Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people.
Speaker 2: He's just Lord Moses that hasn't come back yet. It's
Speaker 2: been over a month. Who's starting to wonder what if
Speaker 2: he doesn't come back? Make us a god, Lord, Aaron.
Speaker 3: The people need it.
Speaker 4: Oh, they'll lose heart.
Speaker 2: Maybe how a god will put Moses' spirit inside it
Speaker 2: and he'll inspire the people as Moses did.
Speaker 5: Go and spread the word to all who share your concerns.
Speaker 5: Bring me gold, a supply of gold. With this gold,
Speaker 5: I will do as you ask. Take the gold rings
Speaker 5: from the ears of your wives, your sons, your daughters.
Speaker 6: And bring them to me.
Speaker 4: What are you thinking, Uncle.
Speaker 5: Calm down here. They only want a symbol to guide there.
Speaker 5: Moses's presence is a comfort to them, and I don't
Speaker 5: blame them. Look at all we'd been through, they're still
Speaker 5: going to be worshiping our God.
Speaker 1: There was no mistaking the animal, heat shaped. The calf
Speaker 1: stood about two feet tall and three feet long. To
Speaker 1: buyer approached, inspecting it closely, before turning to the crowd
Speaker 1: and shouting in triumph.
Speaker 7: Ifrael, this is your God who brought you up from
Speaker 7: the land of Egypt.
Speaker 1: The next day they did as Aaron had instructed, offering
Speaker 1: burnt offerings. Before the Golden Calf, food and wine flowed,
Speaker 1: and by midday the camp's moods swelled to a fever
Speaker 1: pitch like a wartime victory, but quickly descended into chaos.
Speaker 6: It is not an idol, it's a symbol.
Speaker 8: Call it which you want.
Speaker 4: The result will be the same, and I will not
Speaker 4: the apartment.
Speaker 9: Come on, how we need to get out of here.
Speaker 4: What you're doing isn't right to buy you. What all
Speaker 4: of you are doing is evil. This is forbidden in
Speaker 4: the eyes of our God.
Speaker 10: How quickly do you forget your promises and forsake your oath?
Speaker 1: A stone found horse temple and sent him flying to
Speaker 1: the floor.
Speaker 9: Blood sprang from his temple.
Speaker 1: He sprang out to escape, but was quickly grabbed by
Speaker 1: Tabai and tossed into the crowd.
Speaker 9: They bound him and fooled him beside one of the
Speaker 9: bonfires in.
Speaker 1: Aaron caught Miriam's arm as she rushed forward, holding her
Speaker 1: back as horror gripped them both. Blood pulled beneath Hor's head,
Speaker 1: and for a long moment they stood frozen, breath caught,
Speaker 1: watching his body battered by the mob. When the air
Speaker 1: finally tore back into Aaron's lungs. He pulled his wailing
Speaker 1: sister away, I see panic, pushing him through the crowd.
Speaker 1: They had to escape to wait out the madness somewhere safe.
Speaker 1: But as he dragged Miriam from the scene, he wondered
Speaker 1: if there was any coming back from this. In his heart,
Speaker 1: he knew they hadn't seen the last of the violence.
Speaker 1: He knew he had made a grave mistake.
Speaker 11: In the shadows of Sinai, idols rise where faith falters. Cello,
Speaker 11: my friends, from here in the holy Land of Israel,
Speaker 11: i'm ya l Elstein with the International Fellowship of Christians
Speaker 11: and Jews. Welcome to the Chosen People. We find ourselves
Speaker 11: at the foot of Mount Sinai, where God has spoken
Speaker 11: and his laws have been etched in stone. Our ancestors,
Speaker 11: the Israelites, face a choice between God's covenant and their
Speaker 11: own temptations. As we listen to this story, let's ask ourselves,
Speaker 11: how do we remain faithful when God feels far away.
Speaker 1: Moses sat enraptured as he had for days, listening to
Speaker 1: the Lord's vision for their young nation, the instructions and
Speaker 1: precincts that would become his people's law, setting them apart
Speaker 1: from every other nation. As God spoke, his words appeared
Speaker 1: on the stone tablets, as if an invisible hand inscribed them.
