שמות

וירא את העגל ומחלת. מכל כלי זמר שהיו שם לא הזכיר אלא מחול, והטעם כי תמצא בכתוב שבעה מיני זמר שהם כנגד שבעה כוכבי לכת שצ"ם חנכ"ל, כנור כנגד שבתאי, תוף כנגד צדק, מחול כנגד מאדים, מנים כנגד חמה, עוגב כנגד נוגה, צלצלי שמע כנגד כוכב, תרועה כנגד לבנה, זהו שכתוב (תהילים ק״נ:ג׳-ד׳) הללוהו בתקע שופר הללוהו בנבל וכנור, הללוהו בתוף ומחול. הללוהו במנים ועוגב, הללוהו בצלצלי שמע הללוהו בצלצלי תרועה. והנה הם בין כלם תשעה מיני זמר כנגד תשעה גלגלים, ובעלי חכמת המוזיק"א יודעין לכוין כל מין ומין ממיני זמר הללו כנגד כל גלגל וגלגל, ושופר ונבל הנשארים בכתוב, השופר כנגד גלגל התשיעי המקיף,והנבל כנגד גלגל שמיני שבו הכוכבים, ומפני זה הזכיר במעשה העגל מחול יותר מכל שאר הכלים אשר היו שם, לפי שהמחול כנגד כוכב מאדים כי היו במדבר במקום חורב שממה והכוכב הזה שולט עליו, וזהו שתמצא על הים (שמות ט״ו:כ׳) ותצאן כל הנשים אחריה בתפים ובמחלת כי היו שם נשים שלא היתה כוונתם לשמים, והתוף כנגד כוכב צדק, וזהו שכתוב (שם) ותקח מרים הנביאה אחות אהרן את התוף בידה, הזכיר אהרן וסמך לו את התוף לפי שאהרן היה כלו צדק כענין שכתוב (איוב כ״ט:י״ד) צדק לבשתי וילבשני.

וירא את העגל ומחלות, “and when he saw the calf and the dances, etc.” Of all the various musical instruments which were being used at that time, the Torah identifies only the מחלות, The fact is that you find that Scriptures lists a total of seven varieties of musical instruments each one corresponding to one of the seven fixed stars (galaxies, which formed the basis of astronomy and astrology until Copernicus). The instrument known as כנור corresponded to the planet Saturn, whereas the instrument known as תוף, drum, corresponded to the planet Jupiter. The instrument known as עוגב corresponds to the planet Venus; the instrument known as צלצלי שמע corresponds to the planet Mercury. The instrument known as צלצלי תרועה corresponds to the moon, whereas the instrument known as מחול corresponds to the planet Mars. The instrument known as מנים corresponds to the planet Sun. In Psalms 150 there is a list of nine different musical instruments corresponding to nine planets (galaxies). The experts of music know how each of these instruments match the specific nature of the planets and zodiac influences they are to represent or counter, respectively. The שופר and נבל which are unaccounted for in our list but have appeared in Psalm 150 each have their cosmic function also. The שופר represents an all-embracing planet, one that orbits all the other planets, whereas the instrument known as נבל, corresponds to the eighth planet the sphere within which all the stars we observe are orbiting. The reason that in connection with the golden calf the instrument מחול is singled out for special mention is that in the desert the influence of the planet Mars is exceedingly potent. You will note that already after the Israelites had been saved by walking through the sea whereas their pursuers the Egyptians perished in that same sea, Miriam and her companions took two instruments with which they accompanied their song of praise to G’d, namely the מחול and the תוף (compare Exodus 15,2). In that connection the Torah mentioned that Miriam was the sister of Aaron, a fact familiar to every reader of the Torah. It appears that some of the ladies banging the drums at that time directed their thanks-giving at the planet Jupiter, the planet to which this instrument corresponds. In order to offset such erroneous כוונות the Torah (Miriam) mentioned that her brother Aaron represented צדק seeing that he was such a perfectly righteous and lovable person. This thought about Aaron would deflect what could otherwise have been a serious theological error on the part of the women playing the drums.

