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He said to
Aaron, 'Take yourself a calf for
a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, (both) unblemished, and
sacrifice them before God. Speak to the Israelites, and tell them to take
unblemished (animals): a goat for a sin offering, a yearling calf and a lamb
for a burnt offering… Leviticus 9:2-3
You are
culpable for "they slaughtered a goat" [Genesis 37:31, Joseph's
brothers, after selling him into slavery] and for "they have made
themselves a cast-metal calf" [Exodus 32:8, the golden calf]. Let this
goat come and atone for the matter of slaughtering the goat and this calf to
atone for the matter of the golden calf. Midrash Torat Cohanim
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Malbim asks why it was necessary
specifically at the time of the dedication of the Tabernacle to atone for the
sin of the brothers having sold Joseph into slavery, while this sin did not
interfere with the exodus from Egypt, the splitting of the Red Sea or the
Divine revelation at Mount Sinai.
Malbim posits that there is a
substantive contrast between the sins of the sale of Joseph and the golden
calf. Joseph's brothers' intention in selling him was bad, while the deed
itself ended well, since the sale brought about the salvation of the Children
of Israel during the famine. In contrast, the golden calf was motivated by positive
intention (according to the approach that the Israelites saw the golden calf as
a symbol of God's presence within the nation), while the deed itself was evil.
Thus, if God were to judge
Israel for the sin of the golden calf based upon their intention, He would find
grounds for great leniency. However, if that were the case, then He would have
to deal harshly with the sin of Jacob's sons in selling their brother, since
their intention was bad. Therefore,
whether God judges based upon intention or based upon the actual deed, Israel
is culpable in one of the two instances, hence the nation must achieve
atonement for both the sin of selling Joseph and the sin of the golden calf,
that is, both for intention and for deed.
The lesson of the two sacrifices is that Israel bears responsibility both
for its intentions and for its deeds.
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