Speaker 1: Moses had never seen anything like it. Hunger and thirst
Speaker 1: felt distant, too faint to pull him from his place
Speaker 1: before God. Then breaking the majestic sight before him, was
Speaker 1: a deafening silence. Startled by the suddenness, Moses straightened, realizing
Speaker 1: his God had stopped speaking, and wondering what caused the interruption.
Speaker 12: Go down at once, Your people, whom you brought up
Speaker 12: from Egypt, have acted corruptly. They have quickly turned away
Speaker 12: from the way I commanded them, Making an image of
Speaker 12: the golden calf. They have bowed down to it, sacrificed
Speaker 12: to it, and declared, Israel, these are your gods who
Speaker 12: brought you up from Egypt.
Speaker 1: Moses' heart sank, as if reading his very mind, The
Speaker 1: Lord broke through moses grief.
Speaker 12: I have seen these people, and they are indeed a
Speaker 12: stiff net people.
Speaker 1: An image sprang to Moses's mind, an ox under its yoke,
Speaker 1: tossing its head, resisting the reins, refusing its master's commands.
Speaker 9: These people.
Speaker 4: Treacherous, defiant, petulant children? Is the memory so short? Have
Speaker 4: you not lifted the yoke of oppression from them?
Speaker 7: Provided there every need, given them the foundation of a nation.
Speaker 1: Moses' thoughts raised, but in his shock he lost all control.
Speaker 1: His body vibrated with anger and fear, fear of what
Speaker 1: would become of his people now that they had so
Speaker 1: swiftly broken God's commands.
Speaker 12: No, leave me alone, so that my anger can burn
Speaker 12: against them and I can destroy them. Then I will
Speaker 12: make you into a great nation.
Speaker 1: God's words of anger stopped Moses racing thoughts. Had God
Speaker 1: just asked Moses to leave him alone? And did he
Speaker 1: truly just promise to make Moses into a great nation.
Speaker 4: Like Abraham that would be coming backward?
Speaker 1: Moses thought these things to himself. What of the promises
Speaker 1: to his people start over? After all they'd been through.
Speaker 1: Though Moses knew he'd be safe, the thought of failure,
Speaker 1: his failure, made him sick. Anger shifted to panic, and
Speaker 1: in desperation, he instinctively turned to bargaining.
Speaker 8: My God, why has your anger burn against your people,
Speaker 8: the ones you brought out of Egypt with great power
Speaker 8: and a strong hand. Why should the Egyptians say he
Speaker 8: brought them out only to kill them in the mountains
Speaker 8: and erase them from the earth. Turn from your fierce anger,
Speaker 8: relent this disaster plan.
Speaker 3: For your people. Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac Israel. You
Speaker 3: swore to them.
Speaker 13: I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars,
Speaker 13: and give them this land to inherit forever. Do you remember?
Speaker 1: Moses clung to that last question like a lifeline. He'd
Speaker 1: already failed as Israel's leader. He could not fail now
Speaker 1: as their advocate before God. If God had chosen him
Speaker 1: for this purpose, it indeed had to count for something.
Speaker 9: It just had to go.
Speaker 12: Leave me returned to the people of Israel.
Speaker 1: Moses was amazed that God had lent it, responding to
Speaker 1: his pleas Perhaps this had been the Lord's plan all along.
Speaker 1: He could have sworn he heard a note of satisfaction
Speaker 1: in his tone. Did God need to see moses loyalty
Speaker 1: to his people?
Speaker 12: Well?
Speaker 1: Moses was now even more determined to set things right.
Speaker 3: A calf ah, have they broken their covenant?
Speaker 9: And so quickly, so blatantly?
Speaker 1: Anger rekindled as he carefully lifted the stone tablets and
Speaker 1: descended the mountain, leaving behind the dark cloud that had
Speaker 1: been his shelter these forty days. Ho Sheer sat cross
Speaker 1: legged on a stone, whittling a rough, four legged figure,
Speaker 1: unsure of what it was becoming. His new blade, a
Speaker 1: gift from the blacksmith after the Amalekite battle, was finer
Speaker 1: than his old hunting knife from Egypt. He paused, straining
Speaker 1: to hear. Was that shouting? He frowned, Camped just below
Speaker 1: the dense cloud covering the mountain peak. He knew Moses
Speaker 1: was inside, communing with God.
