“When the people saw that Moshe was late in coming down from the mountain, the people… said… ‘Make us gods that will go before us….’ ” (Shemos 32:1)
A mere 40 days after accepting the Torah at Har Sinai, Bnei Yisrael committed the worst sin in our national history: making and worshipping a golden calf. While this episode is recorded in the Torah and is therefore incumbent upon us to study, it’s difficult for us to relate and find lessons that we can apply to our own lives.
In his sefer based on the advice of the Steipler, Rabbi Dr. Yaakov Greenwald discusses common mistakes that people make. One is that for every challenge a person confronts, he feels there must be a clear resolution. Until he’s able to find the proper answer to the situation, he’s deeply perturbed, not only by the actual problem, but also by his inability to immediately respond. (Rabbi Ozer Alport, Parsha Potpourri)
INthe corporate offices of Peritzman and Sons, I hold the position of COO. My duties include troubleshooter and crisis manager, a job that requires quick thinking and constant solutioning.
“Ma, I can’t find my shoes!”
“They’re under the kitchen table together with your dirty socks.”
“Ma, I can’t find my hamster!” This one necessitates calling in emergency personnel to hunt down the poor hapless hamster and save the poor helpless mother.
Crisis control includes Band-Aids for boo-boos, tissues for tears, and solutions to any of the myriads of issues that crop up on a daily basis.
