סָ֣רוּ מַהֵ֗ר מִן־הַדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוִּיתִ֔ם עָשׂ֣וּ לָהֶ֔ם עֵ֖גֶל מַסֵּכָ֑ה וַיִּשְׁתַּֽחֲווּ־לוֹ֙ וַיִּזְבְּחוּ־ל֔וֹ וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֵ֤לֶּה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֶֽעֱל֖וּךָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
Mereka telah segera menyimpang dari jalan yang Kuperintahkan kepada mereka. Mereka telah menjadikan bagi diri mereka anak lembu tuangan, lalu sujud kepadanya, mempersembahkan korban kepadanya, dan berkata: ‘Inilah allah-allahmu, hai Israel, yang telah membawa engkau keluar dari tanah Mesir.’”
Ohr HaTzafun
However it is not only the trait of ingratitude that is the root of heresy and of all the destructive actions. Rather, it is all of the [bad] character traits. And even at the time when the Jewish people sinned with idolatry, they were only prosecuted on account of [their] defective character traits: We have seen with the sin of the calf that God said about it to Moshe (Exodus 32:8), "they have made for themselves a molten calf, and have prostrated themselves to it and offered sacrifices to it." Nevertheless, when He came to punish them, it is written (Exodus 32:9), "And the Lord said to Moshe, 'I have seen this people, and behold they are a stiff-necked people.'" Note surely that the main sin of idolatry is not in the actual idolatry, but rather in the character trait that brought it into motion.