Speaker 9: It had been.
Speaker 1: Forty days and nights, and Moses hadn't needed the provisions.
Speaker 1: Hoshier had hunted and kept ready. The distant cries grew louder.
Speaker 1: Hoshia tossed the whittled figure into his camphire, where it
Speaker 1: caught quickly joining others he'd carved out of idle waiting. Yes,
Speaker 1: those were shouts from the camp below. His stomach tightened
Speaker 1: an invader, perhaps the snap of a branch behind him
Speaker 1: made him turn sharply with knife in hand. Moses had returned.
Speaker 1: Relief flooded Hoshier, and he quickly sheathed his knife. Questions
Speaker 1: sprang to mind, but moses unreadable expressions stopped him. Moses
Speaker 1: carried two stone tablets with inscriptions on both sides. Hoshier
Speaker 1: wondered about their origin, but Moses pressed forward, barely acknowledging him. Scrambling,
Speaker 1: Hoshi stamped out his fire and gathered his supplies, determined
Speaker 1: not to be left behind Lord Moses no response, Hoshier
Speaker 1: jogged after him to make up the distance between them.
Speaker 6: Do you hear the shouting? What do you think is happening?
Speaker 6: Could you see from your vantage point on the mountain?
Speaker 6: I think those are the sounds of war coming up
Speaker 6: from the camp.
Speaker 3: It's not the sound of war.
Speaker 4: That's no victory cry or a cry of defeat. What
Speaker 4: your hearing is the sound of singing.
Speaker 9: Ho Sheer strained to listen.
Speaker 1: Yes, there was a rhythmic, melodic quality to the sounds
Speaker 1: drifting up. He tried asking Moses more, but his leader's
Speaker 1: urgent silence spoke volumes, unsettling him more than the growing clamor.
Speaker 1: As they descended, Hosher began to hear horns, strings, drums,
Speaker 1: and unmistakably singing the celebration, but for what. Moses's face
Speaker 1: remained inscrutable, though anger determined, and something like torment flickered
Speaker 1: across it. What did he know that Hoshia didn't. They
Speaker 1: continued in silence until they reached the camp's outskirts, where
Speaker 1: the sounds and smells of feasting and revelry washed over them.
Speaker 1: Hoshier's mouth watered, but something was off. Why was this happening?
Speaker 1: A sense of dread crept over him, and he braced
Speaker 1: himself for what felt like an imminent collision. Each step
Speaker 1: confirmed Israel's grave betrayal, compounding moses anger. He knew he
Speaker 1: should acknowledge Hoshia, dazed and trotting by his side, but
Speaker 1: he couldn't see beyond the mounting blinding fury threatening to
Speaker 1: break his composure. Moses knuckles were white on the stone tablets,
Speaker 1: and his fingers were numb from his grip. Nothing could
Speaker 1: have prepared him for the scene. As he entered camp.
Speaker 1: A drunken madness had overtaken the people. It was like
Speaker 1: the destruction of Sodom come to life. Immorality, violence, and
Speaker 1: wild dancing filled every corner. The closer he and Hoshier
Speaker 1: drew to the center, the worse it grew. With no
Speaker 1: one sparing him a glance. Ho Sheer's shock was plain,
Speaker 1: but Moses was already consumed by fury. God had warned him,
Speaker 1: but seeing it first hand ignited his indignation. Drum beats
Speaker 1: echoed his racing heart, and in the center of it
Speaker 1: all was an altar before a cruel golden calf. His
Speaker 1: brother and nephew were nowhere to be found. How could
Speaker 1: they have led Israel into such blatant idolatry? Moses anger
Speaker 1: reached a breaking point. How could all their suffering, waiting
Speaker 1: and survival have led to this? And beneath the rage
Speaker 1: was annoying. Guilt was his failure, Even if it wasn't
Speaker 1: his hand that molded the calf, he had appointed the
Speaker 1: leaders who allowed it. Where had he gone wrong? How
Speaker 1: could his people betray him like this? But he couldn't
Speaker 1: spiral into self doubt. Now this injustice demanded correction. The
Speaker 1: betrayers would pay. He'd cleanse the camp as God had
Speaker 1: cleansed Sodom, leaving only those who.
