Q. Salamaleikum Rabbi, according to Quran Aaron did not make golden claf and not lead people astray. But Torah talks about Aaron's role in this sin. What do you think about this issue?
A. Wa aleikum salaam wa rahmatullah.
The Talmud teaches "Whoever says that the Prophets sinned is mistaken" (Shabbat 56a). In the case of the Prophet Aaron (pbuh) it is never said that he actually fashioned the idol. The English translation is not precise, in the Hebrew there is a break between "tied it up in a cloth" and "made it into a molten calf". The written Torah reads "He [Aaron] took [the gold] from their hand[s], tied it up in a cloth, and [someone else, i.e., sorcerers] made it into a molten calf. THEY said: "These are gods, O Israel, who have brought you up from the land of Egypt!" The word "molten calf" is related to the "they" in "they said: 'This is thy god, O Israel". Because "they" exclude themselves from Israel, it cannot be referring to the Prophet Aaron (pbuh) or the Children of Israel.
Instead it refers to the non-Jewish Erev Rav "mix multitudes" that came out of Egypt with the Children of Israel (see 12:38). In the Qur'an these people are given the same Samiri (Samaritans) which is another name for the intermarried mixed nation who attached itself to Israel, but was not part of Israel.
A Midrash is brought by Rashi that explains that the whole problem was that Moses (pbuh) said he would be gone for 40 days. The Children of Israel has miscalculated and expected Moses (pbuh) to return a day earlier. When Moses (pbuh) did not return according to their calculation, they people began to panic. They had just come from Egypt and were immersed in idolatry, so the Erev Rav (mix multitude) found it easy to convince the people to ask for an idol to replace Moses (pbuh). They did not intend for the idol to be in place of God, but rather it was shirk - which is also strictly forbidden - to represent their understanding of God in a way they could see. The calf had been significant in their salvation of the plague of the firstborn, so they choose that symbol.
Aaron's (pbuh) nephew, the Prophet Hur (pbuh) tried to rebuke them, but they killed him. Aaron's (pbuh) recognized a step by step regression in the people's rational faculty as they became under the grip of this overwhelming panic. He observed and concluded that "it would be better if the Israelites transgression was ascribed to him rather than to them" meaning that if they sinned and Moses (pbuh) returned, their grief might be so great and their faith so weak, that they would never be able to repent. He also concluded that if they built the alter on their own, it would be finished immediately. He therefore undertook its construction hoping to tarry in his work, in order to delay them one day until Moses (pbuh) arrived.
After the people wanted to kill him, Aaron (pbuh) agreed to begin the work, but only with the intention to delay them. He specifically asked for the jewelry from the wives and children, even though the Torah clearly says in the following verses that the men had gold as well, because he hoped that this would take more time to gather. After the gold calf sprang out of the oven, Aaron (pbuh) instisted that an altar be made, and that he would fashioned an altar himself, not letting anyone assist him in the work. He proclaimed the "feast" would only occur the next day, giving Moses (pbuh) time to arrive.
At each case, Aaron's (pbuh) plans did not work out as he expected. The gold was gathered quickly. And when Aaron (pbuh) through the gold into the oven, the Erev Rav invoked their "magic" that they had learned in Egypt. They threw dust into the oven (also brought by the Islamic commentator al-Suddi) such that demons worked mischief and a golden calf sprang out of the oven. Aaron (pbuh) was not expecting this, but Aaron (pbuh) recognized it was a test from God and called upon them not to fail the test. He tried to delay them from worshiping the calf by telling them to wait for an altar and "a feast". Thus Aaron (pbuh) did not want to make an idol (chas veshalom) nor did he actually create it.
Yet the Torah does find some fault (but not sin) with Aaron (pbuh). Many of the Children of Israel did not agree with to the idea of a Golden Calf, and fighting among the children of Israel began. The Levites began killing their fellow Jews and Aaron (pbuh) did not stop them. So the Torah does not find fault with Aaron's (pbuh) delay tactics, but rather that he let the Children of Israel fall into chaos. "Moses saw that the people were out of control - since Aaron had let them get out of control - so that they were an object of derision to any who might oppose them [the Levites and others]." (Exodus 32:25). The Qur'an gives a similar account, mentioning that Moses (pbuh) "put down the tablet and seized his brother by the head, dragging him towards himself..."
In the Qur'an a similar verse is expressed: Allah SWT told Moses (pbuh) that his people were being tested in his absence. That test was in the form of Samiri's fraud. By definition, those submitted to a test can either pass or fail it depending upon their training and capability. So, the reason why Moses (pbuh) upon return reprimanded Aaron (pbuh) was not that he was holding the latter responsible for leading his people astray. On the contrary, the reason why Moses (pbuh) rebuked Aaron(pbuh) was that he had been made the man in-charge in his absence by Moses (pbuh) (see Qur'an 7:142) and was therefore expected by Moses (pbuh) to have rescued his people by dint of his leadership, which he had been unable to do.
The Written Torah explicitly says that the golden calf came out of the fire by itself, fully formed "And I said unto them: Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off; so they gave it me; and I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.'" (Exodus 32:24)
The Midrash Rabba clarifies the terms "the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron" and "he saw and he made and altar before it" by saying (=bringing the tradition) that the context of the verse was that "the people gathered themselves against Aaron saying just as we did to him [the Prophet Hur] so will we do to you." meaning that Aaron (pbuh) was forced to try delaying tactics because the people threated to kill him. The word "gathered against" vayikahel 'al means a disorderly, violent mob, something explicitly said in the Qur'an.
One commentator brings a tradition that Aaron (pbuh) couldn't have been the one who fashioned the golden calf because in Exodus 32:5 it says "And when Aaron saw, he built an altar before it". If he had fashioned it himself, why would the Torah mention to say "he saw"? Another commentator brings a tradition that what Aaron (pbuh) saw was "an angry mob". Another commentator brings a tradition that the words "Aaron saw" is the same as "Aaron feared" in hebrew. All these interpretations reflect aspects of the complete understanding of the Torah verse.
Thus find that the Torah and the Qur'an agree. In fact the Qur'an explicitly says things that are only hinted at in the Torah, thus safekeeping the proper interpretation "confirming the Scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety"
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