Troublemakers

The Sin of the Golden Calf is one of the greatest tragedies in Jewish History. The high level achieved at Mount Sinai was immediately lost.

The Jewish people were on a level that would have eradicated death forever. The sin of Adam and Eve was now temporarily forgiven.

The troublemakers that instigated this terrible sin, were known as the “Eirav Rav,” or the mixed multitude. They were also responsible for the other sins that were committed in the desert.

They were defined originally as insincere Egyptian converts that should not have been accepted to join the Jewish nation. The number of Erev Rav was in the hundreds of thousands, according to most commentators.

The Zohar points out that not only does the Erev Rav continue to exist in every generation, but they remain the major cause of problems facing the Jewish people.

In practical terms, the Erev Rav are likely to be self-hating Jews. Their entire essence is to undermine that which is sacred. The Zohar says further that the existence of the Erev Rav holds back the Redemption.

The Ari, Rabbi Isaac Luria, and Rav Kook both wrote that there is the potential for the Erev Rav to repent. Perhaps if we strengthen ourselves, and show them the fallacy of their ways, their influence will be weakened, and the obstacle to our redemption will be removed.