Speaker 9: Could be reformed.
Speaker 1: Moses marched up to the stony.
Speaker 9: Outcrop hanging over the camp. He peered down at all
Speaker 9: of them.
Speaker 1: The skies were dark and swirling, mimicking the anger brewing
Speaker 1: in Moses' heart. You stiff next people with fury Moses
Speaker 1: lifted the stone tablets high above his head, shouting as
Speaker 1: he smashed them down. They descended down into the revelry
Speaker 1: like a meteor and shattered fragments, striking the musicians and dancers.
Speaker 1: Everything went silent, and all eyes turned to Moses. The
Speaker 1: people swayed as the effects of the wine faded under
Speaker 1: his glare.
Speaker 9: What have you done?
Speaker 1: The tension in the air was so thick you could
Speaker 1: cut it with a blade, and it was so silent
Speaker 1: that the only sound was moses ragged breath.
Speaker 4: What have you done?
Speaker 1: Moses marched down and shoved his way through the crowd.
Speaker 1: He stepped up to the altar and peered down at
Speaker 1: the pathetic golden idol they had made for themselves. Moses
Speaker 1: spat on it. People gasped, earning them another violent shout
Speaker 1: from Moses. He held up the idol to them.
Speaker 13: So this is what you replace the Lord with a
Speaker 13: three foot tall cow, the god who parted sees and
Speaker 13: sent fire down from heaven, replaced by a bow vine
Speaker 13: that could fit in the child's napsack.
Speaker 1: Moses took the golden calf, hauled it off its pedestal,
Speaker 1: and smashed it on the ground before his now silent people.
Speaker 1: He flung the pieces into the blazing fires, and all
Speaker 1: of Israel watched as the gold and wooden components of
Speaker 1: the idol crackled and melted down.
Speaker 4: Where's erin? Where is her? What madness is overcome?
Speaker 5: You all?
Speaker 7: Have you not a shred of decency? Integrity? Where is
Speaker 7: your loyalty?
Speaker 1: The crowd trembled and whimpered before him at that, but
Speaker 1: no one dared offer up any answers. Hosier was similarly
Speaker 1: shaken disgust and settled into his features as he stood
Speaker 1: behind Moses and watched the scene unfold. Moses turned to
Speaker 1: him and roared, go.
Speaker 4: And find my elders. Find Aaron and her and bring
Speaker 4: them to me at once. Search in every tent and
Speaker 4: under every bedroom until.
Speaker 1: You find them towards Hosier flinched at the harshness of
Speaker 1: moses words, but he did not delay in carrying out
Speaker 1: his orders. At last, Aaron, dragged by the persistently annoying Hoshier,
Speaker 1: was thrown at Moses's feet. Miriam trailed reluctantly behind, ghost like,
Speaker 1: her eyes puffy and bloodshot. Aaron peered up at his brother,
Speaker 1: feeling utterly alone too, stunned to speak.
Speaker 3: Moses, shy and where is her?
Speaker 6: I would not say if I haven't been able to
Speaker 6: find him anywhere.
Speaker 1: Aaron kept his eyes fixed on the ground, refusing to
Speaker 1: look at the faint crimson stain where Hoo's body had
Speaker 1: lain hours before. Miriam choked out a sob, gesturing to
Speaker 1: the spot. Moses and Hoshia gasped as they realized what
Speaker 1: had happened, What why?
Speaker 3: By whose hand?
Speaker 13: Oh, we don't know.
Speaker 4: The mob took him down.
Speaker 8: He tried, he tried to stop the ben.
Speaker 1: Moses then turned his focus back to Aaron, who was
Speaker 1: still collapsed on the ground before him. His shock quickly
Speaker 1: turned to anger as he hurled his accusation at Aaron.
Speaker 4: What did these people do to you that you've led
Speaker 4: them into such gravesin?
Speaker 5: Don't let your anger burn my brother. You know that
Speaker 5: people are bent on evil.