אבל החכמים עשו במדרשם מחולות מלשון מחילה, ובאור הענין כי כל מיני זמר שהיו בידם לא נזדמן לו למשה שיראה מהם כי אם מחולות, והוא אות וסימן למחילה שהיה עתיד הקב"ה למחול להם אותו עון, וכמו שאמרו רז"ל סימנא מילתא היא, וכיון שראה משה סימן נזדרז בדבר ויקח את העגל אשר עשו וישרוף אותו באש ויזר על פני המים וישק וגו' המים שזרה בהם השקה אותם דרך בזיון כדי שיוציאוהו דרך הנקבים, וכענין שכתוב בענין ע"ג (ישעיהו ל׳:כ״ב) תזרם כמו דוה צא תאמר לו, ועוד כוון משה לבדוק אותם כסוטות כדי שיוריקו פניהם ויתפרסם ביניהם מי ששמח בלבו על העון ההוא כי אותם שחטאו ועשו בו מעשה והם המשתחוים והזובחים והמקטרים ביניהם היה דן אותם על פי עדים ומחייבם מיתה, אבל מי ששמח בלבו לא היו יודעים והיו צריכים לבדוק ע"י המים, והוא שדרשו רז"ל זבח וקטר בסייף גפף ונשק במיתה שמח בלבו בהדרוקן, ויש אומרים אותם שהיו בהם עדים והתראה בסייף, עדים בלא התראה במיתה היא מיתת מגפה, לא עדים ולא התראה בהדרוקן כן דרשו ביומא פרק שני שעירי, ואילו היה הנס בהדרוקן בפניהם בלא השקאה היה פתחון פה אצל מקצתם לומר כי עונש זה מצד עון אחר הוא וכיון ששתו היה הדבר אצלם שהעונש היה מצד העון הזה, ואמר ויטחן כדי שישוב אפר דוגמת עפר קרקע המשכן שהיה הכהן נותן במים להשקות הסוטה.

A Midrashic approach views the expression מחולות as derived from מחילה, “pardon, forgiveness.” According to this view when Moses looked at all the musical instruments being used in these festivities, none evoked within him any hope of these people being forgiven eventually, until he saw the מחולות. As soon as he saw that instrument, he regained confidence that there was hope that G’d would eventually forgive them for this grievous sin and he immediately proceeded to burn the calf, etc. This whole matter is an illustration of the old adage of our sages that סימנא מילתא הוא, that one must not dismiss symbols as of no consequence and not related to the essence of a matter, but that on the contrary, any symbol may trigger something which will prove to be very important (compare Horiot 12). When Moses sprinkled the ash of the golden calf on the water and made the Israelites drink the mixture, he did so in order to disgrace them as they would excrete this in the form of diarrhea, not as urine. Compare Isaiah 30,22: “who says of idolatry and its remains: ‘you will cast them away like a menstruous woman.’” Another thought which motivated Moses was to examine the Israelites just like women who are suspected of infidelity against their husbands, סוטות. If the faces of the people drinking this mixture would turn green (like the face of a guilty סוטה), it would become public knowledge who amongst them had enjoyed watching the dancing and the festivities around the golden calf. The people who had participated in the golden calf cult in deed and had been witnessed and identified as such had already been condemned to die by tribunal; the identity of those, however, who had committed the sin only in their hearts had not been known and became known only as the result of their drinking this water with the ash of the golden calf. This is what our sages meant in Yuma 66 when they said anyone who had slaughtered a sacrifice or offered incense to the golden calf was executed by the sword. The ones who had merely kissed the calf died at the hands of G’d. Those who had enjoyed the proceedings without participating actively except with their hearts were struck by dropsy. Another source distinguishes between the ones who had been legally warned of the penalty they would face and those who had not been warned. The former were executed by the Levites, the latter died at the hand of G’d. Those who had participated actively but had not been seen by valid witnesses nor been warned properly would die at the hands of G’d. Had G’d performed a miracle and the people guilty only in their hearts would have been struck by dropsy without having drunk from the water with the ash of the golden calf, the people might have said that the afflicted person while dying because of a sin he had committed did not die on account of his enjoying the cult of the golden calf. Having first drunk from this mixture made it reasonable to attribute their dropsy to a sin connected with the golden calf. The reason the Torah reported Moses as “grinding” the gold was to achieve as near a replica of the Sotah procedure when earth is taken from the floor of the Tabernacle and mixed with the water before the Sotah is given it to drink (compare all the details in Numbers 5,17.)