By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal, Tifereth Israel Synagogue, San Diego

Our Israelite ancestors were not renowned for their patience. No sooner had they left Egypt then they wanted to return when they faced the challenges of the dessert. They worried about water, even when they knew it could be drawn from a rock, and when God gave them manna from heaven, they complained about the lack of meat.

And as soon as Moses disappeared up Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah, they built a
Golden Calf to worship.

The sin of the Golden Calf is one of the most infamous in the entire Torah. The Israelites' transgression so angered Moses that he smashed the tablets bearing the Ten Commandments, tablets that had been inscribed "with the finger of God." God was so upset that God considered destroying the Israelites and making Moses a great nation in their stead. God was only stopped when Moses begged for mercy on behalf of his people.

Of all of the Israelites' sins (and there were many!) why is this one considered one of the worst? After all, the Israelites often exhibited a lack of faith and rebelled against Moses and God.

A clue may be found in the words that God spoke to Moses when he considered destroying the people: "The Lord said to Moses, 'I have seen this people, and they are stiff-necked people.'" (Ex. 32:9). Rabbi Simcha Zissel explains that gravity of the Israelites' sin lie not in the
making and the worshipping of the Golden Calf, but rather in their obstinacy, their affirmation of righteousness, and their refusal to acknowledge the error of their ways.

No human being is perfect. We all make mistakes. Judaism teaches that God is always ready to forgive us, as long as we do Teshuva. When we acknowledge our failings, make restitution, pray for forgiveness, and commit ourselves to productive and mitzvah-filled lives, God welcomes us back with blessings and open arms.

But in order to do Teshuva one must first admit wrongdoing. Obstinacy, stubbornness, and "stiff-neckedness" are hindrances to doing Teshuva. They keep us from opening one's heart and mind to self reflection, self criticism, and the possibility of change.

It is ironic that despite the Israelites' hatred of the Egyptian Pharaoh, they nevertheless learned from the worst of his attributes. Pharaoh refused to see any other way to view the world other than his own. After almost every plague Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused the let the Israelites leave. He just could not bear to think himself wrong. In the words of one interpretation of the Mi Chamocha prayers: "His arrogance led to his own undoing."

As they waited for Moses at the bottom of Mt. Sinai the Israelites were guilty of the same sin. Not only did they build the Golden Calf, they danced reveled before it. They were heroes in their own eyes. Their arrogance, too, led to their undoing.

It is good to be resolute about those things which we hold dear. Having strong convictions is not a character flaw. However, we should never be so sure about those things we treasure and hold dear, that we refuse to be open to reflection, criticism, and new ways of thinking.