Speaker 1: Aaron shot a sharp look at to buyer in the crowd.
Speaker 1: He would make sure to buy a paid for his
Speaker 1: nephew's murder, and take any blame he could shift his way.
Speaker 1: Aaron wasn't going down for this. He'd only done what
Speaker 1: was necessary to pacify the people's unruliness.
Speaker 5: You know, how they get when they're anxious. They came
Speaker 5: to me saying, make gods for us to lead us.
Speaker 5: Because as for Moses, who brought us out of Egypt,
Speaker 5: we don't know what's happened to him.
Speaker 3: Say you read them an idol to replace God.
Speaker 5: They were fearful, There were even rumors of mutiny. I
Speaker 5: did what I thought would unite them in your absence.
Speaker 6: I feared for my life and for hers.
Speaker 1: Miriam sobs intensified at Aaron's words, and he was forced
Speaker 1: to speak over the sound. It's sickened Aaron, but he
Speaker 1: forced himself to keep up his bravada.
Speaker 5: So I said, bring your gold, and then I threw
Speaker 5: it into the fire.
Speaker 6: And then how came this calf?
Speaker 4: And how came this calf? Did it trot out for crawl?
Speaker 5: Well, it came out, But it was only meant to
Speaker 5: be a symbol, Moses, a reminder of your leadership. I
Speaker 5: organized the worship of our God, not this idol. But
Speaker 5: these people they quickly lost sight of that and slipped
Speaker 5: back into the old ways. Frankly, I'm as, how is you?
Speaker 1: Still On his knees, Aaron held Moses's gaze, waiting for
Speaker 1: his brother's judgment. Though moses rage was intense, Aaron sensed
Speaker 1: something shift, a silent struggle flickering in his eyes. Moses
Speaker 1: flexed his hands, and Aaron felt a queasiness rise. As
Speaker 1: if Moses had just bargained for his life with God.
Speaker 1: He couldn't bring himself to admit his failure, pride weighing
Speaker 1: his words down even as shame settled in his heart.
Speaker 9: Moses's fury towards.
Speaker 1: His brother and his grief for her, surged, meeting the
Speaker 1: righteous anger of his God rising in his mind. At
Speaker 1: that moment, he sensed the lord's intent to strike down
Speaker 1: Aaron and the people. Biting back his anger, Moses strengthened
Speaker 1: his resolve from the mountain, pleading silently for Aaron and
Speaker 1: the people. They were out of control and he would
Speaker 1: need to see who could returned to reason. Tearing his
Speaker 1: gaze from his stubborn brother, he stepped back and addressed
Speaker 1: the disgraced Israelites.
Speaker 7: Whoever is four hour God?
Speaker 4: Come to me?
Speaker 1: A tense stillness hung in the air. Then, cautiously, a
Speaker 1: group on the edge of the altar timidly stepped forward,
Speaker 1: mostly from moses tribe, the Levites. From what he could
Speaker 1: tell they seemed more or less innocent of the drunken
Speaker 1: revelry he had witnessed, though they hadn't stopped the idle worship.
Speaker 1: Moses watched as Nadab and Abie, who emerged from the
Speaker 1: crowd and helped their father to his feet. The trio
Speaker 1: approached Ashamed, with Miriam joining them, her face now stoic
Speaker 1: and determined. Hosher took his place on moses right, offering
Speaker 1: a reassuring look. The others hesitated their guilt, apparent uncertain
Speaker 1: of what to do.
Speaker 7: Do not come forward if you're unsure where your loyalty lie.
Speaker 4: You have worshiped before an idol. If you still wish
Speaker 4: for an earth and leader, I will only tell you
Speaker 4: this once. You will not find one here.
Speaker 7: I follow only the true God, the God of Abraham,
Speaker 7: Isaac and Jacob.
Speaker 4: He will not share worship.
Speaker 1: A few more repentant souls joined the mostly Levite group,
Speaker 1: while the rest stood uncertain, perhaps wondering if they would
Speaker 1: be presented with another choice, or possibly regretting their choices.
Speaker 1: Moses turned his back on the lost Israelites and addressed
Speaker 1: those now standing with him.
