The Apple from the Tree

“And He said to Aharon, “Take for yourself a calf as a sin offering…” (Vayikra 9:2)

Rashi explains that Aharon HaKohein had to sacrifice the calf to attain forgiveness for his role in the horrific incident of the Eigel Hazahav. 

There’s another bovine mentioned in the Torah that’s connected to forgiveness for Bnei Yisrael for the Eigel — the Parah Adumah. The Midrash says, “Let the mother cow come and clean up after her child.”

Why must Aharon bring a calf, but Bnei Yisrael require a full-grown cow? (Rabbi Nosson Greenberg, Khal Machzikei Torah)

Visiting my mother is vital to me, a treat I try to plan with regularity. So when Israeli skies reopened this past winter, I booked a ticket ASAP, determined to squeeze in a visit before they closed again. Yet it’s always a balancing act when I go — because while I’m getting some essential Mommy-time, my kids are trying to manage without theirs.

Invariably, despite my planning, my careful arrangements are thrown off when someone gets sick. I once had four kids home across the Atlantic sick with strep. Trust me, it wasn’t a happy situation. This past time, both Shloime’s afternoon teachers got sick with Covid, leaving him home in the afternoons, which completely knocked things off kilter.

Before I leave, I take each of my children aside and thank them personally for allowing me to make this trip, adding that they share my sechar for this mitzvah of kibbud eim.

Let’s offer the following theory. In Mitzrayim, this generation of Yidden had been brought up seeing their parents serving idols. When presented with the familiar and comforting opportunity to serve the Eigel, they knew no better. 

Yes, they’d just received the Torah straight from G-d, which makes an impression, but it’s not simple to obliterate a few hundred years of idol worship from the system. The mother cow indicates that this sin is connected to their parents and grandparents.

Yet this did not apply to Aharon, as Shevet Levi was not exposed to idol worship in Mitzrayim. Therefore, Aharon’s atonement had nothing to do with his parents; he brought a calf, directly connecting to the Eigel. 

The Shabbos after I got back, my girls arranged a Shabbos away for all of us. The excuse was a combined birthday-anniversary package, but the real purpose was pampering their parents. They found a large house in a nearby moshav, right next door to a petting zoo, sending the junior males into ecstasy.