Commentary for Exodus 32:22

כי ברע הוא [THOU KNOWEST THE PEOPLE] THAT THEY ARE SET ON EVIL — They always go on the wrong way and with temptations, before the Omnipresent.

THOU KNOWEST THE PEOPLE, THAT THEY ARE SET ON EVIL. Aaron is saying: “They proceeded along the path of evil. They told me to make them a guide in the place of my lord until he returns to me, for perhaps he will return, and then they gave me the gold and I cast it into the fire³⁶⁷Verse 24. and behold there came out this calf for them, for they had an evil intention as to the gold, [and wanted] to worship it and sacrifice to it.” But because Aaron did not want to speak at length about their corruption, he spoke briefly and said, and there came out this calf,³⁶⁷Verse 24. meaning, “there came out for them this evil matter that my lord sees.”

כי ברע הוא. They were already so deeply involved in the sin, having been used to the idolatry they had been addicted to in the hundreds of years in Egypt.

אתה ידעת את העם כי ברע הוא, “you know what the people are like once they are bent on an evil path.” Aaron did not want to dwell at length on how the situation had deteriorated, and the people’s having planned this, but he shouldered part of the blame saying that he had misled them by throwing the gold they had brought into the crucible, as an unexpected result of which this calf emerged. The people had made him believe that they wanted a temporary substitute for Moses until Moses would return. It had neither occurred to him that this calf would emerge from the crucible, nor that they would worship this calf by prostrating themselves in front of it

They are always going. . . Rashi is answering the question: Why is it not written it say כי רע הוא , [instead of ברע ], if it refers to the Bnei Yisrael? He explains that ברע refers to the evil way. And Rashi adds the words “they are going” because “going” is the term that is associated with “way.” And Rashi adds the word “always,” because otherwise Aharon seems to be speaking of this [specific] way on which they intend evil. But this cannot be, because if Moshe had known of this [as the verse says, “You know,”] he should have taken preventative measures at the onset, before they did evil. Therefore Rashi adds “always,” to convey that in all their deeds they are always on an evil way.

VV. 22-—24. Wie groß erscheint Aaron in dieser Antwort! Er sagt nichts zu seiner Verteidigung, verschweigt selbst die zur Milderung seiner Schuld geeigneten Umstände, die wir bereits kennen. Nichts von ihrer überwältigenden Massenerscheinung, ויקהל העם על־ — nichts von seinem Versuche, die Eitelkeit der Frauen als Verzögerungsmittel zu gebrauchen, nichts von seiner mühsam die Vollendung hinausschiebenden Ziselierarbeit, — nichts von allem dem. Mit keinem seine Schuld mildernden Grunde will er die Schuld des Volkes vergrößern. Er nimmt fast die ganze Schuld auf sich, klagt sich der energielosesten Schwäche an: "Du kennst das Volk, wenn es im Bösen ist", das ist seine ganze Verteidigung, du weißt, wie entschieden und heftig es auftritt, wenn es in der Gewalt einer Leidenschaft befangen ist. Darum habe ich gar keinen Widerstand versucht, habe sofort ihrem Verlangen mich gefügt ( — man vergleiche das: ויקהל העם על אהרן ויאמרו אליו קום עשה לנו וגו׳ des wirklichen Vorgangs mit Aarons mildem Bericht: ויאמרו לי עשה לנו וגו׳! —) habe ihr Gold ins Feuer geworfen ( — um es zu schmelzen, von seiner weiteren langwierigen Arbeit sagt er nichts — ) und auf diese Weise, durch meine nachgiebige Schwäche, ויצא העגל הזה, ist dies Kalb entstanden.

כי ברע הוא, “when it is bent on evil.” If he had not done what he did in response to their demand, they would have appointed a new leader with even worse consequences.

כי ברע הוא, “that they are bent on evil;” they have evil intentions; if I had not had made the calf for them they would have crowned a king for themselves and the final result would have been bitter for them. (Baaley Tossaphot)