Speaker 14: Now, listen carefully, this is what our God, the God
Speaker 14: of Israel, says, every man fastened his sword to his side.
Speaker 3: Go back and forth throughout the camp, from entrance to entrance,
Speaker 3: and each of you h his brother, his friend, and
Speaker 3: his neighbor.
Speaker 1: Audible gasps went up in the crowd before and behind him.
Speaker 1: The Levites and others who stood before him looked apprehensive
Speaker 1: as Moses heard the commotion of what was surely fleeing
Speaker 1: men and women behind him.
Speaker 4: Go you've been given your command. Come back to me
Speaker 4: here at dawn. Cut anyone down who worshiped at the
Speaker 4: foot of the idol or is not repented.
Speaker 1: Moses motioned for Hoshir to follow him, strode over to
Speaker 1: a boulder and sat himself upon it.
Speaker 4: Hosheah, bring me fresh water and food I need to
Speaker 4: eat after my stay on the mounser, be quick about it,
Speaker 4: not terry or entangle yourself in the violence.
Speaker 9: Of the camp.
Speaker 1: Hosher inclined his head and ran off to obey. Moses
Speaker 1: watched as those who deemed themselves faithful cut down their bloods, friends,
Speaker 1: and neighbors. Moses trusted God to judge who should live
Speaker 1: or die, but his anger was still burning at the
Speaker 1: people's failure. He sat in tense silence until Hoshier returned safely.
Speaker 1: Side by side, they watched as the Israelites exacted God's
Speaker 1: justice upon one another. Aaron kept his sons and Miriam
Speaker 1: close at the camp's edge, determined to survive the bloody
Speaker 1: chaos unleashed by his brother's sentence of justice. He hadn't
Speaker 1: survived slavery and desert trials to become collateral damage. Now unarmed,
Speaker 1: he wasn't about to risk crossing camp for his weapons,
Speaker 1: but nade Ab and Obie, who had their hunting knives,
Speaker 1: the brothers flanked him and Miriam. It was better than nothing.
Speaker 1: Just then, Tobaia stumbled around the tent corner, clutching a
Speaker 1: bloody gash in his side. Bloods slipped down his leg
Speaker 1: as he slipped Perhabs. Still drunk, Aaron smirked. Miriam gripped
Speaker 1: Aaron's shoulder in recognition. It was as if their God
Speaker 1: had hand delivered their vengeance for Hoo's murder to Bia.
Speaker 1: Unaware of them, sank into the shadows to hide. Aaron's
Speaker 1: eyes glinted with revenge as he seized a bite his
Speaker 1: knife and stalked forward. He drove the blade into Tobias's
Speaker 1: back and wrenched his head back to meet his eyes.
Speaker 1: Fear and understanding flashed into BIA's gaze as Aaron leaned
Speaker 1: in to whisper.
Speaker 5: The man of the people, it is right that I
Speaker 5: should bring you to justice for your crimes and leading
Speaker 5: us astray.
Speaker 1: To bya tried to choke out final words, but only foamy,
Speaker 1: bloody spittle emerged from his gaping mouth. As Aaron twisted
Speaker 1: the knife further into his back, his eyes glazed and
Speaker 1: life left them. Aaron shoved him forward with his knife
Speaker 1: and wiped the blood on his cloak. He then shrank
Speaker 1: back into the shadows with his family to wait out
Speaker 1: the rest of the night. Three thousand Israelites lay dead
Speaker 1: by day's end. At dawn, the survivors returned to the
Speaker 1: center of camp, but Moses had left before sunrise to
Speaker 1: climb the mountain again, leaving them to clean up the carnage. Exhausted,
Speaker 1: he knelt before God as he had for the last
Speaker 1: forty days before.
Speaker 9: Everything had gone so wrong.
Speaker 10: My God, these people have committed a grave sin. They
Speaker 10: did indeed make a god of gold for themselves.
Speaker 1: Moses paused, recalling the words he had planned on his climb.
Speaker 4: Now if you would only forgive their sin. But if not,
Speaker 4: please erase me from the book you've written.
Speaker 1: The weight of failure plagued him. If he couldn't teach
Speaker 1: or lead these people in God's ways, he would rather
Speaker 1: die than watch their downfall and shame. Finally, the answer.
