[Avodah] opposites attract

[Eli Turkel]

I wish to thank Cantor Wolberg for the idea of my shabbat drasha for some
visiting Israeli students.

Moshe is considered the most anav person precisely because he talks
face to face with G-d and has the chutzpa to argue and even threaten G-d.
Only a person who has reached that level of closeness to G-d can become
a true anav. Us more normal people have less to be humble about.

The same holds true in our parsha. The sin of the golden calf occurs precisely
because it is right after har sinai. Only after seeing the glory of
G-d do the Jews
lose hope because they think Moshe has died. During the giving of the 10
commandments the people demand that Moshe act as an intermediary. They
are not prepared to face G-d directly. Not that they think that Moshe has died
they need a new intermediary and so go to the golden calf.  They cannot survive
without some intermediary which is the essence of Avodah Zarah.

In response G-d gives them the mishkan and korbanot to act as a physical way
of connecting to G-d for those that cannot reach him by themselves on
a spiritual
level

Many have noticed that in our generation this process has continued. The
chassidization of religious Jews is an attempt to have the rebbe or gadol HaDor
act as an intermediary between us and G-d. We talk to a human and they
communicate
with the Almighty. We cannot do it ourselves.

RYBS has stressed that tefillah is essentially self-contradictory. On
one level we
are afar ve-efer and have no right to approach G-d with our requests. OTOH he
is our father and we can approach G-d. His answer is that therefore we stress
pesukim from Tehiilim. King David gives us the right, matir, to approach G-d.

It has been noted that famous artists are on the fringe of insanity.
The same abilities
that lead to create can destroy. Moshe can become a great anav because he can
argue with Hashem. The Jews can sink to a golden calf only because they have
risen to the highest levels of seeing the glory of G-d.

shabbat shalom
-- 
Eli Turkel