keter, which requires waiting and faith in the process. This same concept appears in the Purim story, where Mordechai and Esther demonstrate the power of patience and divine timing, ultimately overturning Haman’s plot.
Mordechai’s salvation began when King Achashverosh discovered that Mordechai had never been rewarded for saving his life from the assassination plot of Bigtan and Teresh.
That very night, Achashverosh couldn’t sleep. He ordered the royal chronicles to be read, only to find that Mordechai had never received a reward. At the same time, Haman arrived, intending to request Mordechai’s execution. Instead, Achashverosh asked Haman how to honor someone the king wished to reward. Thinking the honor was for himself, Haman suggested royal treatment: riding the king’s horse, wearing his robe, and—most shockingly—wearing the king’s crown.
This was an outrageous request. Who gives away the king’s crown? But Haman, who understood the concept of Keter, knew that the crown represents the ultimate connection to infinite blessing. He sought to steal that divine energy and use it for himself, channeling the holy energy into impurity.
Achashverosh, however, stopped short of granting the crown. Instead, he ordered Haman to carry out all the honors—but for Mordechai. The very force Haman tried to manipulate was turned against him. This is a key theme in Purim: the power of Keter is reserved for those who patiently wait for Hashem’s salvation, i.e. Mordechai.
Achashverosh and the Gold of the Beit HaMikdash
The Midrash reveals that much of Achashverosh’s wealth—his gold and treasures—came from the Beit HaMikdash. At the royal feast described in Megillat Esther, the verse mentions extravagant decorations, including Chur, Kapas, and Techelet. The commentary Manot HaLevi points out that the letter Chet (numerically equal to the number 8) in Chur is written large in the Megillah. This alludes to the eight vestments of the Kohen Gadol, which Achashverosh wore at the feast.
Achashverosh’s intent was to desecrate the holiness of the Beit HaMikdash, just as Haman sought to strip the Jews of their divine connection. The feast was not just a political event; it was a calculated attempt to draw Jewish participation into impurity, weakening their spiritual strength and their access to Keter.
Even Achashverosh’s crown was made from the sacred gold of the Beit HaMikdash. This gold had a unique property: it unified opposites. The ultimate expression of this was the Holy of Holies. It existed beyond the limitations of physical reality, symbolizing direct access to Ein Sof, Hashem’s Infinite Light.
This connection to the Keter—the interface between the infinite and finite—was something that Achashverosh and Haman sought to exploit. But their plan backfired. The Purim story demonstrates that the power of Keter remains in the hands of those who practice faith and patience, waiting for Hashem’s salvation rather than forcing their own solutions.
The contrast between the Erev Rav at the Golden Calf and Mordechai in the Purim story is striking. The Erev Rav lacked the patience to wait for Moshe Rabbeinu’s return, leading them to fall into idolatry. Mordechai, however, embodied the opposite: steadfastness, unwavering faith, and the ability to endure setbacks without losing hope. This patience ultimately allowed him to access the light of Keter, leading to the miraculous salvation of the Jewish people.
The Restoration of the Crown: Mordechai and the Light of Keter
The Purim story reaches its climax when Haman’s plot is overturned, and Mordechai, the tzaddik, is elevated in his place. Haman had sought not only power but also the crown—the Keter, the ultimate connection to divine light. His request to have the king’s crown placed on his head symbolized his desire to usurp the Jewish people’s spiritual power. But instead, his downfall paved the way for Mordechai to receive the very honor he coveted.
At the end of the Megillah, Mordechai is described as emerging from the king’s presence wearing a golden crown (Ateret Zahav). This moment represents the restoration of Keter to holiness. Just as Moshe Rabbeinu retained the spiritual light of the crowns lost after the sin of the Golden Calf, so too did Mordechai receive the light of the Keter.
The Zohar explains that after the Jewish people lost their crowns—awarded at Har Sinai for saying Na’aseh v’Nishmah—Moshe Rabbeinu took them and preserved them. After the Jews lost their crowns, the Torah states that Moshe moved the Tent of Meeting (Ohel Moed) outside the camp, signifying that he took the light of the crowns. The word Ohel is etymologically connected to Hilo, meaning radiance or halo, reinforcing the idea that Moshe retained the divine light of the crowns. In the same way, Mordechai, a tzaddik representing Moshe Rabbeinu’s role in his generation, received and restored the light of Keter in the Purim miracle.
Holding On to the Tzaddikim: The Ultimate Test of Faith
The root of both the sin of the Golden Calf and the Purim redemption lies in one crucial test: staying connected to the tzaddikim. The Jewish people at Har Sinai failed when they gave in to doubt—when they thought Moshe Rabbeinu was gone, they fell into idolatry. But those who held strong—Aharon, Chur, and the tribe of Levi—did not fall.
This same principle applies in every generation. The greatest test of faith is whether a Jew holds onto the tzaddikim, those who maintain the truth of Echad, that Hashem is One. When doubts arise, when life’s challenges shake a person’s patience, the key is to not let go.
Mordechai demonstrated this unwavering faith. He did not bow to Haman. He did not waver, even when it seemed like all was lost. And through his steadfast emunah, he brought down the light of Keter for the entire Jewish people.
Purim: The Ultimate Test of Patience and Redemption
The lesson of Purim and Parshat Ki Tisa is the same: patience leads to redemption. Whether it is waiting for Moshe Rabbeinu to return or enduring the decrees of Haman, those who remain strong and do not succumb to despair merit the revelation of Hashem’s Infinite Light.
This Purim and Shabbat Ki Tisa, may we strengthen our connection to the tzaddikim, reaffirm Hashem’s oneness, and pass the tests of patience and faith. In doing so, may we merit the Ateret Zahav, the crown of redemption, and the light of Mordechai’s Keter, which shines eternal.
This article is also found in the BRI breslov.org website: https://breslov.org/the-test-of-patience/
For a video presentation of this article: https://youtu.be/eq02eL76NbU
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Shabbat Shalom and a joyous, uplifting Purim!
Meir Elkabas
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