Speaker 12: Came, whoever has sinned against me, I will erase from
Speaker 12: my book. Lou, go lead the people to the place
Speaker 12: I told you about.
Speaker 6: Ah, he will go before you.
Speaker 12: But on the day I settle accounts, AHI will hold
Speaker 12: them accountable for their sin.
Speaker 1: God's presence receded. There was nothing more to say. It
Speaker 1: seemed that the people would still be punished for this
Speaker 1: crime against their God, but Moses would still lead them
Speaker 1: until that day. He would also be responsible for preparing
Speaker 1: the innocence to follow the commandments and laws. It would
Speaker 1: be them who would take the promised land. When Moses
Speaker 1: returned to camp. Over the following days, Hues reached his
Speaker 1: tenth that a voracious plague had inflicted the people. This
Speaker 1: was one sign he did not need to interpret for them.
Speaker 1: Justice was being enacted on the remaining guilty Israelites for
Speaker 1: their crimes against their God.
Speaker 11: That was a very powerful journey. Listening to the story
Speaker 11: of Moses and the Israelites, my heart is heavy with
Speaker 11: the weight of human frailty. Makes me wonder about the
Speaker 11: moments my own life when I've turned away from what
Speaker 11: is holy for what is fleeting. The image of Moses
Speaker 11: smashing the tablets is etched in my mind, a symbol
Speaker 11: of broken covenant and shattered trust, but also a reminder
Speaker 11: of the chance for repentance for tashuva that is always
Speaker 11: before us. May we carry the lessons of this story
Speaker 11: into our own lives, remaining steadfast even when the path
Speaker 11: seems uncertain, stood on the precipice, called to battle for faith,
Speaker 11: smmoned to rise and act. Our world often seems set
Speaker 11: against the teachings of God's word, doesn't it. Society threatens
Speaker 11: to throw out the still small voice within us when
Speaker 11: it all seems too much to bear. I often find
Speaker 11: solace and those who came before us. I think about
Speaker 11: the generations who stood unwavering against the darkness. I think
Speaker 11: of the Greatest generation who bravely faced the Nazis in
Speaker 11: World War Two. I think of the Jewish pioneers who
Speaker 11: drained swamps and forged the modern Israel with their bare hands,
Speaker 11: that they themselves made the desert bloom, and God blessed it.
Speaker 11: And I think of my Abba, my father, Abby Reel
Speaker 11: Exstein of blessed memory. He answered God's call to build
Speaker 11: bridges of understanding between Christians and Jews. He persevered even
Speaker 11: when he was met with very strong opposition. These were
Speaker 11: all ordinary people, just like you and me, my friends.
Speaker 11: But their greatness it laid in their choice to heed
Speaker 11: God's call. In today's episode, we witness one of Israel's
Speaker 11: darkest hours, the making of the Golden Calf. Moses descends
Speaker 11: from the mountain to find chaos and idolatry. God's voice,
Speaker 11: once so clear, seems lost in the revelry. Moses, in
Speaker 11: righteous anger, shatters the tablets. The covenant is broken, and
Speaker 11: when he confronts Aaron, Arn sees only a lost cause,
Speaker 11: a society given over to evil. But Moses stands firm, issuing.
Speaker 3: A call to action.
Speaker 11: Whoever is for the Lord, come to me, he says,
Speaker 11: and the Levites, a small but steadfast group, rallied his side.
