Rationalization

There are many opinions as to how the Jewish people were capable of sinning with the Golden Calf.

Rabbi Twerski is of the opinion that it was all the fault of the ערב רב, mixed multitude. There is a hint to this where the Torah describes the scene with the words, אלה אלוקיך ישראל, “these are your gods, Israel.” Because they did not say, “our god,” we see that the ערב רב did not really see themselves as part of עם ישראל.

They further exacerbated the issue by rationalizing that Moshe wasn’t really coming back, and maybe life in Egypt wasn’t so bad. This was the excuse for creating a kind of substitute image of Hashem.

Rabbi Twerski takes this idea a little further by speaking of how rationalizing, can be the cause of a person’s downfall. Such a person never takes responsibility for his actions, and justifies them by way of rationalization and excuses. He may place the blame on others, but never owns up to his own actions.

Rabbi Twerski even goes as far to say that rationalization is the explanation for society’s decay. “But they love each other,” is the rationalization that might justify intermarriage or same sex marriages.

“But it feels so right,” is another classic justification for all types of immoral behavior. Rationalization prevents real rules and limits, and it denies that what is right in the eyes of Hashem, strongly overrides everything.

The Eirav Rav failed to recognize this, and secular society may be guilty of the same shortcomings.