In the Book of Shemot (Exodus), Parashah Ki Tisa, the People (the Children of Israel leaving Egypt) build a Golden Calf. This may have many symbolic meanings. It could be they were fearful that Moses was gone or that they would be unable to communicate with God.
The Golden Calf incident provokes God’s judgement that the Children of Israel have become corrupt. God sees that this people are stubborn and cannot operate spiritually. They have created an idol. This breaks one of the most important of God’s commandments.
God informs Moses that the punishment will be to destroy the entire Hebrew nation. Moses will be the new patriarch of a new line of people who will follow God. There will still be a direct line to Abraham, so those promises will be kept.
A frequent interpretation of this is that God is inviting Moses to pray for Israel. By the power of prayer, God will forgive this transgression and allow the Children of Israel to live and repent.
But Moses does not pray for the people. What Moses SAYS is that the Egyptians will say that God lead them out of slavery in Egypt just to kill them in the mountains. Moses points out that God’s detractors – the Egyptians – will claim that God acted with evil intent in freeing the Jewish nation. Moses reminded God the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God promised these forefathers that their offspring will be numerous and the land (Israel) would be theirs forever.
Moses does not ask to forsake the plan to begin a new lineage. Moses does not even beg God to not destroy the people. Moses appeals to God’s interest in God’s own reputation. Moses shames God by giving a logical argument as to why God should stop being so angry.
How the world sees God is very important to God. Jews are supposed to act in a way that makes others realize that God IS God and worthy of prayer and respect. The commandments are to be performed publicly. When the Children of Israel (the Jewish people) follow God’s commandments, they bring a Holy Light into the world. Then others recognize the greatness of God. This should inspire all people to desire to be holy. Spiritual holiness is God’s gift to humanity. It completes and heals the material world. By the example of this people, all can learn to benefit from the heavenly powers.
(Interestingly, when Noah, Abraham, and Moses each first speak in the Torah, it is to protect themselves and their reputations. Noah about being seen naked by his son, Abraham wanting the Egyptians to think that his wife Sara was actually his sister, and Moses upon realizing that his killing of an Egyptian was known. There is an analogy to God not wanting to be thought of as having evil intent.)
God responds to Moses’ logical arguments by suppressing anger and heading down a different path than the original one of destroying the Jews. This makes sense. After all, there is ample evidence in the Torah that God is not scientific. Deductive reasoning has no influence over a spiritual existence. An analytical constraint is called for at certain critical junctures. Moses provides that input.
Being logical is part of a physical existence. God never experienced a physical existence. Therefore, creating one is fraught with errors and a learning curve. There are errors in creation. That is why God starts over. Moses’ reasoned arguments are part of God’s learning.
Being 100% spiritual, God and God’s words appear ambiguous to any creature that has a physical component. Of course, all creatures are material in this world. The ONLY entity that is 100% spiritual is God. We are given a choice to engage the God-like within ourselves. We are offered the option and the ability to bridge to the spiritual in life.
Applying spiritual formulae for a physical world necessarily creates ambiguity. This state of things leads to vagueness and obscurity. It does not lead to a logical plan. That is why it is impossible to understand what God “wants” without interpretation.
In this universe, an ambiguous plan must have revision as part of the plan. There is no defined course in this world. Therefore, God’s plans are subject to change. God is susceptible to reason by Moses. Moses uses the earthly powers to show God that in the material world, God’s actions to destroy the Hebrew People will have predictable consequences to God’s relevance then and in the future. God quickly grasps the wisdom of Moses’ insights.
This episode does not imply that others can also influence God. Moses was a special individual at a critical moment. The intersection of the worldly and transcendent was at a momentous crossroad. God, Moses, the Jews, and all of humanity were facing the road from Revelation. Would it be a mountaintop or a void?
By shifting course from destruction of the Children of Israel and allowing their continued growth, humanity has been able to embrace a vision of life’s potential. The alternative would have been the sense that destruction follows stumbling. Such is not a world that exalts heavenly powers.
Our earthly existence invites a spiritual partnership. This is a building symbiosis. There is no demolition from the marriage of the earthly and the heavenly powers. God is about guiding humans to finding their ultimate spiritual potential and linking it to the material world.
The result is hope and healing. Mistakes are inevitable. If they always caused drastic repercussions, then living has no incentive. The fact is that the world is a forgiving place. The rules are not hard and fast. If they were, for example, then risky behavior would result in horrible consequences much more often than actually occur.
Therefore, even God has to adjust. God is a spiritual entity operating in a physical universe. Just as God shows us the way to encompass the soul into our lives, so Moses helps God decide the best course.
In the material world, judgement determines outcomes. Ideally, this subjective approach to life is antiquated when humans successfully tap their spiritual nature. Such a Utopian vision has not yet been reached.
Health and Spirit by Dr. Jack Zoldan 