Speaker 11: Their courage turns back the tide of sin, restoring God's
Speaker 11: covenant with Israel. Like the Levites, we are all called
Speaker 11: to heed God's call. We're all called to stand up
Speaker 11: and say what they said. Whoever is for the Lord,
Speaker 11: come to me in these challenging times. May we all
Speaker 11: rise to God's call, uphold the values of the Torah,
Speaker 11: and carry forth the legacy of those who stood firm
Speaker 11: before us. There's one question that I've always asked myself
Speaker 11: when I read the story of the Golden Calf. Why
Speaker 11: did Moses break the tablets? Well, Jewish tradition has provided
Speaker 11: many reasons, but one I like best was given by
Speaker 11: Rabbi Mayor Hakohen, the Rabbi of de Vincek in the
Speaker 11: early nineteen hundreds. He points out that as holy as
Speaker 11: the tablets were, their holiness came from the chosen people
Speaker 11: to whom they were given, and when the people sinned
Speaker 11: so seriously, even the tablets lost their holiness. Rabbi may
Speaker 11: Ra Cohen suggests that Moses was afraid that the people
Speaker 11: would do with the tablets what they had just done
Speaker 11: with the Golden Calf, that they would say that the
Speaker 11: tablets were holy despite their unholy behavior. Because we all
Speaker 11: know that we have the ability to sanctify something or
Speaker 11: to take out the holiness from it, There's only one
Speaker 11: thing in the entire universe that's permanently holy, and that's
Speaker 11: God himself. So Moses broke the tablets to forcefully, dramatically
Speaker 11: teach the people that for the tablets to be holy,
Speaker 11: they must be holy. This is such an important message
Speaker 11: for us today, isn't it. For things in our lives
Speaker 11: to be holy, we must act in ways to deserve
Speaker 11: their holiness, to imbue them in holiness, to fill them
Speaker 11: with holiness at home, at work, at play, at our
Speaker 11: our church, or in our synagogue. If we try to
Speaker 11: be holy, then our tablets and our surroundings will be holy.
Speaker 11: Before we leave the Chosen People and the Wake of
Speaker 11: the Golden Calf, I want to talk about one more
Speaker 11: thing from this story, actually from before the Golden Calf
Speaker 11: was made at the end of Genesis thirty one, is
Speaker 11: Moses still stands on sign. God gives him a final commandment,
Speaker 11: a covenant, the covenant of the Sabbath. The Sabbath, it's
Speaker 11: called Shabbat in Hebrew. It's berto olam, an everlasting covenant. Wow,
Speaker 11: that's a deep concept. Shabbat is an everlasting covenant, and
Speaker 11: we have to ask ourselves why well it's because every
Speaker 11: week we remind ourselves through Shabbat of what is most
Speaker 11: important and everlasting. Very few commandments are called a covenant,
Speaker 11: but Shabbad is a covenant because by stepping away from
Speaker 11: the day to day grind, by turning off our smartphones,
Speaker 11: and by spending time with loved ones, we reconnect with
Speaker 11: what matters most and in the Bible. And these ten
Speaker 11: commandments were told to do it every week. This makes
Speaker 11: it an eternal part of our lives, an everlasting covenant.
Speaker 11: People often wonder about the remarkable survival of the Jewish people.
Speaker 11: They wonder how we retained our identity and way of
Speaker 11: life for thousands of years as we were scattered across
Speaker 11: the globe as a tiny minority with no power and
Speaker 11: no land. And I'll tell you, my friends, this is
Speaker 11: the secret. The secret of Jewish survival is this everlasting covenant,
Speaker 11: this briet olam Shabbat. And I'll leave you now with
Speaker 11: this blessing that we recite over our children every shibbat
Speaker 11: ivarech Hashem vi schmerecher yea heir hashempanave ileha verroncher ye
Speaker 11: sa haschempanave lechra vier s lech chalon. May the Lord
Speaker 11: bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his
Speaker 11: face shine upon you. May he be gracious to you,
Speaker 11: Made the Lord turn his face towards you and give
Speaker 11: you peace.
Speaker 9: Amen.
Speaker 1: You can listen to The Chosen People withyle Eckstein add
Speaker 1: free by downloading and subscribing to the pray dot Com
Speaker 1: app today. This prey dog comproduction is only made possible
Speaker 1: by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard,
Speaker 1: Zak Shellabager and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of
Speaker 1: the Chosen People with Yaiel Eckstein, edited by Alberto Avilla,
Speaker 1: narrated by Paul Coltefianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton,
Speaker 1: Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zara,
Speaker 1: and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music
Speaker 1: by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato.
Speaker 1: Special thanks to Bishop Paulinier, Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows,
Speaker 1: Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians
Speaker 1: and Jews. You can hear more prey dot com productions
Speaker 1: on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple
Speaker 1: App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The
Speaker 1: Chosen People with Yeile Eckstein, please rate and leave a review.