In Parshas Ki Sisa, we encounter one of the most tragic incidents in Jewish history, that of the golden calf. It is interesting to note that the golden calf is one of the six events the Torah commands us to always remember - "Remember, do not forget how you angered Hashem, your G-d, in the wilderness" (Devarim 9:7). What is significant about this event? Given that the Torah already forbids idolatry in many places, including the Ten Commandments, what additional idea are we being commanded to remember in perpetuity?
We are taught that when Moshe descended from Mount Sinai after spending forty days and nights with Hashem acquiring the Oral Torah, he saw the people dancing around the calf and therefore he shattered the priceless gift of the luchos that G-d himself had made for the Jewish people. The Torah informs us that on the next day Moshe said to the people, "you have committed a grievous sin" (Shemos 32:30). It is interesting to note that the Torah uses the term "chata'ah gedolah", which is the feminine form of the verb to sin, while usually the Torah uses the masculine form, cheit, as opposed to chata'ah. I'd like to suggest that there is a deliberate usage of the feminine form, which denotes a passive form of sin, as opposed to the masculine, which would be understood in the active form.
The Torah (Devarim 21:1-9) describes the case of the unsolved murder, which is addressed via the eglah arufah - the axed calf. Specifically, if we find a dead body in the Land of Israel and we don't know who the murderer is, the Torah describes a ritual whereby an exact procedure is to be followed, as our Rabbis explain, to call attention and public awareness to this tragic event, thereby helping to apprehend the murderer. As part of the ceremony, the elders of the city closest to the corpse are to proclaim, "yadeinu lo shofchu es hadam hazeh - our hands have not spilled this blood." The Hebrew word used for "spilled" is spelled with a hay at the end, which is the feminine form, meaning that not only did the elders not actively participate in the murder of this man, but they also are not even guilty of allowing the victim to leave the city unattended and without provisions for his journey, which would have made him more vulnerable to attack. Therefore, the feminine form is used to show that they are not even guilty of a passive sin. Similarly, the Torah states regarding the mitzvah of tefillin, "V'haya l'os al yadcha - it shall be a sign upon your arm" (Shemos 13:16). The Torah uses the feminine form of the word "yadcha - your hand" to teach us that the tefillin are to be placed on one's weaker hand. Again, the 'hay' at the end denotes weakness as opposed to strong affirmative action.
The Torah teaches in Parshas Bo that approximately six hundred thousand grown men left Egypt, and in this week's parsha (32:28) we see that about three thousand men worshiped the golden calf. At first glance, once could wonder why Moshe and Hashem are making such a big deal about this sin if only one half of one percent of the population was invovled? Why focus on that very small minority when five hundred and ninety-seven thousand men did not participate in this terrible sin? Why does the Torah (32:34) teach us that in the future, whenever Hashem unfortunately has to punish the Jewish people for a particular wrongdoing, there will always be additional suffering for the sin of the golden calf? What was so horrific about this event?
The answer, I believe, is found in the Zohar (191a), which teaches us that the sin of the golden calf is couched in the feminine form, "chata'ah gedolah", to teach us that the great majority of the nation, who did not participate in the sin of the golden calf, were guilty of not stopping the participants from sinning. The sin of the majority was not one of active participation, but one of passive neglect. They violated the mitzvah (Vayikra 19:17) to rebuke a fellow Jew when we see him violating a Torah law, and we are cautioned against failing to do so with the phrase, "do not bear the sin because of him," which is understood by our Rabbis to mean that if one does not rebuke the sinner, it is as if he participated in the sin as well and bears responsibility for it. Thus, in a sense, the silence of the majority caused the golden calf.
I believe that with this understanding we have greater insight into the opening paragraph of this week's Parsha. The Torah informs us that the Jewish nation is to give annually a machtzis hashekel - a half shekel to not only fund the communal offerings, but also to serve as an atonement for their souls. The commentaries ask: what particular sin do these coins atone for? The Medresh Tanchuma (10) and other commentaries believe that the machtzis hashekel atones for the sin of the golden calf. (Lest one be troubled by the fact that the call for the half shekel is placed in the Torah prior to the incident of the golden calf, this is addressed via by the principle that there is no chronological order in the Torah.) We can now understand why the per-capita donation was specifically a half shekel. Just as their sin was one of passivity, as we explained above according to the Zohar, so too they are to bring a half shekel, which represents their partial sinning. What emerges is clearly the teaching of "kol Yisrael areivim zeh la zeh - all Israel is responsible for one another"(Shavuos 39a).
This places great responsibility on the observant Jewish community in America. While, on the one hand, we are exceedingly proud of the growth in Torah observant communities, outside of these strong bastions of religious observance the rate of assimilation and intermarriage is most frightening and presents a bleak picture for the future of the remainder of American Jewry. We dare not respond to this tragedy as our ancestors did in the desert by committing the sin of chata'ah gedolah - of passivity and non-involvement. Will we be able to say "yadainu lo shafchu es hadam hazeh"? Did we do everything in our power to prevent this tragedy? Lest anyone says, "what can we do," I believe there are some valuable programs that can be of help in stemming this negative tide of assimilation. King David says (Tehillim 34:9), "ta'amu u're'u kitov Hashem - contemplate and see that Hashem is good." The literal translation of "ta'amu u're'u" is taste and see. We have an obligation to reach out and provide a taste of Shabbos and Yom Tov for all Jews, making our shuls and homes welcoming to those Jews who are not yet observant by giving them a pleasant taste of Shabbos and Yom Tov. Each community should encourage having a "Shabbos across their town", whereby observant and not yet observant families enjoy Shabbos together, thereby creating potential bonds for further relationships and growth. Secondly, Orthodox shuls should offer beginner services for those not yet learned and familiar with davening. Thirdly, we should encourage participation in programs, such as Partners in Torah, whereby many who lack formal Jewish education have an opportunity to study by phone or zoom with a partner, even if they are several thousand miles away. This opportunity to study Torah often leads to the forging of positive relationships, which often result in a growth in observance of Torah and mitzvot within the not yet observant community.
The Navi teaches "shlach lachmicha - cast your bread upon the waters", that is to say, we have to do ours. We must take the initiative and, please G-d, He will help these various programs gain momentum and accomplish their lofty goals. Let history not, G-d forbid, say that our generation was guilty of the chata'ah gedolah - passive sin committed by the onlookers at the golden calf, but rather let us respond to the challenges of our times.